OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2466, 20 May 1915, Page 6

OBITUARY

THE REV. W. KIRK. The Rev. William _ Kirk, a' veteran Wesleyan minister, died at Petone yesterday, in his 90th year of age. Mr Kirk was born at Ferry-on-Trent, near Gainsborough, in 1825. He became a Methodist local preacher at 19 years of age, and two years later was inducted into the Wesleyan Church in London. In company with seven other selected missionaries he came to New Zealand in 1846, and in those very early days of the history of the colony, and later in the times when the Natives were fractious, ho had many thrilling and trying experiences, one of the earliest- being a very narrow escape from shipwreck at Wanganui. Mr. Kirk's first station was at Ohinemutu, -where lie carried on a conspicuously successful ministry until 1853. In that year he went to take charge of the mission station at Waikouajti, in Otago, but in 1557 he was back in the North Island again, on transfer to Kai Iwi. In 1860 lie was again transferred to Mongonui, and thereafter to Nelson, and to Wellington. Thereafter he was minister for tliTee years in the following parishes St. Albans, New Plymouth, Auckland, Wellington, and Richmond. .During his I first term in this city a church was erected in Manners Street, but it was destroved by fire 36 years ago, atld in bis second term the Tarauaki Street church was built. The Rev. Mr. Kirk lias not been an activc minister of his church for 30 years. He has resided at Petone since 1894. He was generally known perhaps better to an older generation than the present as one of the brave Christian missionaries who endured cheerfully the hardships and very real dangers of the pioneer life in this country, and who achieved wonderful success in imparting to the Natives the Christian teachings j