ABOUT PEOPLE

Southland Times, Issue 18846, 11 June 1920, Page 5

ABOUT PEOPLE

Colonel Porter, C.8., who has been ilt for some weeks, is now making a satisfactory recovery.

Colonel McDonald, O.C. Otago and Southland military district, who has been on a brief visit to Invercargill on departmental business returned to Dunedin yesterday. A London Press Association cable states that Sir Charles Lucas, at a meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute, paid a warm tribute to Sir Thomas Mackenzie’s services as High Commissioner for New Zealand.

A Pekin Press Association message states that Mr J. C. Ferguson, formerly Counsellor to the Chinese Government, has succeeded the late Dr Morrison as the President’s Political Adviser.

Mr F. Pirani, chairman of the Wanganui Education Board, who is retiring, is just entering his twenty-fifth year as a member of the board and his fifteenth as chairman having been acting chairman for some time prior to that.

Mr J. W. Poynton, Stipendiary Magistrate, has been appointed chairman of all appeal boards set up during the year 1920 in connection with the grading of teachers, say 7 s a Wellington Press Association telegram.

Captain Martin, who brought the s.B. Opawa to Bluff, has been transferred to command the Paparoa, and will take over the ship at Wellington. Captain Upton haa arrived to assume command of the Opawa. Before he received this step up Captain Upton was chief officer on the Remuera. Private advice has been received that Mr Herbert Booth, who recently 7 conducted a mission here, had been advised from London by cable that his wife had died. The death must have been of a sudden nature, as Mr Booth had no previous intimation of any 7 illness.

“England ha? at last discovered a great tragedienne,” states Mr Louis M’Quilland in the Daily Express. “Miss Sybil Thorndike, who has taken London by storm in the Medea of Euripides, as translated by Professor Gilbert Murray, is in the direct line of queens of the tragic stage. Sho is comparable with the greatest of them. Henceforth she takes rank with Rachel, with Genevieve Ward, with Bernhardt, with Duse—with all the sceptred race and the forms divine of the high enchantresses of the theatre. She has temperament in excelsis; she has a magnificent elocutionary gift, which enables her to tear a passion to tatters without strain to a glorious voice; she has a countenance so mobile that it can mirror the feelings of all humanity; she has a beautiful presence, and her every gesture is a thing of grace. Finally and emphatically, Miss Thorndike has genius. Generations hence playgoers will talk of her as the greatest actress of the Georgian era.”

Mr and Mrs John Lowden ’ ( ve just celebrated their golden wedding. They were married in England on May 9, 1870, and came to New Zealand in 1879, landing at Port Chalmers. Afler spending a few months at Oamaru they came to Mataura where they have resided ever since, a

period of 40 years. Mr Lowden has taken a proponent part in public affairs. He has been Mayor of Mataura for eight terms

and been connected with the borough council and town board for over 30 years. At different limes he has been a member of different limes he has been session clerk to the Presbyterian Church, a member of Bluff Harbour Board, the Waimumu Drainage Board and Gore High School Board of Governors. With Mrs Lowden he took a prominent part in the Southland War Funds Association. Their family consisted of four sons and two daughters, Mrs Townshend, of Aria, Tc Kuiti, Mrs F'ulton, wife of R. Fulton, electrical engineer, Auckland; the Rev. John Lowden, Mornin,gride, Auckland; Arthur Lowden, storekeeper, Dunedin; Charles Lowden, Mildura; and Ernest Lowden, Pelani. Mr and Mrs Townshend, who have been on a visit to Mataura for a month, left this week for Aria.

Mr G. B. Dali has resigned from the position of second assistant secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department, after 43 years’ service. Mr Dali’s term of service dates buck to July 5, 1873, on which dale he joined the Department as a cadet at Invercargill. Five years later found him a clerk in the Dunedin office. In that office he remained a long while, rising to be senior clerk in (lie Money Order and Savings Bank in 1892 ami chief clerk in 1901. On January 1, 1907, Mr Dali moved from Dunedin on transfer to become Assist-ant-Inspector of Post Offices in the Central district. In July of the same year he became Inspector of Post Offices in the Wellington district and on April 1 he was appointed to the position of second Assist-ant-Secretary. Towards the end of 1918 he proceeded to England as Inspector of Postal Services with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and returned to his former duties in the Head Office in October last year. Mr Dali is not altogether severing his connection with the service as, though ho resigns from the Head Office staff, he will retain his interest in the service a? a member of the Post and Telegraph Appeal Board. Mr Dali commenced hi* final annual leave on Monday.