Henry Arthur Knight

Henry Arthur Knight (1882, Diploma of Agriculture). Mr. Knight’s association with the College was unique in that he was the first student enrolled when the College opened on July 19^th, 1880. During the whole of his life Mr. Knight maintained a close connection with the College-it is certain that there is no one alive today who knows so well the various steps in the development of the College and its farm, or who has the grasp of the purposes and aims of the institution together with the management necessary to secure these aims that Mr. Knight had. He was elected a member of the Board of Governors in 1899; was Chairman of the Board from 1915 to 1926, and was still a Member of the Board at the time of his death.

The Old Boys’ Association’s existence and activities were in great part due to Mr. Knight. It was largely through his generosity that the Old Boys were enabled to build the Memorial Hall.

After leaving the College, Mr. Knight took over the Racecourse Hill Estate, one of the largest farming properties in North Canterbury. For many years Mr. Knight was the largest wheat grower north of the Rakaia-growing up to 1600 acres per year. When the Racecourse Hill Estate was set up, Mr. Knight turned his attention to stud stock. His flocks of Southdown and English Leicester sheep were among the best. But his name is most widely known, not only in NZ but in Australia, as the owner of Ballymena and Limerick, two of the best horses seen on the race track in either country. Mr Knight had not only the pleasure of seeing these horse win the most coveted prizes in Australia and New Zealand, but he had the greater satisfaction of having bred them himself on Racecourse Hill from a mare whose dam and great dam he had also bred.

Mr. Knight was selected as the first recipient of the Bledisloe Medal, and the selection met with the unanimous approval of Students, Old Boys, and the general public.