N.Z.'S OLDEST PRELATE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 20, 16 October 1937, Page 3

N.Z.'S OLDEST PRELATE

Celebration of 90th Birthday To-day

ARCHBISHOP JULIUS

Archbishop Julius, of Christchurch, a former Primate of New Zealand, celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday. He has been a familiar figure in Christchurch for more than 60 years and is in good health; fairly hearty and active, still fertile of mind, and strong in memory. He is the oldest living prelate of the Anglican Communion and the senior bi'shop in respect of consecration. Born at Richmond, England, in, 1847, just 10 years after Queen Victoria's accession to the Throne, he has lived under five monarchs and has witnessed the dramatie change wrought in the world 's life by the developments of modern science. For example, he learnt photography when negatives were made on paper, before the use of collodion opened the way to the glass plate and the film, He recalls clearly an occasion when a learned professor took him out to expose a paper-plate. The professor remarkcd: "A bit dull — well give it 40 minutes," and when that timo elapsed said, "We'll give it another 10 minutes' ' — quarter of an hour either way was neither here nor therel And to-day the press photographer, armed with refles and flashlamp, will take his

portrait in his workroom in a fraction of a second, and a film man could xecord movement and voice in less. The Archbishop 's own keenness for photography almost led to tragedy early in his episcopate. While driving the buggy he brought from Victoria on the West'Coast, he and Mrs Julius pulled up to camp by the side of a steep 20ft. gully', and, wishing to take a pliotograpfi, he set up the cainera and with his head under the cloth (no haipcameras those days) ko unwiseiy moved the stand closer — the horse pr'oinptly backing from the apparition towards the gully edge. By good luck he reached the horse 's head in time. Early Transport. The Archbishop has used in his work every. new mode of ai.d to locomotion as it caiuo in, save the aeroplane, which arrived just too late for his activo episcopate, tliougli he has been "up" — he went up with Mr Chickester from Wigram for a cruise over the city and cousitry. , In Christchurch his Grace was in earlier daye a familiar figure as ha moved about the city on his modern pneumatic-tyred cycle. When motorcycles came in, he bought one of the early machines to travel the diocese. It was speedier when going, if less reliable than buggy or coacii, out at last disastey befel him. It was then ho brought the f amous 1 ' one-lunger ' ' Rover with its solitary Cyclops-eye lamp projecting goitrously ahead of tne radlator but with a wiudscreen and pneumatic tyes. In that vehiele he chugged his way to every part of the diocese. Of course he has had since then several cars, each more modern than the last, and fitted with many efficient "gadgets" of his own devising. Only recently did he give up driving personally his modern 10 h.p., after someone ran into it broadside on and gently tipped it over, happiiy without material damage to either Archbishop or car; after tho spill he drove it off under its and his own powerl Perhaps the toughest vehiele he has evcr driven was the lever-propelled " jigger" leut him by the Public Works Department at Kowhai Bush when the. line to Arthur's Pass was being laid down.