BRIEF ILLNESS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20111, 4 December 1939, Page 6

BRIEF ILLNESS

MRS. LYSNAR PASSES GRACIOUS PERSONAUTY H.B. PIONEER PARENTS There passed away yesterday morning at her home, “Kelvin,” Gisborne, one of the best-known personalities of the district in Mrs. Ida Eleanor Lysnar, wife of Mr. W. D. Lysnar and formerly Mayoress of Gisborne. iMrs. Lysnar had been ill for only a week or two. and had kept to her bed only for the past few days, word of her illness not having had time to circulate widely. The announcement of her death, therefore, came <as a great shock to many who had known her as one enjoying the best of health practically throughout her long life. To her close friends, Mrs. Lysnar revealed a most gracious personality, and though averse to taking a leading part in community movements, she was a keen and systematic helper in a large number of good works, and gave much of her attention to individual cases of hardship which came under her notice.

The second daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Tifl'en, and thus a member of one of Hawke’s Bay’s pioneer sheepfarming families, Mrs. Lysnar lived at “Elmshill,” the family property, near Otane until she was eight years of age, when her parents moved to Napier to live. She retained a clear recollection of the journey from “Elmshill" to Napier, part of the distance being covered by ibullockwagon owing to the primitive state of the road, part of which was through heavy standing bush. Education in Christchurch Her school-days were spent in Christchurch, where she was a scholar at one of the leading girls’ schools of that period, conducted by Mr. Cotterill. Later she took a prominent part in social activities, and her contemporaries in Hawke's Bay and in Christchurch rememiber her as one of the leading belles in both districts during her young womanhood. (Married to Mr. Lysnar in Hawke’s Bay in 1893, she came to Gisborne immediately afterwards, and had lived here throughout the intervening 46 years, all but two or three years at “Kelvin.” Her husband’s prominence in public affairs involved her in many community works, and in much social activity, and her accomplishments as a hostess were widely recognised. She took a large part in entertaining official visitors to Gisborne during her husband's Mayoralty and also during the 12 years in which he represented the district in Parliament; on one occasion she was hostess at a garden party for Lord and Lady Jellieoe, during Lord Jellicoe’s Gov-ernor-Generalship, at which between 400 and 500 guests were present. Local Movements Assisted

iMrs. Lysnar never tired of giving her assistance and support to movements for the welfare of the district, and was one of those instrumental in founding the Children’s Creche, which she opened in her capacity as Mayoress. A souvenir of that occasion which she valued highly was a presentation key given to her by the committee.

Two organisations which had shared her enthusiastic support in recent years were the Girl Guides’ Association and the YJM.C.'A. To the first of these, she gave the use of her home and ballroom for many years for dances through which funds were raised for camping equipment, and to the YJM.CjA. she made regular contributions realised from the sale of flowers from her extensive garden, at times when professional growers' supplies failed; and in this way considerably augmented the funds of the association.

Wide Parliamentary Acquaintance

During her husband's four terms as Parliamentary representative, Mrs. Lysnar accompanied him to Wellington for every session, and there made an extensive acquaintanceship among Parliamentarians and departmental officials, as well as among other prominent people in all parts of the Dominion whose public l business brought them within the political ortnt. Though refraining determinedly from political activity, Mrs. Lysnar was well known as a hostess in Wellington, and her passing will be noted there with deep regret.

Apart from her public and semipulblic connections, her garden at “Kelvin” was. her chief interest, and she spent much of her time in personally cultivating flower-tbeds and plantations, and in selecting and nursing a wide variety of handsome native' and exotic trees, for which “Kelvin” is almost unique.

Mrs. Lysnar is survived by her husband and one daughter. Miss Winifred Lysnar, .and also has one brother, Mr. Frederick A. Tiffen, Napier, and two sisters, Mrs. Lawrence Tuke, .Auckland, and Mrs. L. W. Miller, Napier, living. Deep sympathy will be extended to them in their bereavement. The burial was to take place to-day at the Makaraka cemetery.