NINETY YEARS OF AGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 10

NINETY YEARS OF AGE.

A CLEKGrotAN'S "INTERESTING CAEEEB. ; : (By .'Tolesraph-Prcßs Association.) .'. ; ' ; ''■':■■' . Christchurch, October 22. :Tho Rev. Decimiis Dolamore, of St. Albans, Christchurch, the; sonior Baptist minister of tho;. Dominion, attains tho patriarchal age of 90 years .on Monday next. Mr.- Dolamoro has been senior minister of tho denomination in Now. Zealand during the whole of his long term of residence hero, for ho founded the first church in the colony 'in Nelson. On his arrival in May, 1851, nearly 59 years ago, a request having been, made that an accredited representative, of the Church might be sent to J>ow, Zealand, Mr. Dolamore, with his' late wife, set sail for. Now Zealand, via Melbonrno and Sydney. .. At .both of. these' towns, then very small, for. gold had not yet been discovered, he held services, and was pressed to stay; but New Zealand was the objective, and after a tedious passage of about three weeks from.bydnoy, Nelson was reached, and by acoincidence a.meeting of the adherents of tho denomination was .being held under ■' tho prosidoncy of (afterwards Sir)'A. Dillon Bell ■With tho object of selecting a site for a church Iheisamo evening, a further mooting was held under. Mr;. Dotamoro's presidency, and the Church was,-. formed. . Mr. Dolamoro r continued in the pastorato for soko.years,"and became .woll-known ill; tho-. little community, undertaking missionary : work in : all' parts 'of tho district.. Later, in; the. early sixties, ho mado several journeys ovorland to 'Christchurch, in connection, with the establishment -of the first Church of the denomination in Christchurch. Subsequently Mr, Dollamore: took charge of the school, and formed'a Church at Oxford afterwards Returning to Nelson for a term, .and from .thore going to Cavorsham, wheh was the last residential charge he under' took, and which he relinquished more than thirty years ago on' account of failing health. r™»n rE , how ? vc , r -'. 6xerd «!d oversight of a small Church at Kirweo,' continuing this work for about 23 years, and finaUy Tetirins about sis years ago. Ho is-still rcmarkablv active, .W.possesses-all.. his- faculties unim- : paired excepting his hearing is not as keen as it was. His recollections of the early days of Nelson and Canterbury are vivid Ind interesting The prominent men of the fifties SSd 1 nnd Richmond, Wakefield' and Stafford, came under his' Dersonnl ken. The lato AIW Saunders was. a P Wend of. over 50 years standing. Ho has alwavs been a strong supporter of free and secular education, and was a member of the Nelson lOducation Board, which instituted a system prac .colly identica with that afterwards adopted 6y the colony. So strong wore hi f echngs. in V regard ( to State interference 6r aid in Tchgioua matters it, any way, that although all the other, churches in Nelson tc coived graub of free sites, «nd one to.the Uaptmts, it was not: accepted, but was ' paid for. Mr. Do omore was nresent nf Jhl i ij*"«. rf the foundation of thoS on Cn .. ch : n 1901, and has sinco, on several occos on, ' Sniy^e^f^^^ B^