PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 232, 19 June 1918, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS

Tho Hon. G. W. Russell will leave for Christchurch to-night, returning to "Wellington on Sunday morning.

llr. I*'. V. Frazer, S.M., has arrived in Wellington from Auckland, and has commenced magisterial duties here.

Lieutenant Kenyon Elder, Thirteenth Battalion, A.1.F., son of Mrs. A. Elder, Wellington, who was recently invalided to Australia, has entered a Sydney hospital for special treatment. Lieutenant JJlder lins seen service in Gallipoli and France, and was severely wounded a year ago. For the fighting at Moqnct Farm Jie was twice mentioned in dispatches.

To .hold the rank of lieutenant-colonel at-twenty-three years of ago, and to have' the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross, ns evidence that his promotion' was well won, should he sufficient to gratify the ambition of any man of our country (says the Sydney "Sun.") This is the record of Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas G. Marks, one of the born soldiers of Australia, who did their bit in the direction of making history in the red days of the landing at Gallipoli, and in Ihe'evaciiation, and are doing it now in France and in' Flanders. He left New South Wales as a second-lieutenant with the original 13th Battalion, and was wounded twice—onco dangerously. One of the fighting officers of the A.1.E., he has been mentioned in dispatches By Sir Douglas Huig and General Birdwood more than once. In addition to his British decorations, ho has the Order of the White Eagle of Serbia. LieutenantColonel Marks is one of the brilliant young officers of whom his country is proud. He is .the son of Mr. and Mrs. M. Marks, o fSundridge, Neutral Bay, Sydney, and was born in 18!). r ).

At tho Orphans' Club korero held on Saturday evening presentations were made to Orphan Fraser-Thomfo.i (a foundation member), who has gono into camp. On behalf of the club. Chief Orphan Sur-geon-General R. Henderson presented Orphan Thomson with a chcquti and on behalf of tho executive Orphan E. A. Batt presented him with n gold-mounted fountain pen und a cigarette-holder, both suitably engraved. Referenco was made to the excellent work which had been dono for the club by Orphan Thomson as programme steward, to tho keen interest he has ulways taken in the club's affairs, and the nigh esteem in which ho is held by the members. Orphan Thomson suitably responded.

Mr. James Sexton, tho well-known Newtown Club bowler, has had tho misfortune to meet with a serious accident.. He was working a circular, saw in the'factory of the New Zealand Shop Fronts, Ltd., when his left hand camo in contact with the saw. As tho result he has lost ono finger altogether and part of another.

Tho death of Mrs. Ethel Black, a resi-' dent of Takapuna, removes an Auckland resident who was very widely respected. Mrs. Black was the widow of tho late Mr, John Black, a well-known business man of tho Hay of Islands, and was descended from two of the first missionaries to New Zealand. Mrs. Black's paternal grandfather was James Kemp, who landed in tho Far North in 1818 as catcchist of the ChuVch Missionary Society. Her maternal grandfather was the Rev. Richard Davis, of the samo mission, who- enmo to Now Zealand in 182-1. Mrs. Black was born at Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, in a building which is now an object, of interest as tho oldest wooden structure in New Zealand. The deceased leaves a family of two sons and six daughters.

Lieutenant S. Frickleton, V.C., was accorded a most enthusiastic reception at Greymouth last night, states a 1-ress Association message. From the time he anived nt Otira right through to Greymouth ho was welcomed and cheered. 110 was met at the railway station and escorted to his hotel hy massed bands, and at 7.15 p.m. he was publicly welcomed at the Town Hall. Tho reception was tho most enthusiastic ever seen in tho district.

Tho Rev. E. Palgrave Davy, of Auckland, superintendent of tho Now Zealand Children's Mission, is again on a visit to Wellington for the purpose of holding combined young-life campaigns.

