Annie Roil Drowns Two Children in Heathcote River

In 1884, Mrs. Annie Roil, a mother of four, drowned two of her children in the Heathcote River. Her mental health had been a concern since her youngest child, who was six months old at the time of the drowning, was born. Her family reported that she had become "broken-down" and complained of "pains in her head." Like her parents before her, she spent the rest of her life at Sunnyside Asylum.

The rivers here in Christchurch were a major cause of death in the early years of settlement. The first reported drowning in the Avon River was on September 27, 1851. The victim was drunk and had apparently fallen down the river bank. This kind of drowning was common, but the rivers also saw suicide attempts and even murder.

There was a prostitute known only as 'Minnie' who drank poison and then threw herself into the Avon. She actually survived the attempt and was later fined by the courts.

The Avon River back in the mid-1800s was very different from what you see today. It was a boggy river, deep in places, snaking through a marshy wetland. As Christchurch was drained and developed, the Avon became the narrower river we know now. It's surprising to think that even horses trying to get a drink could slip in and drown in those early days.

One of the most famous drownings was Reverend Joseph Twigger in 1855. He wasn't a reverend by choice, and apparently preferred betting on boxing matches to reading his bible. He'd been missing for two weeks after saying goodbye to a friend around midnight near what is now the Bridge of Remembrance. They had spent the evening at the White Hart Hotel, and a very drunk Reverend Twigger had a long walk home to his farm on Lincoln Road. He gave his friend a big smile and said, "Alright my boy, God bless," before they parted ways.

Stephen Brooker discovered his body, and Dr. A.C. Barker, Christchurch's first doctor and photographer, examined him. There were no signs of a struggle on his clothes, so they concluded he had simply fallen down the bank and drowned. The river current had caused his body to drift, and the weeds kept him hidden.

The Twigger name is still around today. Twigger Street, which leads to the Addington raceway grounds car park from Lincoln Road, is named after them, as are the Twigger Stand and Twigger’s Cabaret Restaurant. The land that now holds Sunnyside Hospital, the old Addington Showgrounds, and the Addington Raceway was once the Twigger farm.