THE LATE ARCHDEACON WILLOCK.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2538, 27 May 1882, Page 3

THE LATE ARCHDEACON WILLOCK.

In Canterbury there is a large number of the settlers who will deeply regret the decease of the Venerable Archdeacon Willook, announced as taking place at his home at Ricoa ton on Tuesday, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Some remain in the province who, like himself, were included in the band of pioneers who landed from the first four ships, he being the clergyman on board the Randolph, which was the secocd of those ships to arrive, and oame to anchorage in Port Victoria (now Lyttelton) on December 16tb, 1850, at 3.30 p.m.; the first vessel, the Charlotte Jane, having got in at 10 a.m. Connected with the voyage of the vessel there is an aneodote of the Rev. W. W. Willock which indicates that he was a gentleman possessed of " bulk and thews " in being able to quell by main force a serious disturbance which began to arise. Upon landing he took up his residence at the foot of the Port hills, having to be oontent with a canvas habitation for somo time, till a more house of wood oould be erected, and, in addition to his mission duties, he had to resort to the laborious work of olearing a piece of land and hewing of timber. As the population continued to arrive he had to make long weary journeys over the rough oountry and swamps to minister to their spiritual wants in the Northern district, as well as to Governor's Bay and the Peninsula. As the oountry grew more settled he removed to Kiiapoi permanently, where a ohurch, on the sandhills in Cookson street, was ereoted, and to which the congregations were summoned on Bundays by the hoisting of an ensign. Subsequently this church was removed to the present site, and additions made to it. Tho rev. gentleman held the oure of this parish to 1875, and not only did he " up for his Church stoutly stand," but he took a large share in the management of local and social affairs. He was ever one of the first to point out the direction for improvements, and in January, 1864, was elected ohairman of the Kaiapoi Road Board, whioh did good service in bringing about a vast improvement in the highways of those times, when the roads round were either hip deep in sand or impassable in winter except to stout ox teams. As years went oh the Rev. W. W. Willook continued to take increased interest in the promotion of eduoation, not only generally, but in his parish. He established the Ohurch of England sohool there, whioh many can refer to with satisfaction, and in the welfare of whioh he exerted his best efforts. Subsequently he joined in with the sohool committee elected under the Education Ordinanoe, whioh initiated the present system, by his advice and direotion, securing one of the beat class of sohools to the town. In atbletio sports and boating exercises he manifested his love of healthy reoreation, and he was an ardent hortioul-

turist, spending hie hours for recreation in using the spado, and his hour* of leisure in preparing or receiving examination papers from Christ's College, of whiob. he was one of the governors. In connection frith the Ohuroh, he was a large contributor to the Cathedral, and a hard worker upon the various standing committees of the Church, being an active member in at least six of them, and for many years filled the post of secretary and treasurer to Ohuroh Property Trustees. Some few years ago, being seized with a fit of paralysis, Archdeacon Willook had to give op his various duties, and has remained an invalid to the time of his demise. It may be stated that the rev. gentleman was a graduate of Cambridge University, and that for the few years prior to emigrating to Canterbury ha labored in the parish of St. Andrew's, Ancoats, Manchester, where he was generally rejpeoted.

The remains of the deceased gentlemen were interred yesterday in the Biooarton Cemetery. The coffin was met at the lych gate by the Most Bev. the Primate, the Very Rev. tho Dean of Christohuroh, and the Bev. Croaadaile Bowen, Archdeacon Wilson, the Revs. E. A. Lingard, W. Harper, F. G. BrittaD, G. J. Cholmondeley and H. GHasson were alsopresent. The funeral oortege was very long, many old residents of the Plains attending to pay the final token of respect to the late Archdeacon, amongst whom were Messrs H. Hanmer, L. Harper, B.J. S. Harman, M. Stoddart, &s.