Whitford Brown

Whitford James Brown, OBE, CBE,(May 13, 1910 - April 14, 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua City, a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961/1962(?), the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.

Biography

Whitford James Richard Brown, or "Brownie" as he was more generally known, was born at Maori Creek near Greymouth in the South Island on 13 May 1910.

Whitford moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department at Wanganui, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to East Porirua, Christmas 1954 to work in the N.Z. Railways Head Office above the Wellington Railway Station.

After his marriage to Frances Ward (Frances Mary Ward), daughter of N.Z. astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.

He was "persuaded" to stand for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year. Two years later, when Porirua was constituted a borough, Whitford Brown was elected mayor. His first official function was to open the Mungavin Avenue Community Hall in Porirua East.

The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.

His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then New Zealand Prime Minister (Keith Holyoake proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends..

The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.

"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.

Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.

In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony. Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".

In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.

In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.

"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.

Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April, 1986]], after a short illness (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three son's, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Golden Wedding Anniversary: Article In The Wellington Paper "THE EVENING POST": "MAYORAL COUPLE CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.

Awards and Honours

Whitford Brown; as Mayor of Porirua City; was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977 for his years of service as Mayor.

In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)

Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Queen's Birthday Honours in 1972 list
Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE)
New Year's Honours List in 1984, for services to local government.

Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:

The Hutt Valley Energy Board.
Wellington Trustee Savings Bank.
Founding Chairman of Porirua College Board of Governors.
Wellington Regional Councilor.
Wellington Harbour Board.
The Porirua Licensing Trust.
Patron of the Maraeroa Community Trust.

Sources

Porirua City - Former Mayor's
"Porirua Public Library Records"
"His death closes a chapter", Kapi Mana News, 22 April 1986
"Porirua's Mayor is deeply involved in community", Kapi Mana News,21 July 1973
"Long Serving Mayor dies", Kapi Mana News, 15 April 1986,
"Porirua's former mayor pleased with portrait", Kapi Mana News, 14 May 1985
Text of News Feature on the City of Porirua and its foundation Mayor for 21 years, by freelance writer Jane Symonds
Whitford's eldest son: Derek Brown
Whitford's Granddaughter: Angela Daymond

- ((Errors corrected by Chris Brown (Whitford's youngest son.))**