The Hutt News THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1930. E. P. RISHWORTH.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 43, 3 April 1930, Page 7

The Hutt News THURSDAY , APRIL 3, 1930. E. P. RISHWORTH.

• By the Hand of Death on Friday last there was taken from' our midst Eric Percival Rishworth, a-man'whose life -fvas one of love and service to this i^lloAV man. During the/past eight years he has not been prominently in the public eye, .consequently he may — to a newer generation*of borough residents —scarcely be' so f amiliaT a name or figure as he was to those who knew thim and his many activities between the years I910;.to"1921> No man has

done more for education-I—primary,1—primary, see-

ondaiy and technical—than did Mr. and this lie did, not only foeeause he was fully, assured of the advantages of a sound "education and wis2i«d to .bring such' Within the reach of all, but because of his love for young people, a love, that with him /amounted almost to a'passion. He served as Chairman of the' Hutt District High School Cmmittee. for a number; of years and his enthusiasm fired-! tihose who . served linger' him, so .that' that school was particularly well looked after. He represented this district on the Education Board and this gave :him further opportunities of Tendering good service to all the schools in the Valley. -He was one of the first to recognise the necessity for v the establishment of te6hnical classes in Lower Hutt so -he, in conjunction with the late Mr. Henry Bald.win, took the matter up., and despite many difficulties these-classes were es-' tablished and to-day we have a flourishing evening Technical. School wirere more classes exist t«his session than eVer obtained previously. This is a tribute to Mr. Rishworth's vision and to his tenacity of purpose.. But even there Mr. Bishworth. was not content to rest and he took the lead in,: a movement to secure for the Valley a secondary school to be built in Lower Hutt. There was first" the" battle .for a site; and this was fought to a successful;issue, so that to-day, thanks to such men as

Hishworth and Baldwin, we have a fine.

site in Wotrarn Boad and- a secondary jiA^ehool staffed and equipped equal •to "■the beet in tie Dominion. Truly tie High School has been hard hit by the deaths of two such giants in educational progress as the late H. Baldwin and E. P. Rishworti. Mr. Bishworth was Chairman of the Board of Governors from its inception in 1925 .until • -June 1929. The founding of the School was perhaps the main work of his later years. He was almost a daily visitoi* until the institution, was well established. The Principal recently "placed his ■appreciation of Mr. Eishworth's work on record in these words:'"His influ«n<ie has been very "great indeed; As\ chairman he'gave dignity to the Board, an-d to t»he school; he was steadfastness,. probity and loyalty personifiecjv'.' While such educational institutions exist in out midst there need be^iio >fear that these mdn will be forgotfen—-they Jive in the hearts of th people; The Major-| -alty claimed Z\Ti\ Ris-hworth for sevetal years arid his period of office was markH'l by careful administration- and- well guarded finance. Then, arose' tire eontTOveTsy over the question of a locally owned gas works which was champion«>d by ,Mr. Rishwor^h versus an : amalgai with Petone in their •existing works. This led to a coniest-for the Mayoral Gh air and in tie defeat of Mr Rishworth. Hundreds; of ratepayers,

fally recognising the grand-: character and 'administrative qualities :of Mr. Bishwortih, Voted against him because: of their objection to the gas-works beinp planted in the midst of a residential area. Mt. Rishworth ebuld have SKiTii promised and retained his 'hold, on the mayoralty but sucli -was not the man. He saw his line of action and -js all such strong and dominant men do, he followed that course without deviation because, in his own mind, lie . felt assured that his eourae was t&e test for the borough. Perhaps the fia-~ est work he did while Mayor was done drtvring the epidemic of 1918. Before many other places ihad recognised tht necessity for a concerted plan of campaign for the care of the sicls, he had organised his workers, secured1 $ie I.ycetun Hall and other public buildings fot us*a &b temporary hospitals, gathered itogetSier stretches, blankets, comforts

find dainties and choosing his section loaders, set to-work to see that every house was visited, every sufferer attended to, and the dead given a decent burial. His work was a troumph of organisation and all his workers were insph'ou to the most strenuous efforts dv 'the masterly control of their leader, i". P. Bis>hworth. He was a man of most kindly disposition-^one who hated ostentation—but who. did many works of charity known only to a few—-a iv.an of the highest intergrity whose word was his bond. If one may say it kindly, he was top intense—wth.en/'h£ ■undertook .a- thing he put heart and *ou3 into it, and ;was perhaps, because of this intensity, a little" inclined to take a set back too seriously. But to him life was a serious problem and his

eerviee to his fellow-man was his way ©i! .vliowing his-sympathy for, and an kit del-standing ■ of, the other fellow's ] difficulties in life. He has gonte from ] nmong us, but his example and his ! works Temain a tribute to one who was, ! in the. fullest,and truest sense of the word, a gentleman.i, To his' widow; and, tVmily wo desire to extend our deep sympathy; they will, we are sure, be comforted by the. thought that th® borough mourns his loss and feels that after strenuous years of labour he iis.s ei.lered" into his rest.