1. Fred Hobbs is credited with having made significant improvements to the drainage system, and thus improving health in the wider Christchurch area.
23 Facts About Fred Hobbs
1. 2.
Fred Hobbs commissioned a new building of permanent materials for the site, which became known as Cathedral Chambers and which stood there from the mid-1880s to the 1970s.
3.
Fred Hobbs was involved in establishing at least two choirs in Christchurch, and his son Frederick Henry Hobbs worked for the English D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
4.
Fred Hobbs's parents were William Hobbs and Maria Hobbs.
5.
Fred Hobbs was 13 when he left England; he received no further formal education in Christchurch, where the family settled.
6.
Fred Hobbs' corner became known as Broadway corner, based on the popular cafe that occupied the first floor.
7.
Fred Hobbs was elected onto the city council four times: in 1870,1873,1875 and 1876.
8.
Shortly after his election, Fred Hobbs was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace.
9.
Indeed, Fred Hobbs invited suburban and local bodies to a conference in 1875 to tackle the issue in a comprehensive manner.
10.
The work and lobbying of Fred Hobbs was instrumental in the establishment of The Christchurch District Drainage Act 1875.
11.
Fred Hobbs was the only candidate nominated, so the returning officer, Edward Bishop, declared him elected unopposed on 17 December 1875.
12.
In September 1883, a deputation asked Fred Hobbs to run for a position on the city council again.
13.
Fred Hobbs stood in the South-East Ward against the incumbent, Charles Kiver.
14.
Fred Hobbs was regarded as outspoken, and he was a man of strong opinions.
15.
We admire the blunt, outspoken honesty of purpose which Mr Fred Hobbs possesses in an eminent degree.
16.
Later in 1883, it is said that Fred Hobbs "seems to have faded from the scene".
17.
Fred Hobbs was a founding member of the choir of St John the Baptist Church.
18.
Fred Hobbs was a founding member of the Christchurch Liedertafel, a choir founded in 1885 that still exists today.
19.
On 5 July 1866, Fred Hobbs married Elizabeth Fred Hobbs at St John's Church, Ferry Road, Woolston.
20.
Fred Hobbs's wife was born on 17 April 1846 in Taunton, England.
21.
Fred Hobbs was a tenor in England who trained William Hayman Cummings.
22.
Fred Hobbs died at Waitati near Dunedin on 13 May 1920.
23.
Fred Hobbs is buried at Waitati Cemetery in block 10 plot 22.