OBITUARY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 258, 24 October 1908, Page 2

OBITUARY.

; AN OLD SETTLER. | A very old settler, anil one with \itcrestiug associations, in the person of ' Mr. William King liulke, died at Cori bctt Road on Thursday evening. Deceased, who had reached the great agi of SU years, was born at Deal, England, being the son of Dr. liulke, who was medical adviser to the Duke of Wellington, the Duke, as a matter of fact, dying in his arms. William Hulke started in life as an apprentice in the Ba;t India Company, but look a dislike to tile sea, and was sent by liis people t*j a. farm in Pembrokeshire. Later lie was attracted by liibbon Wakelield's X;w Zealand colonisation scheme, and emigrated here, landing in Wellington on 12th December, 18-10, his fcllow-passea-gers 011 the ship Uindon including Messrs. K A. I'arringtoii, with his wife and family, Wicksteed, Nixon, 15. Dorset, l)e 11. Ilrandon, .Tuhu liogan, et.'. Mr. liulke accompanied a party of about a dozen who set out the following week to walk to the Wangauui river, lien; they arrived on ,'lOth December. Mr. Hulke, in partnership with Messrs, Dor- . set, Keith, and Ikjilev Brothers (Bristol men), established the first store in Wanganui. He did not, however, re- I 'main long, returning to Wellington,! whence lie undertook a journey to Sy 1 ;

ney Id purchase a liord of dairy cows. Willi these he established a small dairy farm near Hie present Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie and partly on the Mir.imar peninsula, supplying the people of Wellington, with milk and vegetables. In the latter part of 1842 he went again to Wangamii, and there erected a flourmill—windmill, with machinery lie had imported from Kngland. This will was destroyed by the natives in LSIo. and iu 1847 Mr. llulke visited New Plymouth and decided to remove the miehiuery to this town, where lie established li mill in (.Mioen-street, using a ; water-wheel for power. This wascallel| the Tnion mill, and stands now in the occupation of the Crown Dairy Company. In the early fifties Mr* lluiUe purchased a farm at Hell Hloek. where lie remained until the outbreak'of war in 181)0. when he was obliged to come to New (Plymouth for safety. Here lu> lor a time carried on the business of a nurseryman, and laid out beautiful grounds in J'endarves street (now occupied by Mr. W. Courtney). -About 18(h), in conjunct inn with Messrs F. L. and \Y. li. Webster, lie built the line steam Hour mil) in Currie-M reel now oeeupied by .Messrs. 1,, |). Nathan ami Co. as a warehoiiM'. Nome twenty years later he went back to l»ell I Hock and eslablishcd a model dairy farm on the Corbet Koad, and *ei about forming thai hcwl of purebred Jersey cattle whose fame travelli'd throughout New Zealan;. Here for many years he experimented in dairying, and lie was one of the lirst to see ami strongly advocated the benefitof the dairy factory system now general throughout the Dominion. Of late vear s he lias Pilfered from a very ilis-

IrcssiiijT malady, wliich Ims kepi Mm must a prisoner, lull in spite of Ms (.real iij!c liis mental powers remained stroll;;' until (he last. In lli« earlv (iflics lie married .Miss St reel. of llel! llloek, who survives him. lie li.nl no family, liut two of liis sisters are still living in Ileal, 1 lie funeral will take place to-morrow J (Sunday). |