PERSONAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 568, 24 July 1909, Page 5

PERSONAL ITEMS.

'; -The Hon.' iGpnnos,s retumß to Grey-?. 'I fi^day/^' r ! : : i'ij'^:^W''{i Mr.i'F.. AValdegravo,- TJnclor-Soorctary: for, ■ ■ 'Justice, is visit,to' Napier. . v -v. - 1 The Kev. F. H. jPetrio, M A., 19 gazettedj an minister innder- the Marriage : Act ( t L Mr'. George Hart, of the - literary staff' of the- Christclvurch ''Press," is spending ; a boh-, day in Wellington Mr. Edgar J;: Clotigh (late lieutenant: in tjie'.lOth' New; Zealand ■ Contingent) has been ■:■ ■■■■.■■■ appointed to a-heuteDancy\ in the. New Zealand Militia. The Rev; l Wm. ' has been i promoted to the • rank of; .Lieut.-Colonel » : (honorary, chaplain,, second-class), - as. from April 19. The Hon.-.G. Fowlds (Minister for Educa.tion) will open the new technical school ' at Hawora an Tuesday,- returning to!-town nozt day. ' \ ' ' ' . ■ s Next week,' at' PapawaiJ _tho Nativeß of tho - Wairarapa mil entertain', the Hon. J. ■ 'Carroll in honour of; his accession to the' position-of Aqting-Primo Minister. ; Tho Ministry will entertain vthe Colonial: Office representatives now .-visiting the Do- : minion (Sir Chas. Lucas and Mr.. A. A. Pear-: ; son) at luncheon at Bellamy's on Wednesday. > ' On* account :of their, kindness to-the >ur-. viviug passengers and crew of the ill-fated ■ Penguin, Mr. - Jas. M'Mcuamenand family, of Terawliiti .Station, have'been, presented with, a free . trip -to.. Sydney by the Union '/y' Steam Ship Company. -• -Upon; their return ; "-(it is "understood); a number, .of' the survivor's; I will make a' presentation' of: an illuminated, ■address . in appreciation' of - the great ~ns-\ . , eistanco . rendered on ihe v. morning of ih« *reck. . The Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister for Education, during his visit to Pabiatua this .week,: upon Mrs. John Vile, son., who is now -i-r in-' ber.- ninety : third '<y#r.'V; Mrs.V.Vilolis .^still: ■ hale ancl hearty, and entertained the Minister ■ to morning tea, .producing some platter which ' > . she had brought, with her from Eligland in 'the a, •"fifties"-: w tho immigrant ship Anne Wilson,. Last Friday .'evening members of . tho Taita School . Committee,- on. behalf of tho parents.of the children attending the school, presented Mr. Plunkctt-Colo with a purse of sovereigns as 1 , an appreciation of his sor- • ' vic^s- during his six years' control of the '.'school:-- : Mr. 0010, has : bcen f granted bis months' leave on full pay,-and retires -on ! .superannuation on December 31. !

- Great regret and profound sympathy aire be- | ' ■ ing expressed by many in. "Wellington in con- j noction with- the . untimely death, of Mr. Joseph Gibson, J/P.,' .who met . his'-death'i ' • through ■an explosion\of -gelignite last, Mon-1 day • at Ractihi, where-tho-deceased had an ironmongery business.-Mr. Gibson was at | one time. an active worker in connection with the . Wesleyan . Church and i Sunday i School, and was-for . some years in the employ of ' Mr; Georgo •-Denton, of . .Willis Street, in whoeo servico ho . learned his business.- The deceased, who* has resided out of' "Wellington for about eleven years, is Mir- - rived By his wife (who 1 is a daughter of the 1 ; Itev.;Mr. Dukes) and a family.. ' Many in New Zealand will regret to. hear jf the death of Mr. John Brunton, the ' talented sconio artist, which . occurred .in Sydney yesterday. , . Mr..: Brunton . licifi for many years been attached to. the Bland , Holt 'Dramatic .Company, and all those .bril- ■ ■ ' liant stage pictures which have, always been • a'featuro of Mr. Holt's production were,from - . his. facile < and. artistic brush, iHe w.as a ,1 specialist in-'-'back,cloths,"'.and many, such •as tho heatherland scene in . which' "The ■ White Heather" begins, have been- likened to beautiful; oil paintings, so , good wej-e. the vitality and atmosphere of. his perspectives. : Ho was skilled ,in, oils, and, in former-years, was not an infrequent, contributor ..to : art shows in Australia.; Mr." Brunton was .a ■ great lover of Naturoy and ,it was a delight for him to come to New Zealand, and learn of its scenic beauties, during long walks he wai in tho habit of taking round about tho towns in which the company happened to bo playing. One of tho first inquiries ho always ; made 'on arriving in a city was as to tho < v ' whereabouts of the art gallery, and during his last visit to Wellington he oppressed his surprise- that thero a more rcprc- ■ sontativc collection of pictures, and a moro greater love of ftrt in such, a large city. " ■ • Mr. Brunton, who was. in .good health m Wellington, leaves a daughter, Miss Dorotli< , Brunton, who was a member, of tho Bland - Holt Company dtsring its last visit, to Wellington