MR C. E. PEDERSEN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 171, 6 August 1937, Page 6

MR C. E. PEDERSEN

There passed away at the Hastings Memorial Hospital Mr Charles Edward Pedersen, aged 76, thus severing another link of the early-day Hawke's Bay settlersThe funeral yesterday was conducted by Majors Marshali and Wheeler, of the Salvation Army, a large attendance of friends and relatives being present. Coraing to Hawke's Bay as a young 1 lad of the hardy Norse type, Mr Pedersen suffered many of the hardships of the early pioneers. He married Miss Julie Jacobsen 56 years; ago. Mr Pedersen was an ardent, f aithful Salv&tionist of some 40 years' standing, being entrusted by the leaders of that body with the opening up of their work in several places where they .were unable to send officers. In the course of his occupation as sawmiller, he and somQ of his sons, alL of whom are bandsmen, often pioneered the Salvation Army work in isolated towus chief among these being Raetihi, once relerred to as the little town with the big Salvation Army, where for 25 yqars he was an honoured Salvationist .and business man, sornetimes employing 70 men at a time. He disdained idleness, and up till abont two years ago worked harder than most young men endeavouring to beat the ravages of the slnmp and depression, Mr Pedersen. took a prominent -part in the search for 'the university students who were lost on Mount Ruapehu in 1931 when some hundreds of searchers were out at once, under most trying conditions. -Operations were directed from Pedersen' s Mill at Erua, ni\d Pedersen's and' Leydon's mill at Pokako, as well as the Chatean Tongariro, and.it was the Messrs Pedersen and Leydon's party who found and brought in young Addis, who with Mr Stanton, had been separated from the rest of the party. Mr Stanton was later found dead. Mr Pedersen leaves a family of six sons, all of whom follow their father's occupation, and two daugjhters. The family is: Messrs Arthur and Fred, ocupation, and two daughters. The of Hastings, John, Charles and Herbert, of Te Kuiti, Mrs Leydon, of Te Kuiti, Mr Walter of Puketitiri and Mrs Keane, of Puketitiri. One of a large, long-lived family he also leaves several brothers and sisters to mourn his loss.