PERSONAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17288, 2 October 1916, Page 9

PERSONAL.

Tho Hon G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs, is visiting Gisborne. The Hon T. W. Hislop, of Wellington, left for Wellington on Saturday evening.

Mr W. Reecc arrived from the north on Saturday.

Dr Chesson, District Health Officer, arrived from Wellington on Saturday morning.

Chaplain Mackenzie Gibson, who was appointed to the staff of tho hospital ship Marama, is expected to arrivo shortly. The Rev Dr Morley, of Melbourne, is taking part in ceremonies associated with tho jubilee of the Pitt Street) Methodist Church, Auckland. Brigadier-General Sir Alfred Robin, Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, is visiting Christchurch. Ho will leave for Dunedin this morning.

Mr W. G. Hastio, formerly second officer of the Mararoa, who went into camp with tho Reinforcements a short time ago, has been granted a commission.

Mr E. E. Booth, well known as an "All Black" Rugby footballer, will leave shortly for the front with one of tho Australian drafts. He will bo a field officer connected with the Y.M.C.A.

It is a little known fact that Mr 0. H. Poole, member for Auckland West, was, some twenty years ago, third ofhcer of the barque Antiope, which is now hard and fast in Bluff harbour. During the time the vessel was fitting up in Wellington about a year ago, Mr Poole paid a visit to tho Ferry Wharf to have a look at his old ship-

Dv Thacker, M.P., and Mrs Thaeker left on Saturday evening to catch the Niagara at Ai'ickland, en route to tho United States, Canada, and Britain. They expect to return about February. T>unng Dr Thacker's absence Messrs G. Witty, L. M. Isitt and H. G. Ell have kindly undertaken to watch the interests of his constituents and to forward all representations to the right quarter.

Corporal Robert Lepper, of the First Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, who has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bringing in wounded under heavy fire, is the second son of Mr W. D. Lepper, Centre Bush, Southland. Ho won tho medal in the Western (Semissi) operations last Christmas Day, and has since been wounded in Franco. He has recovered and is again in the firing lino. Ho is now just under twenty years of age, and has been on active service for a year.

Mr Alan 0. Tytheridge, who was formerly a Christchurch journalist, and editor o£ tho "Fiji Times," but who has been in America for about eighteen months, was recently appointed pianist and accompanist to a noted Portuguese 'cellist and violinist, and they are to tour Japan. Mr Tytheridge's headquarters will be Yokohama till the conclusion of his contract,. which is for three years. The '' Now Zealand Times " states that amongst tho pianists who applied for the post was Mr Walter Handel Thorloy, who is wellknown in Christchurch musical circles. Mr Tytheridge is a son of Dr Tytheridge, of Christchurch.

Mrs Mary Cronin, who died at. the Auckland Hospital last week, had been resident in tho Auckland provincial district for fifty-two years, having arrived there in 186-1. Her husband, the late Mr Daniel Cronin, came from Melbourne in tho early " sixties," and served during tho Maori war in the Waikato Militia, afterwards settling down as a farmer in tho neighbourhood of Alexandra, now Pirongia, whero he and his family experienced the stirring times incident to frontier life in those days. Mr Cronin lived until about ten years ago. Mrs Cronin reached tho age of ninety-six, and there is reason to suppose that she would havo seen even further years but for a fall which occurred to her, causing injury to her head. Out of her family of eight children there arc three stilly surviving, and-hor descendants comprise twentytwo grandchildren and twenty-six greatgrandchildro».