Col. And Mrs Swan Leave Taupo

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 60, 3 August 1965, Page 2

Col. And Mrs Swan Leave Taupo

To a man who has spent much of his life travelling or preparing to travel, Lieut. Coloitel J. D. Swan still finds the task a tedious one. The Colonel and Mrs Swan, after spending ahout 17 years as permanent residents of Taupo, were packing last week before shifting to thefr new home in Auckland.

At 76 years of age the Colonel can Iook back on an active life in administrative positions in many parts of New Zealand and overseas. His first sight of this :ountry was when he land2d at Wellington in 1914. He had no sooner arrived when, as.a reservist with the London Scottish Regiment, he was called up on active service in World War I. He was to return to London, but some clerical error caused him to spend the first years of his service in Fiji and Samoa. With the rank of act-ing-major he was later sent to Madras, Egypt, Gallipoli and Alexandria. Colonel Swan was married in his home country, England, in 1917 and with his wife he came to New Zealand again to settle in 1919. On arrival in this country he started the Swan Clothes Manufacturing Company in Auckland. Later he left this business to go into service of an importing firm in the same city. It was while he was in Auckland that Colonel Swan became interested in dramatic work and joined the Auckland Little Theatre Society. He was president o.f the society in the late 1920's and during the same period he was chairman of the Auckland branch of the British Drama League. Colonel Swan rereived the rank of Lieut. Colonel after he was called up in 1939, at the beginning of World War II. In this capacity, he became assistant director of supplies and transport and commander of New Zealand Army Service Corps in the Northern Military District. He said that when given this post he had one car, one truck and six pack saddles under his command. Later, however the matter was rectified and by the time the war was in its later stages he commanded the use of ahout 2000 cars aud 4000 trucks of modern design. The quality and quantity of his services in World War II. could best be summed up by a letter he received at the end of the war from Lieut. Colonel L. W. Nickerson, commanding officer and special representative in the South Pacific, who personally thanked him for his help to the United States Marine Corps during their campaign in this area. Since the war Colonel Swan has been twice decorated. He received the Order of the British Empire in 1946 and the Coronation Medal in 1953. Between the years of 1946 and 1948 Colonel Swan took over management of the Grand Hotel, in Auckland; he retnrned to England for a short trip in 1949 and afterwards he and Mrs Swan became residents of Taupo. For the first time in his life, the Colonel's interests were confined to a small geographical area. In 1950 he stood as a candidate for the Taupo Town Board elections. In support of himself he stated that he would push ahead with electricity and water schemes for Taupo; he would institute action in the matter of fire protection; he would expedite the obtaining of an ambulance and he would endeavour to get

the Waikato Hospital Board j to extend the hospital in the j town. j He also stated at the time that he was not in favour of party politics being introduced into local government affairs and that he was standing as a non-political and non-sectarian candidate. He was later elected as depnty chairman of the board and he was the first depnty mayor of the town. He launched himself into civic affairs with a vitality that was to the advantage of many organisations in Taupo. He was chairman of the Taupo St. John Ambulance Association, president of the Taupo Bowling Club, chairman of the Taupo branch of the New Zealand National Party and, before that, chairman of the Rotorua electorate of the party. Many people in Taupo will remember Colonel Swan for the part he played as organiser for two Christmas carnivals held to raise money

for the Memorial Hall and sports ground. A Taupo resident who vwas on the executive committee of the 1952-53 carnival, Mr I. T. Logan, praised Colonel Swan for the way in which he took over the administrative side of the project He said the Colonel was in charge of the central committee which guided the various queens during the queen carnival and in this capacity he put forward many constructive ideas and helped with the liaison between the queens. Even after he settled in Taupo, the Colonel still had calls for assistance outside the town. In the early 1950's he went to Rotorua for a few months to manage an hotel. He also became a director of the Tourist Hotel Corporation and has served in that capacity for some years. He has taken a wide interest in tourism and has ■*r done much to promote the Taupo area.