Matthew Barnett (bookmaker)

Matthew Barnett
Matthew Barnett in his 40s
Born	6 June 1859 Avoca, Victoria
Died	28 January 1935(1935-01-28) (aged 75) Wharetiki, Christchurch
Resting place	Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch
Residence	Wharetiki House
Occupation	bookmaker
Known for	Philanthropy
Spouse(s)	Mary Barnett (née Whelan)
Children	six
Relatives	Arthur Barnett (brother)

Matthew Frank Barnett (6 June 1859 – 28 January 1935), also known as Mat Barnett, was a bookmaker and philanthropist from Christchurch, New Zealand. In his retirement, he became well known in lawn bowls. He donated the statue of James Cook in Victoria Square to the city. His family dwelling, Wharetiki House, was a prominent landmark on Colombo Street in the Christchurch Central City until its demolition in July 2011, following a demolition order by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

Barnett was born in Avoca, Victoria, Australia, in 1859. He came from a large family and had ten siblings. His parents were William Barnett, a merchant, and Rachel Barnett (née Mitchell). The family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand when Matthew was six as his father was attracted by the goldfields. He left school aged 13 or 14 and had a very brief employment as a photographer's apprentice, but did not like that profession. Instead, he was apprenticed to newspapers, first the Otago Guardian and later the Otago Daily Times. He worked in that profession for about five years. For the next four years, he worked in farming in Otago and South Canterbury. When he came to Oamaru, he became the proprietor of the 'Star and Garter Billiard Rooms', where he had his first exposure to betting on horse races. He returned to Dunedin for some time.

From there, Barnett's family returned to Melbourne for another two years. He worked as a swagman in Australia and then had employment as a tram driver in Melbourne for several months. In Melbourne, he married Mary Bridget Barnett (née Whelan) on 18 July 1888.

Mary's father James Whelan (1836–1908) immigrated to Castlemaine, Victoria from Ireland as a teenager. He married in 1858, but his wife died only ten months later. In 1862/63, James Whelan spent nine months on Otago goldfields during the Central Otago Gold Rush. He returned to Castlemaine and married Margaret Roughan in June 1863. They knew each other from Kilkishen, County Clare, Ireland and met in Melbourne by chance. Soon after, James returned to Otago, with Margaret following him later that year. Their first child, Mary, was born in Gabriel's Gully in ca 1864. The family moved to nearby Wetherstons and when the goldfields were exhausted (when Mary was twelve years old), the family moved to Dunedin.