The former home of one of New Zealand’s most significant politicians is for sale for the first time in more than 30 years.
Sir Brian Talboys was Deputy Prime Minister in the first two terms of Robert Muldoon's premiership and is widely remembered as the man who almost replaced him.
Sir Brian was an MP representing much of Southland between 1957 and 1981. During his parliamentary career, he lived at 134 Park Street, in Winton, with his wife, Lady Patricia Talboys, and their sons Drew and Guy.
Guy told OneRoof that his family bought the property in the 1960s. “Dad was in Parliament, so we lived between Wellington and Winton during our childhood. We moved out of [Park Street] when I was about 13 or 14.”
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Sir Brian Talboys, left, with New Zealand High Commissioner Douglas Carter during a tour of a British dairy farm in 1977. Photo / Getty Images
Guy had fond memories of the home and recalled neighbours coming in and out of the house and having friends on every corner. He and his brother Drew would also play cricket on the lawn in summer. “They were good times,” he said.
Guy said his parents retired to Winton and later Invercargill when Sir Brian left Parliament in 1981. Sir Brian died in 2012, and Lady Patricia passed away seven years later.
Their Winton home was bought by its current owner, Campbell Brisco, in 1993 for $83,000. He told OneRoof that both he and his late wife Kaye were friends with Lady Patricia and would catch up with her from time to time.
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Brisco said the three-bedroom villa hadn't changed much since Sir Brian's days. He noted he spent three years stripping back and restoring the wood panels, door surrounds and ceilings.
“I worked away from home during the week as a stock manager and I'd come home at the weekends and spend the weekend taking all the paint off the wood. It was a big job. I'd generally have Friday night off and then start on Saturday morning. I had to teach myself how to do it.”
Vendor Campbell Brisco spent his weekends stripping back the wood. The job took him three years. Photo / Supplied
The home predated the Talboys and, according to Brisco, was built in the early 20th century by two brothers. “They were builders here in Winton, and donors to the Presbyterian Church.”
Bayleys agent Linda Riordan is selling the house for $495,000-plus and told OneRoof that it was already attracting interest, with a prospective buyer from the North Island already carrying out their due diligence.
- 134 Park Street, Winton, Southland, is for sale for $495,000-plus
