OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 21099, 3 June 1930, Page 7

OBITUARY

MR THOMAS GILLIES. A SOUTHLAND PIONEER. The announcement of the death of Mr Thomas Gillies of 191 South Road, Caversham, Dunedin, may not convey much to the younger generation of Southlanders, but it will bring regret to many of the province’s older settlers, because they wall know that it means the loss of an old and highly respected Southlander. The late Mr Gillies was one of the first sawmillers to operate m the Southland province and his sterling worth and habitual good nature made him a general favourite in sawmilling circles. The late Mr Gillies was a native of Scotland and arrived in New Zealand from Glasgow 68 years ago. He was engaged in gold mining in Central Otago for a number of years and then came to Southland to engage in sawmilling. He was well-known in the Clifton district, where he operated a sawmill over 50 years ago. He later removed his mill to Waimatua and from there went to Waikawa, where he took over a mill at “The Spit.” After working at Waikawa for a number of years Mr Gillies returned to Clifton where he engaged in store-keeping. He later returned to Waikawa, where he worked on a sawmill operated by Messrs A. Currie and A. Macintosh. He retired to Clifton and later to Caversham. He was predeceased by his wife by five years and leaves a family of four: Miss C. M. Gillies (Dunedin), Messrs T. C. Gillies (Christchurch), H. Gillies (Dunedin), and S. G. Gillies (Invercargill).