Biography

Thomas Birch was born in Fortrose Ross-shire Scotland in 1825. Both his parents died when he was an infant. He went to Aberdeen where he served his apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker. He also worked at his trade for a time in Edinburgh and also London. In 1852 he sailed for Otago from London in the Union Steamship Company’s ship Slains Castle.

On arrival in Dunedin he set up a successful building business. He erected the first house in Invercargill having put the frame together in Dunedin. It was shipped aboard The Star and the journey proved to be an eventful one. Inclement weather forced The Star and an accompanying vessel The James Daly to seek shelter at Waikawa. Mr Birch and several of the passengers landed and sheltered from the driving rain for three days in a whare, before setting off through the bush for the Toitois surviving on Maori hens which were numerous. The party were not in good shape when they arrived. James Macandrew, a fellow passenger, and Thomas Birch set out alone for Bluff which they reached as The Star was entering the New River.

Thomas Birch was an important contributor to the initial development of Invercargill expending considerable energy and incurring much personal risk in development in the early days.

In 1863 Thomas Birch was elected a member of the provincial council for Dunedin. In 1865 he was elected a member of the first city council and when a vacancy for the position of mayor occurred he was unanimously elected to the position in 1868, elected a second time in that same year and a third time in 1869. He held office from 1868 to June 1870. During this period he was responsible for the reception and entertainment of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh.

As the immigration agent for the province of Otago, Thomas Birch was sent to Scotland in 1873 to select immigrants for the province. “His selections proved creditable to himself and satisfactory to the province” (Otago Witness 1880).

He was president of the Caledonian Society for three years and on the formation of No 2 Scottish company of volunteers in 1863 was elected treasurer for the corps. Thomas Birch was a man with a genial disposition. He was well regarded and well liked by all who knew him.

In the early hours of the 6th January 1880 tragedy struck the Birches at their home by Water of the Leith. Thomas Birch was woken in the early hours of the morning by the screams of his wife who had fallen asleep while reading in bed. When he got to her room he found the bed in flames. He managed to get his wife out of the bed and with the help of a servant girl managed to quell the flames, preventing further damage to the house. Mrs Birch was, however, severely burned and died in great agony some 3 days later. The cause of the accident was thought to be a reading candle that had overturned and set alight to the bedclothes.

Thomas Birch had been in declining health for some time but his health worsened with the sad and untimely death of his wife. He had decided on a change of scene and was aboard the Penguin on his way to Auckland when he quite suddenly died. He was accorded a public funeral by the Caledonian Society.