George Webber was born in 1875. His family worked a sheep farm at French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds, and collected mail from vessels of the passing ships for the Post Office – a difficult job in the often treacherous conditions of the pass. While home from school in 1888 he was one of the first to see the dolphin, Pelorus Jack, which for 24 years was a tourist attraction in nearby Admiralty Bay. When collecting mailbags in his dinghy, George often had to push the mammal away with an oar to prevent his boat capsizing.

Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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