PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2634, 3 December 1915, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Hon. J. Allen, Minister of Defence, visited Tauherenikau yesterday, and inspected both camps, the temuorary one where the men are now in training; and the permanent 0110 now being constructed. The new camp, says the Minister, is really a model one, an enormous place, with every possible convenience. He considers that the only justification for such heavy expenditure upon it is that it will be used for territorial camps when the war is over.

A visit is to be paid to Auckland in February next by His Excellency the Right Rev. Bonaventure Cerretti, Archbishop of Corinth, and Papal Delegate to Australasia. Preparations to receive him are already being made. (

The Hon. Dr. Pomare has left for the nbrth.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan, who has been in Gis borne, is returning on Saturday or Sunday.

A presentation was made by the Mayor of Miramar last evening to Mr. F. Bennett, town clerk of the Miramar Borough Council. Mr. Bennett has enlisted for active service, and has been granted _ extended leave of absence. Eulogistic reference was made .to Mr. Bennett's sterling qualities, as well as the amount of work he had done for the borough since he had been in the position of town clerk. In handing Mr. Bennett a pair, of field-glasses, the Mayor, 011 behalf of the borough, wished him success.

Previous to the ordinary business at lakt night's meeting of the Onslow Borough Council, a resolution was carried condoling with the relatives of the late Mr. Samuel C. G. Vickers, whose death occurred ""on Wednesday. Deceased was Town Clerk of the borough for some 12 years, and it was resolved that the council should be represented <at the funeral by the Khandallah councillors, the Mayor (Mr. C. C. Crump), i and the Town Clerk (Mr. H. Abraham).

Among those who enlisted yesterday was Mr. E. S. Douglas, professional for the Miramar Golf Club. He goes into camp with tho infantry on December 14. Mr. Douglas is the leading professional in the Dominion, being the bolder of the. Professional and Open Championships. When the committee of the club ■were informed yesterday that Mr. Douglas had enlisted, they' decided to hold the position nntil his return, and in the meantime _ to appoint temporarily someone not eligible for military service.

Mr. T\. G. Croll, of the firm of J. Chambers and Son, Auckland,-returned from a health recruiting trip to Papeete by the' Maitai last evening. Mr. What-' ford, of Auckland, also returned by the same vessel.

Mr,. J. B. Westlake been appointed by the Governor to the Paliiatua Licensing Committee, vice Mr. David Hughes, resigned.

Mr. H. C. Patchett, of the North Company, Ltd., has received instructions from the Defence Department to join the 13th Reinforcements draft aa 2nd lieutenant at Trentham on December 18.

_ Mr. Lorihg, of San Francisco, arrived in Wellington by the Maitai last evening. Mr. Loring has come to New Zealand to join the American Scientifio Research Ship Carnegie at Lyttelton.

On many previous oocasions Mr. B. C. Freyberg.has by his swimming prowess done honour to the Swifts Amateur Swimming Club, but all his past feats pale into insignificance before his illustrious achievements in the face of the enemy on the Gallipoli Peninsula (says a paragraph in the Swifts Club's report), a deed i which gained for him the honour of the Distinguished Service Order and promotion to the rank of major. After briefly describing the achievement, the report goes on to say that it has been specially recognised by the N.Z.A.S.A. by the bestowal of the Legion of Heroism on Major Freyberg. -It. is suggested.-that,, at,..; the.., annual meeting this month, life membership rof .the Swifts Club should be conferred on the major.

At last night's meeting of the Miramar Borough Council Mr. F. Alexander, a member of the Miramar Volunteer Fire Brigade, who is now serving at the front, was .presented with a framed certificate. Mr. Alexander's father accepted the certificate on his son's bohalf. '

The death of Mr. Robert Thompson Graham occurred at Auckland on Sunday. The late Mr. Graham was tho sixth son of the late Mr. George Graham, of Brighton, England, who was an officer of the Royal Engineers in Auckland in the early days. Mr. W.. A, Graham (a son) was one of the first European children born in Auckland. The family subsequently resided in England for some j ears. Mr. Graham was for some years engaged in fanning on Waiheke Island, and during recent jears he had been in business as a commission agent. He was 66 years old, and is survived by his widow.

■ One. of the oldest and best-known residents of the borough of Onslow, Mr. Samuel C.'G. Yickers, died at his residence at Khandallah on Wednesday in Bis eighty-first year. The late Mr. Vickers reached New Plymouth in 1851, and from there went to Auckland, where his parentb took up land. Li 1863 he entered the Government service (the Native Department), and two years later, ou tho transfer of the seat of Government, ho was removed to Wellington. Iu 1872 he was re transferred to Auckland, where he became Chief Clerk of tho Civil Commissioner's Office, which position ho held until 1882, when he was again removed to Wellington in the Native Office. In 1886 he was retrenched from tho Public Service, and in 1894 was appointed Town Clerk of the Borough of Onslow, which position ho held until about three years ago, when he retired .from active .service. The late Mr. Vickers was a prominent member of the Anglican Church, was greatly instrumental in the erection of the MamlaUah Church, in the estab. li6hment of tho first public school in the district, and in the vesting in {he Onslow Borough Council of the domain which is one of the features of tho Ivhandallah suburb. He leaves a widow and a family of five—Messrs. H. G. Vickers (of tho Lands and Survey Department), H. Vickers (of the Survoy Department, North Auckland), and W. G. Vickers (of the Wellington Meat Export Company), Mrs. C. T. H. Brown (of Wellington), and Miss Vickors (of Khandallah).

Mr. Hugo ' Friedlnndor, Ashburton, has received a cable message from ';is son, Captain A. J. Friedlander, R.A.M.C., to tlie effect that he is coming out to Now Zealand by the hospital ship Malieno. Captain Friedlander took part in the last big battle at Gallipoli, a«d was invalided to tlie General Hospital at Alexandria,, and from there to tlie Convalescent Camp at Port Said. Mr. Friedlander is unablo to state whether his son is one of the doctors in charge <f the men returning, or whether ho is coming to New Zealand to recuperate. Mr. Andrew Kyle, of Petono, who was to have gone into camp on Decom!i}r 14, lias been transferred to tlie Hospital Ship as telephone operator in charge. - Tlie death occurred yesterday at Seatoun of Mr. Adam Wm. Burnes. Tlie late Sir. Burnes, whose father was the first manager of tlie National Bank in Now Zealand, was born in the Dominion 56 years ago, but resided for some time in England He held the position of resident agent at Oamaru for the Government 'Lifo Insurance, but on tho closing of that office some three years ago lio 'was transferred to Wellington. Mr. Burnes was atone time a prominent athlete in Wellington, being an active sculler, jatchtsrnan, and- representative footballer. Ho leavos a widow, but no family.-