John Rutherford pictured back row, fourth from the right.
for a counterattack from the Japanese, who were only about 30 miles away,” he recalls. “However, I never was involved in combat.” With the Allies gaining the upper hand, John was needed back on the family farm, returning in July 1944. Today, he still remembers his Jacobs House friends, including Bryan Atkinson, who died of his wounds – suffered against German forces in Italy – in January 1945, and night- flying World War II ace George Jameson, DSO (Distinguished Service Order), DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). Fellow boarder and farmer Flight Lieutenant George Gould DFC also was among John’s remarkable group at College. By 1948 – and only aged 26 – John had taken over the family’s 1800ha farm, holding the reins until 1986. “I also went to Lincoln College (now Lincoln University) for three months before I started on the farm, taking a course for people
who planned to go farming, so there were teachers, taxi drivers – all sorts applied,” he says. In tandem with farming, John was appointed to the Board of the family owned Amuri Motors in 1958, stepping back in 1991 after a stint as chairman. His grandfather had invested in the initial business in 1910, acquiring several dealerships, including Dodge and Sunbeam. By 1920, the business was renamed Amuri Motors in a nod to the family’s farming region. John’s grandfather was among the first station holders to replace horse transport with cars and trucks. The notable pastoral family dates to 1859 in New Zealand, “when my great-grandfather, George Rutherford, arrived from Australia”. George was accompanied by his two eldest sons, aged 18 and 16. He also brought stock for a sheep run in the Amuri district of North Canterbury. The 18-year-old was sent further afield to run
another farm in Parnassus in the Hurunui district. It was the birth of a farming dynasty that continues today. When John Rutherford stepped back in 1986 following a nearly 40- year reign, his sons – and College Old Boys – took over his property. Today, John’s farm, Morna (originally part of Leslie Hills Station), is led by his son, John (known as Craig), who attended College from 1968–1971, and, in turn, his son, Matthew Rutherford (2000–2004), is taking over the property. All three generations have followed the same path, via Jacobs House.
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