clothing

With the appointment of Lord Onslow in 1889, a new type of governor took up residence at Government House. The same thing was happening throughout the settler colonies as aristocrats took over from the warriors and diplomats who had gone from colony to colony, making a profession of governing.

The new governors were inexperienced but better at projecting the image now required of proxies for royalty. Lord Ranfurly (1897–1904) brought out about 30 staff and servants, 60 tonnes of baggage and 600 dozen bottles of wine.

We present ourselves to the world by the way we dress and wear our hair. Our appearance reveals - and conceals - things about ourselves. Whether we have carefully selected from a full wardrobe or simply grabbed the first thing at hand, our clothing shows the times and places in which we live.  In all societies, social status or wealth, ethnic difference and even region are indicated by dress. Group identity can be strengthened by uniforms (formal or informal); occupations are revealed by particular forms of clothing; rites of passage are usually accompanied by special clothes. Styles of dress and hair support ideas of masculinity and femininity, and they may confirm, or challenge, popular gender stereotypes.

Walter Rapley’s 1928 Ashburton County Rugby Union cap.

This image shows the 1929 team wearing their caps: