OBITUARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 236, 5 October 1928, Page 3

OBITUARY.

MRS. RACHAEL BARCLAY.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS' RESIDENT.

BORN IN SHORTLAND STREET.

'An old resident of Auckland district, Mrs. Rachael Barclay died at her home, Huia Strreet, Devonport, this week. She was. the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. Keven, who were very early arrivals in Auckland. Mrs. Barclay was born in a cottage in Shortland Street 75 years ago. When Thames goldiield opened in 1867, Miss Keven went to Thames with her parents, where in 1878, she was married by Mr. T. H. Barclay, a well known mine manager, who died 17 months ago. After a residence at Thames of 30 years Mr. and Mrs. Barclay came to Auckland, and lived at Devonport.

MR. CHARLES PALMER.

After living 66. yeans, in New Zealand. Mr. Charles Palmer has died at the advanced age of 88. He was born in Cambridge, England, and came to New Zealand' in 1862, by the ship Robert Small, commanded by Captain Darke. At the time Mr. Palmer landed in Auckland. the country wae on the verge of war with the Maoris. He-at once joined a company of volunteers and later saw active service in the Waikato. For hk services he was awarded the New Zea-

land War Medal and a pension. Upon iifi return to Auckland he was employed on a survery party in the North Island which was in charge of Mr. Samuel Campbell. Sir Julius Vogel about the same time started his big borrowing scheme for the development of the country with railways. A contract was let to Brogden Brothers,. and Mr. Palmer was employed by that firm until their operations ended in New Zealand. He then joined the Public Works Department at Wellington, but subsequently joined the staff of the "New Zealand Herald" as a designer and draughtsman. While in that position as head artist, Mr. Palmer had under him several youths, one being Mr. W. Bloomfield of the "Observer," and another Mr. Harry Rountree, the well-"known artist who has since been successful in London. Mr. Palmer is survived by. one. son, two daughters and four grandsons. Mrs. Palmer died 40 years ago.

MS. MARK 2. PARRISH.

WELL KNOWN STRAWBERRY GROWER. The death occurred on Tuesday, at the age of 76, of Mr. Mark Roger Parrish, the well known strawberry grower of Northcote. He had been identified with the development of that district from its primitive days, after arrival from the Old Country in the ship Babington. The sailing boat had just then replaced the open pulling boat as the ferry service between Northcote and Auckland. In those days settlement was sparse. There was the hostelry kept by Mrs. Dorothy Haynes, and a little further along the residence of the late Mr. J. Denby (father of Mr. John G. Denby). The first municipal government was by road board, of which Mr. Mark Parrish was a member, associated with him on the board being Messrs. William Thompson (chairman), Edgar Denton, Jas. Faulkner, and T. Wilson. This body carried out the affairs of the district of Woodside, as it was then called, and which extended as far as Birkdale, until many years afterwards it was merged into the Waitemata County and divided into ridings. Of the latter divisions, Birkenhead was constituted a borough in 1888, and the Northcote borough was formed in 1908. Mr. Parrish was present at the opening of the Northcote school, where the junior high school now stands, and assisted to cut the puriri posts from the bush on his property nearby for the purpose of . the fence enclosing the school ground. With his brother (Mr. William Parrish, who arrived eight years later), Mr. Mark Parrish was a very successful fruitgrower, and one of the best known strawberry growers around Auckland. He was for many years honorary caretaker of the Kauri Gully Scenic Reserve at Northcote, in the preservation of the natural beauties of which he took a zealous interest. Failing health recently, however, compelled him to relinquish these duties.

Mrs. Parrish predeceased him some years ago, and he is survived by a grown up family of three sons and five daughters. The sons are Messrs. George Parrish (Hamilton), Alfred Parrish (Northcote), and Arthur Parrish (Remuera). The funeral, to-morrow afternoon, will leave the residence of his daughter, Mrs. J. P. Verran, of Birkenhead.

MR. THEODORE HAHN.

OLD WEST COAST PIONEER,

Death has removed another old West Coast pioneer in the person of Mr. Theodore Hahn, who passed away at his home in Grey Lynn this week, at the age of 65. Mr. Hahn was well known in mining circles on the Kumara and Stafford Town alluvial fields. He was at one time in charge of operations on the Kumara tunnel, which was being constructed to take the water away from various mineß on the goldfields. Later Mr. TT«hn was employed as mine manager in several ventures in the Hokitika district. He was a personal friend of the late Richard John Seddon when the latter was "packing" at Waimea Fords and later when Mr. Seddon was digging at Stafford Town. Mr. Hahn leaves a I widow and family of-two.

MR. WILLIAM E. RICHARDSON.

FORMER MAYOR OF NORTHCOTE.

The death has occurred at Northcote , of Mr. William Ernest Richardson, who occupied office as Mayor of Northcote for four years—from 1921 till 1925— and previously served a term on the Borough Council, to which he was elected in 1919, and officiated as Deputy Mayor. He was born at Sawyer's Bay, near Dunedin, 72 years ago, his father being Mr. Thomas Richardson, who was the first to establish a flour mill in New Zealand. On the tatter's death Mr. Richardson took over this mill at Outram, and, in addition to pumping water for the town supply, extended the mill race conveying water to drive the waterwheel, and with the augmented supply laid down the first hydro-electric power scheme in the Dominion, from which the township was illuminated by electric light. After assisting in the supervision of the electrical installation during ths infancy of the Waipori Electric Company, which furnished the current for lighting up Dunedin, Mr. Richardson moved to the Taranaki district. He formed 8 company, which introduced electricity at Inglewood, the Borough Council some seven years later taking over the installation as a mqpicipal undertaking. Mr. Richardson then came to Auckland, and for a time went in for fruitgrowing at Waikumete. In 1913, however, he finally settled at Northcote, and opened a machinery mart at Auckland, and founded the present firm of Messrs. W. E. Richardson and Son. For some time he was a member of the board of managers of the Northcote Presbyterian Church, and while at Inglewood was a member of that School Committee. Deceased had an inventive turn of mind, and spent three years in England, developing some of his numerous discoveries. His knowledge of electricity in the days when this was regarded in New Zealand as being in the experimental stage, was of great value to the districts in which he resided. He applied the time-switch to the Inglewood system. He was a strong advocate of the electrification of the North Shore, and was a member of the Provisional Committee of the Waitemata Electric Power Board. He also for some years was a member of the Marine Boroughs' Association, the Lake Takapuna Board of Control, and the Northcote Scenic Board. % is survived by Mrs. Richardson, and his only son, Mr. George Walter Richardson. The interment takes place at the Birkenhead Cemetery to-morrow afternoon.

MRS. CHOLMONDELET SMITH.

AGED EIGHTY-NINE. MARRIED IX AUCKLAND 1859. Married at Remuera 69 years ago Mrs. Sarah Shaw Smith died on Saturday in the ninetieth year of her age. Her husband. Captain C. R. Cholmondeley Smith is now 94 years of age. The wedding took place when Mrs. Smith was 19 years old. They celebrated the golder.. and also the diamond anniversaries, and this year reached the seventieth year of their married life. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had lived at Deep Creek for over half a century. Deceased was born in London in May, 1839, being a daughter of Mr. Richard Littledyke, of Yorkshire. She went to Australia with her parents when 17 years of age by the ship Paloma, and shortly afterwards came across to Auckland in the ship Wanderer, the voyage lasting * fortnight.