Geodesy Genius

NZ Truth, Issue 1189, 13 September 1928, Page 6

Geodesy Genius

IF any man has -done his bit toTCar'ds the importatit.task of •'putting New • .Zealand on; the niap,' ; ; it<:is .Thomas Kirkpatrick Thompson, of Auckland,: a surveyor, whose, name is. familiar m many parts of ; both islands. ',, -; ; ; . .;•; . In, .the course of : his long professional career, T.K;T. ; has carried out; valuable work; not only for the Dominion as a whole, but' for his profession; and it was but fitting that the New Zealand Institute • of Surveyors should .have shown their appreciation; of his serr ivices by electing Mm a- Fellow; o.f / f he' ; Institute at the recent conference. in, : New Plymouth. ; ;,;; ';.'.- ■ ' ; - ;;■;:•:.<•••;■• Joining^ the Survey Department m 1882 :as a cadet, he passed his survey examinatiph. m 1889 and for the three years that followed was engaged on tijiangulation survey, of : the Southern Alps; ■ ••..'...■ '„ . •;■■■ '■ '■ .■■!•■' • : :.■ Later he fixed the correct position of the.' Three: Kings Islands by trig, bearings frbm the mainland, .and, incidentally, discovered an; error m their then charted . position of.; some four-miles. His- knowledge ■of astronomy and pepdesy .merits the .adjective profound. F6r '■} spine years ' he has acted . as examiner dj^r-- the : \ Surveyors': .Board m; practiicai^Sstrohomy. \ ■ : ,'■■}- , :