15/06/2026
BARRY HOLDAWAY RIP
Marlborough Museum and the whole heritage community were saddened at the recent loss of historian, farmer, author and gentleman BARRY HOLDAWAY JP.
His long time historical colleague JOHN ORCHARD spoke most eloquently at Barry's funeral service, and we reproduce the full transcript here as an appropriate tribute.
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EULOGY - from John Orchard
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Barry has been a MHS SUPPORTER, SPECIALIST SPEAKER, FIELDTRIP GURU AND WRITER for many years and follows in the footsteps of other great Marlborough Historians such as Alan Hale, Norm Brayshaw, Jack Andrews, Innes Simmonsen, Nevil Matthews, and Jim Eyles.
FIELDTRIPS.
Barry came into his own following the excellent example set by the great Nevil Matthews. He formed a team with Jacko Davies, Kevin Andrews, Robin Cox and myself to fill the gap in running fieldtrips for MHS and the Historic Places Trust, previously filled by Nevil.
Between us we produced 70-80 one or two day fieldtrips over a 40 year period. These included.
• In the Footsteps of James Cook.
• WWII and the Sounds.
• Whaling in Tory Channel.
• History of Port Underwood.
• Nelson Pioneers.
• Flaxbourne
• Kaikoura Coast
• Kaikoura Whaling.
• Molesworth, Awatere and Rainbow.
• Opawa River History from the River Queen.
• Wairau Bar and the Boulder Bank Village.
• Wakamarina Gold Rushes.
• Wairau Valley Cob Crawl.
• Maungatapu Murderers.
RESEARCH AND WRITING. Barry has been a collector of history for many years.
• He has a huge book, photograph and clipping collection.
• He is one of our few local Oral Historians. He recorded many interviews with people now passed.
• He was a valued member of the Archives Council of NZ. Years of trips to Wellington – usually with an extra day or two of research at National Archives.
• Service to the massive MHS Archives. Here he was in his element as a Volunteer, and ready to assist others.
• Urging others to write and publish. John Walsh, Kevin Andrews and myself are regularly reminded that we “need to get cracking” and PUBLISH!!!
• Always busy with his camera. He made the transition to digital camera, scanner and computer remarkably easily.
BARRY’S OWN CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDE-
• Significant contributions to other authors such as Mary Holdaway and Leo McKendry.
• The History of the Wairau Bar.
• Some Hammond Diaries and Fairhall area history.
• Dillon’s Point Area History.
• WWII Radar Stations.
• Co – author with myself of “Eccentrics of Marlborough”. Partly written, frequently added to, but we were both concerned that we may get sued. Yet to publish. Similar to Don Grady’s “Grady’s People” series. We were both told that we were to be featured in the final version!!!
SPECIAL EVENTS
Barry has contributed to many Special Events
• Wairau Plains History. A Barry and Johnno Marlborough 150th full day bus tour.
• MacDonald Family Reunions.
• Marlborough College Old Girls Closing.
• Opening of the Riverside Park Project. Prue Matthews dressed in a crinoline and Barry dressed as a river boatman, including a ginger beard.
• Regular speaker at funerals, weddings, significant birthdays, and openings.
• Regular guest speaker on “The Circuit”. Lions, Rotary, U3A, Probus, Churches, Lodges, Rest homes. Barry is always well prepared, witty and to the point.
SPECIAL HISTORICAL INTERESTS
• The Holdaway family had a long-term interest in Aviation. (Many a young lad sat in the cockpit of the Hudson bomber.) Barry researched and visited the sites of WWII aircraft crashes and entertained visiting aircraft restorers. A Harvard trainer was resident for several years, and Barry donated one of his two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engines to the late John Fell, who restored it to running condition. Barry also eventually donated the Hudson bomber fuselage and wings to the Air Force Museum, as well as parts of a rare Vickers Wildebeest bomber.
• Eventually, Barry overcame his reluctance to fly and journeyed in his Father Len’s footsteps to the WWI battlefields of the Western Front. Here he had a close encounter with a stash of unexploded artillery shells.
• Barry was fascinated with the early land transport routes using our beaches between Port Underwood and Kaikoura. Over about a decade, he walked all those beaches in stages, including the wave cut platform of the White Bluffs (at low tide.)
• For about 8 years Barry worked to recreate the bullock team and drays that operated to the Wairau Bar Port. He trained his young bullocks STAR and PUMICE, built a training cart, double yoke and training pen. Sadly, he could not trust STAR in public, so they did not appear in the Marlborough 150th parade in 2009.
• Barry was very interested in his Methodist Church roots, and became involved with the shifting, funding and restoration of the 150-year-old Tuamarina Methodist Church to Brayshaw Park. He encouraged others to write the histories of their churches in Marlborough, and became an authority on some of the lessor known religious sects and personalities such as Cannon Stack, Samuel Ironside and even Brother Stair.
WELL CONNECTED. Barry knew many people with important stories to tell.
• Jimmy Eyles, Bob Flood, Ron and Teddy Perano, Doris Perano (Holdaway), Philip MacDonald and his sisters, Alison Orchard, Cliff Horrell and Neville Hall.
• These have all aided his collection of history.
MUSIC.
Barry’s love of music and the relocated Tuamarina Methodist Church saw a period of concerts that benefited MHS. Barry joined with Steve Austin, Sandra McNeily, Barry Parker, Brian Baxter and others to bring joy to themselves and others.
CURIOSITY
Barry has always been an explorer, and asker of searching questions.
• Use of the boats RURU and ASTRAL LADY to explore and research the Opawa and Lower Wairau Rivers.
• Sorting out the William Budge sequence from Port Underwood to Wairau Bar to Grove Road.
• Still looking for photos of the Red Bridge on Dillon’s Point Road and of Trevor Neal’s Dillon’s Point Store.
• He has probably driven up every side road in Marlborough and most of Nelson.
• Barry is widely known and respected as a very approachable and generous person who will always share his knowledge.
• VICTORY on solving another History Mystery.
Barry was recently a most worthy recipient of a Life Membership of Marlborough Historical Society. In my view, he qualifies as THE FINEST MARLBOROUGH HISTORIAN OF HIS ERA. He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed. Well done, Barry.
REST IN PEACE.
John Orchard
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