OBITUARY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 133, 25 July 1941, Page 5

OBITUARY

MR ERNEST CRABER A colourful life closed on July with the death at Whakatane of Mr Ernest Craber, of Merritt. Street, whc having been in indifferent health for some time, passed a,way peacefully. Born in England the ftate man spent his youth at sea first serving with clippers which, associated with the tea industry, traded between India and England. Later,'a j steam became more popular, joined a steamship line which ran between England and Buenos Aires this being at the time when the Panama Canal was under construction, and the old gentleman could relate many and varied interesting tales of the voyages made. At ona stage of his career he acted as sparring partner for the boxer, J.im JefTeries, who contested the world title holder, Jack Johnson. When in his early thirties the late Mr Craber came to New Zealand with his parents, coming to the Whakatane district at the time when the draining of the Rangitaiki Plains was being undertaken. He contract-* ed for much of this work and took a big part in the draining of tha «warap lands. During his thirty years in the Bay of Plenty the late Mr Craber took a particularly keen interest in the 1.0.0. F. Lodge and was the oldest member of the Whakatane Order. The funeral took place at the Whakatane cemetery on Tuesday* ofietrnoon, the service, being conducted by the Rev. S ; . G. Caitlton, while the pall-bearers were Messrs* H. Murphy, Teasdalei, Rixon, Cur■•ah. Brown and Scragg.

MR F. G. KIBBLEWHITE

' The death occurred in Auckland on Friday of Mr Forest Gordon Kibblewhite, in his 50th year, after a ilong and painful illness. A few days before his death Mr Kibblekhite had the misfortune to break a leg and the shock of this accident was a severe one in view of his long illness. As headmaster of the' Opotiki District High School from 1932 until the' beginning of 1938 when he went to T.e Kuiti to take charge of thab school, Mr KibMewhite was; wellknown and respected by a wide circle of Opotiki friends. During his stay in Opotiki the school ceJebratfid its diamond jubilee in 1933, anc| Mr Kibblewhite was largely' responsible for the success of that function. Flags were flown at half-mast from the Opotiki schools and also, "rom the Returned Soldiers' Rooms, Mr Kibblewhite having served during the Great War. Mr Kibblewhite leaves a widow and a son and daughter, Malcolm and Jean, to mourn their loss. Tlio funeral took piace at the Waikaraka * ' Cemetery,