Background
Macdonald was born in the Christchurch suburb of Street Albans in 1891.
Macdonald was born in the Christchurch suburb of Street Albans in 1891.
He attended school at French Farm on Banks Peninsula, and Christ"s College in Christchurch.
He compiled the MacDonald dictionary of Canterbury biographies, a collection of 12,000 biographies held by the Canterbury Museum. He was then sent to study history at Christ Church College at the University of Oxford in England, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1912, and a Master of Arts in 1919. He was a qualified lawyer but rarely practised in that profession.
His education was interrupted by World War I, where he saw active service for the British Army after having been rejected by New Zealand forces due to his poor eyesight.
His citation reads:
She was the granddaughter of Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet, one of the station"s founders. His first farming venture failed.
When his father died in 1928, he inherited Lowry Hills near Cheviot. Disillusioned with farming, he sold his farm, bought another, and then retired to Woodend.
In his retirement, Macdonald compiled the MacDonald dictionary of Canterbury biographies, a collection of 12,000 biographies held by the Canterbury Museum.