OBITUARY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4857, 24 July 1925, Page 2

OBITUARY.

mb. william McCullough.

AN OLD THAMES RESIDENT.

There died at Thames on Wednesday morning an old and highly respected resident in the person of Mr William McCullough, at the ripe old age of 82 years. The deceased gentleman was born in Limerick (Ireland), and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1859. He laboured in various capacities in the colony for some time, and eventually made for Thames during the rush, over 50 years ago. He had not been on the field long when he, with five others, started the “Thames Star” in Grahamstown, and worked it on shares. At that time there were upwards of 20,000 people at more than half of whom were living under canvas nad in such other habitations as are not seen to-day. There was then published at Shortland a . daily morning paper called the “Thames Advertiser,” owned by Messrs Corlett and Wilkinson. Mr Corlett later left the firm and founded a third daily, the “Miners’ Advocate,” while the late Alfred George Horton, formerly a partner in the “Auckland Herald,” purchased his interest in the "Advertiser.” Later Arnett and Shaw, from Hokitika, launched still another daily, called the “Shortland Times” and a weekly called “The Leader.” Mr J. D. Wickham next came with a small weekly, called the “Thames Exchange.” At . that time the Caledonian was taming out, iso to speak,j tons of gold, while several other mines were yielding enormously rich returns. Money was plentiful in all directions, and it - was a common thing in those days - foi} the miners in the streets to pass...,; over a pound-note to the runners of the papers when in the ordinary way

the price was twopence per copy. There was at this time no less than 70 hotels—such as they were—at Thames, so that the boys with the papers had plenty of scope for their sales- It is said, however, that noth--ing in this world will last, and so the once famous Thames goldfields gradually slackened off and a large section of the population drifted back to Auckland. There were then eight or nine fairly large steamers trading between the two places. The fares were Sts .and for a long time 2s 6d return, with a meal included. There was not sufficient support for the six newspapers, so it came to a question Gt the survival of the fittest, and thus the “Star” and the “Advertiser” well filled the journalistic requirements of the goldfields. As the years rolled on the “Advertiser” was purchased by Mr H. H. Lyes. He owned and con« trolled it as ,a daily morning paper for joome time, when the late William' McCullough purchased it and issued it from the “Star” office, so that Mr McCullough ran the two papers, morning .and evening, till at last the “Star” was, and is still, the only remaining journal at Thames. . The late Mr McCullough, besides his long journalistic career, was associated with numerous mining speculations with considerable profit. He was an active and thoroughly experienced business man, and exceedingly popular in earlier years. He manifested conspicuous interest in all public institutions, and was a sport to the backbone. The deceased was a Freemason, and held the office of Right Worthy Provincial Grand Master of the North Island Scotch Constitution, and was also for a number of years a member of the Legislative Council. He is survived by three sone, Frank (Thames), John (San Francisco), Roy (Patetonga), and one daughter, Mrs W. H. Chambers (Auckland). Mrs McCullough died in 1918.