John Endean (1 December 1844 – 3 January 1925) made his money in gold mining in three countries.
He left San Francisco in 1870 for the gold rush in Thames on Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand.
One of his sons, John Albert "Jack" Endean (born 11 February 1874[6]), took over the licence from him.
[9] The family lived in a large house in Symonds Street, which is listed as a Category I heritage building.
[13][14] One of his sons, Arthur Stanley Endean, was killed in the First World War in June 1915.