Andrew Goldie
Andrew Goldie was born in Kelburne, near Largs, and raised on
Greater Cumbrae. He trained as a gardener and, as a young man,
emigrated to New Zealand, travelling steerage on the sailing ship
"Queen of Beauty", from London to Auckland, in 1863. In 1874 he
returned to Britain and entered into a contract with a London
florist, Benjamin Samuel Williams, agreeing to return to New
Zealand to sell plants and to seek new species of plants. In the
late 1870's he settled in New Guinea, running a trading post and
exploring the land. His presence is marked by Papua New Guinea
place names, Goldie River and Port Glasgow (named not after the
Scottish town of that name but after the Earl of Glasgow, owner of
Kelburne Estate and of lands on Cumbrae). In common with his fellow
islanders, he was an experienced sailor and keen yachtsman and,
apparently, introduced boat racing to Papua New Guinea. He died in
1891 after a short illness. His possessions, which included his
diaries and a small number of artefacts made by the native people
of Papua New Guinea, were returned to his family on Greater
Cumbrae.
Goldie was one of the many Scots who played a part in the
exploration of the world during the 19th century. He is known to
have contributed zoological and botanical specimens from Papua New
Guinea to museums and botanical gardens in Australia and New
Zealand, as well as sending plants back to Britain. His own name
and that of his sponsor were given to plants. In 1882 he discovered
the "Goldie's Bird of Paradise", native to the forests of Papua New
Guinea.
