Matthew Barnett

Matthew Frank Barnett (6 June 1859 – 28 January 1935), also known as Mat Barnett, was a bookmaker and philanthropist from Christchurch, New Zealand. In his retirement, he became well known in lawn bowls. He donated the statue of James Cook in Victoria Square to the city. His family dwelling, Wharetiki House, was a prominent landmark on Colombo Street in the Christchurch Central City until its demolition in July 2011, following a demolition order by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

Early life Matthew Barnett Barnett was born in Aovca, Colony of Victoria, in 1859. He came from a large family and had ten siblings. His parents were William Barnett, a merchant, and Rachel Barnett (née Mitchell). The family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand when Matthew was six as his father was attracted by the goldfields.

From there, Barnett's family returned to Melbourne for another two years. He worked as a swagman in Australia

Mary travelled to Melbourne to visit relatives of her parents. In that city, she married Matthew Frank Barnett. Ivy Kathleen Barnett (15 Oct 1891 – 1965) Alice May Barnett (Topsy) (15 May 1893 – 1979) Kate Elizabeth Barnett (19 Jan 1900 – 26 September 1972) Tui Frances Barnett (21 Dec 1903 – 12 Dec 1962)

Professional life Some time after their wedding, the couple moved to Otago to farm.

Barnett and Grant were banned from racecourses, e.g. in Palmerston in 1892 and in Dunedin in 1894. They had frequent encounters with law enforcement, and they were arrested numerous times. Their Dunedin branch was searched by Police and Barnett, Grant and two employees arrested in September 1897. Between 1901 and 1904, they were arrested three times, The case went to a jury trial, but all the witnesses refused to give evidence, as they would have incriminated themselves by doing so, as it was illegal to visit a gaming house. Without any witness statements, the jury delivered a not guilty verdict. For a 1906 raid of the Christchurch office, the Police had previously sent an undercover agent to the office to place a bet in order to have some evidence for a court case. He appealed the conviction and it was overturned by Justice Sim as being erroneous in point of law. With the passing of the 1910 amendment to the Gaming Act, Barnett decided to officially retire as a bookmaker, but it is likely that he continued to work underground.

Mary's father suffered a brain injury in 1888 and spent the remaining 20 years of his life at Seacliff Mental Hospital. When he died in 1908, his wife Margaret and the children who were still at home moved to a different house in Dunedin, but later on she and her second youngest child, Bill, moved to Christchurch to live at Wharetiki. Margaret Whelan made many spontaneous trips back to Dunedin when she got nostalgic and would stay there for a few weeks at a time, but she would otherwise live at Wharetiki for the rest of her life. Wharetiki House was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category II heritage building. William Trethewey (1892–1956) won this competition and was chosen as the sculptor; this was his biggest commission in his career so far. A 12-ton block of Carrara marble was imported for this work. Barnett also funded the sculpture itself, which was unveiled on 10 August 1932 in Victoria Square by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe. This commission brought Trethewey much publicity, including coverage on Movietone News. The Cook Statue is registered as a Category II heritage item by Heritage New Zealand.

Barnett Tiki In his retirement, Barnett had started to play lawn bowls, and he became well known both as a player and administrator. In bowling circles, he was known as Mat Barnett. The Canterbury Bowling Club was only 100 m down the road on Salisbury Street. Since the early 1900s, Canterbury and Wellington had an annual competition. In 1924, Barnett commissioned a tiki as a trophy for this tournament and he personally supervised the carving. The mahogany carving was presented at the Canterbury Bowling Club in February 1925. The first annual competition with the Barnett Tiki was held a few days later in Wellington and was won by Christchurch. Whilst it was decided that the winning team should hold the Tiki until the next competition, the trophy was left in Wellington after the first competition in 1925. Mat Barnett's bowling trophy should not be confused with another trophy also established by a prominent Christchurch bowling club figure in the Christchurch area. William (Willie) Barnett, a pharmacist who was involved in the Christchurch Bowling Club for decades and was president for a period, established The Friendly Bowl trophy in 1906. The two Barnetts would sometimes be on opposing teams during inter-club matches.

Death Margaret Whelan died on 24 February 1926 at Wharetiki, Mary Barnett died on 1 March 1931 at Wharetiki, aged 66. Matthew Barnett died on 28 January 1935, aged 75, also at Wharetiki. He was buried next to his wife the following day. There are white marble chippings scattered on their grave, which are remnants from the production of the Cook Statue.