OBITUARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 225, 23 September 1929, Page 3

OBITUARY.

MR. ALFRED HENRY HUNT.

The friends of Mr. Alfred Henry (Fred) Hunt will regret to learn that he passed away last evening at the Rawhiti Private Hospital. The deceased gentleman, who was in his 71st year, arrived in Wellington from England with his parents in 1868. In his younger days the late Mr. Hunt was an officer in the Torpedo Corps, and was well known as the captain of the Government defence steamer Ellen Ballance. For the past thirty years Mr. Hunt had resided in Auckland, first at Devonport and latterly at Ponsonby. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, managing director, Domininon Farmers' Institute, Wellington, who is a brother of the deceased, is at present in Auckland. MRS. SARAH MASSEY. A very old resident of Howick and in later years of Pakuranga, Mrs. Sarah Massey, has died, aged 87. She was a daughter of one of the original Imperial Army pensioners, Mr. James Bailey, who arrived from England in 1847, and were placed on small'holdings at Howick by the Colonial Government. In those days the journey to Howick was by water, and Mrs. Massey was a girl of five when she landed on the beach with her parents. She was married in 1861 at All Saints' Church, Howick, to Mr. Robert Massey, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Vicesimus Lush. Not. Ion? after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Massey went to Thames, where they remained four years. Returning to Auckland, they settled at Pakuranga, where Mr. Masaey died ten years ago. There are two sons, eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

MR. J. D. CHALMERS. The death took place at Waiuku of Mr. J. D. Chalmers, who had for some years suffered from a weak heart. He, however, continued in active public work to the last, the end coming suddenly. He was present at the meeting of the Hospital Board last Tuesday, when he seconded the motion of confidence in Mr. Wallace. Mr. Chalmers had been a member of the board for nine years, having succeeded the late Mr. Paitherford. Deceased did splendid work at Waiuku in connection with the establishment of the Franklin Memorial Hospital. It was a great pleasure to him that the board named one of the wards the Chalmers ward. Mr. Chalmers was also a most useful member of the Infirmary Committee, and took a keen interest in the welfare of the old people. He was a member of the Waiuku Chamber of Commerce at the time of his death, and secretary to the local branch of the United party. Mr. Chalmers also belonged to the Masonic fraternity. He was narrowly defeated for the Auckland Harbour Board by Mr. H. R. Mackenzie when that gentleman was first elected to that body. Born in New Zealand, Mr. Chalmers was educated at Wangaimi Collegiate School. For a time he worked as a carpenter in Melbourne, but, returning to New Zealand, had for many years been farming at Waiuku. Latterly he IH-ed a retired life with the exception of the positions, he held in public bodies. Deceased is survived by a family of sons and daughters, all of whom are adults with the exception of the youngest daughter.