Mr. William M'Dowell, of Heathcote Valley, near Christchurch, who died last week," in his eighty-second year, was the oldest resident in the district. Born m Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1837, lie arrived in New Zealand with his wife in ISGH, in the- ship Chariot of l f anie. At that tiino the Lytteltob tunnel was under construction, and Mr. M'Dowell was employed on that work till its, completion. Later on he went to the gold. diggings at JJokitikn, the Hunter liiver, and Sydney, but returned to enter the service of'the Railway Department, being employed in the permanent way branch till his retirement in 1903. He paid a visit to the Motherland in 190 i. His homo had been in Heathcoto Valley for the last fifty-five years. For some years lie was chairman of the Lyttelton and Heatn-cotc-lfecreation Trust, and was a member at the time of his death. Ever since his arrival Mr.'M'Dowoll was closely connected with the local Methodist Church, of which lie was the oldwt trustee. In defence matters, too, he took a keen interest when a younger man, being a member of the "Blue Jumpers" No i Company. Of a family of thirteen, two daughters and five sons reman;. Mrs. M'Dowell died in July, 1915. At a meeting of the Council of the Academy of Fine Arts on Monday night the president, Mr. H. St. Gore, referred in feeling terms to the loss sustained through the deaths of two valued members, the late Sir Charles Johnston, M.L.C., who was one of the last of the academy's original supporters, and the late Mr. C. Y. Fell, of Nelson, who for a number of years had been a prominent exhibitor at the annunl and sketch exhibitions held at the .Art Gallery. \ otes of sympathy and condolenco with the relatives of the deceased were passed. Captain John Gibbons, who died recently at Devonport, was at one time well known in shipping circles. He was for some time master of tlib barque Lur* line, afterwards going to Scotland to bring out - the Banks Peninsula, now known as (lie tug VYaitangi. Later he purchased the schooner Clyde for coastal work, and nfterwnrds the barque Laura for the Lyttelton-Newcastle trade. Defective eyesight caused his retirement from tlio sea. Mr. T. Glover, reporter and artist: on "Truth," who goos into camp to-morrow, wis yesterday mado tho recipient of a gift from the Law Courts reporters of the local Press. The gathering was quite informal, and in a few short speeches Mr. Glover was assured of the esteem in which lie is held .by his colleagues, and the hope was expressed that lie would have the 1 tick_to go through the campaign without receiving a scratch. Mr. Frank Pope, manager of tho State Fire Insurance branch at Auckland, is visiting "Wellington in connection with the annunl conference of the New Zealand Public Service Association. The passengers who arrived from Sydney yesterday by tho Riverina included Mr. John ITopluns, who is now managerially associated with the Scarlet Troubadours. and Mr. Jack Wdlor, who is about to tour Now Ze-aland again with the "Look Who's Hero" CompaDy.

Mr. William White, an inmate of the Howe for Aged Needy, yesterday celebrated the 102 nd anniversary of bis birthday, and in honour of the occasion Messrs. AV. Allan and (jcg. Pelhcrick, J.IVs, paid a visit to the home and took dinner with their aged friend, and 011 behalf of the trustees and stall' tendered their hearty congratulations and good wishes. Mr. White takes a deep intcresl in, and clpsely follows, the events of the present war. He has been a resident of tho Dominion for over 50 years, and today bears a wound mark received during the Maori war. Mr. White never married, and is the sole survivor of four brothers and two sisters. He was born, in London, where his father followed the calling of a stone mason. Mrs. Dr. Barday, of the Wellington Hospital, kindly sent to Mr. White a large birthday cake in honour of tho occasion.

News has been received of the death of Rcgimental-Sergeant-Major I{. S. Xuckey, wlio was recently reported as dangerously ill from wounds received while on active service in France. He was wounded on June 7, and died on .Time 10. Ser-geant-Major Tuckey was the youngest son of 'tho Rev. 11. K. Tuckey. of Tinakori Koad, and the late Mrs. Tuckey. lie leaves a widow, formerly Miss Muriel Lake, of Dunedin, and an infant son. Sergeant-Major Tuckey was at sea for Mine years, and visited many parts of the world. He was on the hospital ship Cartilage during the Uusso-Japanese AYar, and later wont to South Africa, and took part in the Boer AVar campaign, isubser|uenlly joining the Capo Mounted Police. He returned to New Zealand about five years ago, and received an appointment as sergeant-major in the Permanent Defence Force. He was very anxious to leave the Dominion with the Main Body of the Expeditionary Forje, but was unable to obtain permission, and finally, after many other efforts in that direction, left 'with ■ tho Twenty-ninth Reinforcements. He'was transferred to tho 2nd Olago Battalion in France.