Annie Roil Drowns Two Children in Heathcote River

The Heathcote was the scene of a tragedy in 1884 when Annie Roil, a mother of four, drowned two of her children here. Her family had been concerned about her mental health since the birth of her youngest child, who was just six months old at the time. They reported that she had become "broken-down" and complained of "pains in her head." Annie Roil, like her parents before her, spent the rest of her life at Sunnyside Asylum.

Christchurch's rivers were a frequent cause of death in the early years of settlement. The first reported drowning in the Avon River was on September 27, 1851, when a drunk person tumbled down the bank. It became the highest cause of death in those early days. The rivers also saw suicide attempts and even murder. There was "Minnie," a prostitute who drank poison and then threw herself into the Avon, but she survived and faced fines.

The Avon back then was very different from what you see today. In the mid-1800s, it was a boggy river, deep in places, winding through marshy wetlands. Even horses could slip in and drown while trying to drink. As Christchurch was drained and developed, the Avon was narrowed into its current state.

Another notable drowning was Reverend Joseph Twigger in 1855. He had been missing for two weeks after saying goodnight to a friend around midnight near what is now the Bridge of Remembrance. They had been at the White Hart Hotel, and the very drunk Reverend was on his way home to his farm on Lincoln Road. He was found by Stephen Brooker and examined by Dr. A.C. Barker, Christchurch's first doctor. They concluded he had simply fallen down the bank and drowned, as there were no signs of a struggle on his clothes. The river current had moved his body, and weeds had hidden him. The Twigger family is remembered today with Twigger Street, the Twigger Stand, and Twigger’s Cabaret Restaurant. Their farm once covered the land where Sunnyside Hospital, the old Addington Showgrounds, and the Addington Raceway now stand.