OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 17, 15 October 1943, Page 4

OBITUARY

Mr. F. Roffe

The death occurred yesterday afternoon at the Lewisham Hospital of Mr. Frederick Roffe, the superintendent and secretary of the Wellington District Free Ambulance. Mr. Roffe, who was 59 years of age, had been superintendent of this service since its inception on November 9, 1927, and in the opinion of its founder, Sir Charles Norwood, much of its success has been due to Mr. Roffe’s tireless energy and thoroughness of purpose. He was engaged in ambulance transport work in Australia before coming to New Zealand. It was when Sir Charles Norwood was visiting the Commonwealth that he first came into touch with Mr. Roffe, and decided that he was just the man to initiate such a service in Wellington.

Mr. Roffe was originally a groeer in Gympie, Queensland, where his father was in charge of tlie local ambulance transport service. He became an honorary bearer under his father, and through that connexion took positions of responsibility in Australian free ambulance transport services. He was superintendent and secretary for 29 years in all, at first in Gympie, and later in Maryborough (Queensland) and Wagga ’Wagga (New South Wales). It was in 1927 that he came to Wellington, where he soon made his presence felt both as organizer and executive head of the Free Ambulance service. He was a serving brother of the Order of St. John, a member of the Sir Charles Fergusson Lodge (Masonic), and a member of the Victoria Bowling Club. He is survived by his wife, two sons, Messrs. 11. and L. C. Roffe (lhe latter a member of the Free Ambulance staff), and one daughter, Mrs. D. Parsons, Tawa Flat.