OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16264, 15 July 1918, Page 7

OBITUARY.

MR S. C. FARR

Mr Samuel Charles Fair, mhose death is announced, was bora in Baldock, Hertfordshire, England, in 1827, ana left London on November 10th, 1849, in the barque The Monarch, for Auckland. On Marcli sth, 1850, while The Monarch was crossing the Tasman Sea in a heavy gale her rudder wa3 carried away. The vessel dritted with tho wind to the south of Stewart's Island, and it took a fortnight to rig a temporary rudder. A start was then made up tho east coast, but a weeK later tho new rudder was carried away and lost. On April 2nd, 1850, The Monarch managed to reach Akaroa, and there forty-one passengers, including Mr Farr, decided to remain. Then began the hardships and difficulties incidental to a pioneer life. Trior to leaving England Mr Farr had become engaged to Miss Pavitt, ono of his fellow-passengers, with the intention of being married as soon as possible after landing. However, divers obstacles presented themselves, as there was no official to perform the ceremony, and a ring was wanted. Mr Farr surmounted tho latter difficulty by fashioning a ring out of a half-sover-pign. and shortlv afterwards the local Magistrate, Mr John Watson, was appointed Registrar of Birth, Deaths, and Marriages. So on June 15th, 1850, the ceremony was performed, and this, the first marriage in Canterbury, was very appropriately associated with elements of romance. Nor did Mr Farr's ingenuity end with the happy solution of his own difficulties, for no subsequently received commissions to make six similar rings. Fifty years later Mr Farr celebrated his golden wedding in Christcnurch. About the time of his arrival the first English flourmill in Canterbury was erected in the Grehan Vailev,' Akaroa, by Mr Haylock, who, with his sons, cut tho timber for the building, and formed a water-race and 18 feet over-shot wheel. The cogwheels, which wore made of wood, being incorrectly geared, were crushed to atoms at the first trial. • Mr Farr having studied tho theory of cogwheels, volunteered his assistance, and reconstructed the wheels, with the result that within three weeks the mill was smoothly working. Mr Farr nest made a miniature working model of a sawmill, and subsequently, in partnership with Messrs Pavitt, erected mill 3 in Robinson's Bay, Barry's Ba>:, Duvauchelle, and the head of the Bay. He also followed his profession as an architect, and designed tho first English Church in Akaroa, and subsequently the Akaroa monument. Tho first Sunday school in Canterbury was Held on Juno 30tli, 1850, and was started by Mr Farr with five scholars. In March, 1862, Mr Farr came to Christchurch .where he followed his profession. The Normal School is an evidence of his ability. Mr Farr was also architect of St. Paul's Church, the Prt,s.bvteriaii Churches at Papanui, Lyttelton, Kaiapoi, Leeston, and the old church on the North Belt. A very large number of business places also were designed by him. During the twenty-two years he was secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, Mr Farr Btocked almost every lake and river in Canterbury with fish. Ha was .also instrumental in introducing the humble bee m New Zealand. Mr Farr estabv lished tho first Sunday School Union in Christ'hurch in 1869, and was president for the first seven years. »Io was chairman and an active officer in the Volunteer Fire Police, a :aivage corps which did good Bervice. the first side channels were designed and constructed under his supervision, and he also designed and erected the first iron verandahs in New Zealand, the first one being for Mr Charles Kiver in f'ashel street, on the site now occupied by Messrs Wardell Bros. At the Canterbury Jubilee Exhibition of 1900, Mr Farr exhibited a base relief plan of Banks Peninsula carved in wood and for this clever piece of workmanship he received a gold njpdal. MR ROBERT SCARF. Mr Robert Scarf, who died at his residence, North street, Timaru, on July 6th, at the age of 84, yas one of the early settlers. He went to Timaru in the Strathallan (the first immigrant ship to go to Timaru) in 1859. He and his wife came out under, engagement to Captain Woollcombe, Magistrate and harbourmaster. Mr Scarf afterwards became one of the first, if not the first, retail butchers in Timaru. Ho bought merino wethers from the i Levels at 403 a head and sold the mutton at Is per lb. Later he took to road-making, and ~ made the roads out of Timaru north and south, also from Winchester to Geraldine, and Beveral others in the Hilton and Eakahu dis- i tricts, including the Pipeclay Cutting. He also started a timber yard whare J; Jackson and Co.'s factory now stands. For his home he made an early pur- 1 chase at £2 per acre of 20 acres with ' a 1 frontage to North street. This he < subdivided and sold as time went jn, ( retaining one acre, on which he resided until his death. Mr JScarf was married three times, and leaves a widow 1 ' and eight children, two of whom reside ' i in Cfcnstchurch, Mr Walter Scarf and 1 Mrs E. Leaver. His eldest daughter, j Mrs Waters, of Makikihi. was born in ] Woolcombe's barn on October 24th, 1859, and was the first female child ' to be christened in St. Mary's Churo'i. • There are now 16 grandchildren, and 28 < great-grandchildren. ] The death occurred in the Thorndon ] Private Hospital, Wellington, on Sat- ] urday, of Mr Ormond C. Cooper, man- 1 aging director of the stock department i or the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-opera- c Votive Association at Masterton, ana one t .v-:of <the most popular residents of lhat , a son of the late Mr G. S. Cooper, Under-Secretary of the Colonial E

(now the internal Affairs) department, and younger brother of Mr jD. G. A. Cooper, S.M., chairman of ' 'wW-First Wellington Military Service 3S°. ar 4' The deceased Buceumbed to . received in a street accident ;°l* Wednesday night last. A motorm which he was returning from the while going along Moleswortb t, skidded and became jammed a tramcar and a two-horoe "'lorry. The automobile was partially and Mr Cooper was seriously about the ribs, back, and chest. ' t Cooper, who was a native •v Wellington, and educated at Wa.College, was of a most geiiial He was fond of sport of 4.1 , aQ d in his younger days was Prominent footballer. .'>%! James Thomas Prain died at <,\*B*®rcargill on Thursday, aged 54. He vg»W.bonx on the Taieri, and as a young was in the employ of Mr Donald From his boyhood he took an •interest in volunteering and politics, in the Otago Hussars, and rose adjutant of the oorps. He succompeted in jumping and Si • races the Dunedin Amateur tpjuetic Club's sports, and he played mj with the Taieri and Pirates' and was one of tie Otago team the goldfields in the early Arthur Charles Atkin, of Anckon Friday, aged 57 years. Mr was the eldest son of the late Mr one of the founders of firm of Cousin and coach builders. Ee was born yUffi • Lancashire, England, and aruc^and with his parents in hcing then two years of age. Del°'ned his father's business on : Mgy n ß the_ Grammar School, but' had . time been carrying on a r ' B business i n * Hamilton, i a ' so sorve d on the Council, ». a P rom ' nen t part in lodal matAtkin took an interest in early in. life. He was y 0 " 11 " 8 a,member of Eden IgjgfWe Road Board, and part of that In 1900 he was reto represent the jSM&H? Ward in the City Council. He of the Masonic frater-