PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1919, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. Balfour has been elected Chancellor of Cambridge University. A cable from New York "says that Colonel House (adviser to President Wilson); who was reported to be ill at sea, has arrived. Br. Frederick de Lisle, a native of .Guernsey and a resident of the Hastings and Napier districts for 40 years, died at Hastings on Saturday morning, aged 73 years. He held the position of surgeon of the Napier hospital, and health officer for Hawke's Bay and Napier borough, and also served on the Napier Borough Council for two years. His Excellency the Governor-General held an investiture at Government House, Auckland, on Wednesday, when a number of badges of the Order of the British Empire were presented to Auckland residents. The ceremony was very simple, taking place in the ballroom, where about 80 friends of the recipients were assembled. Among the recipients was Mrs A. A. G. Buckleton, to whom was presented the badge of Officer of the Order of the British Empire. A telegram from Auckland announce that Mr J. D. Wickhain, the veteran journalist, better" known to his many friends as "A Tramp, Esq.," died on Thursday at the age of 82. He was a native of Edinburgh, and came to New Zealand when a youth of IS, landing at Dunedin in the early days of the Otago settlement. He went to Gabriel's Gully when gold was discovered there; 1 thence he came to Auckland, and after serving fer a time in the militia in the Maori War, went to the Thames in the early days of that goldfleld. He was engaged in storekeeping, mining, and share-broking there, and also published a weekly newspaper there." After following tlie goklfields, he came to Auckland about 1878, and established the Free Lance, an outspoken weekly journal, which he conducted ably and successfully for some years. He subsequently took an interest in the Bell, an evening newspaper, and was associated with it for some years. Over thirty years ago he was appointed travelling representative for the Auckland Weekly News, and he retained his connection With that paper until his death, retiring from the road only about eighteen months ago, after completing his eightieth year. Mr Wickham was a clever incisive and witty writer, and a most interesting personality, and was wellknown and very popular throughout the North Island. For many years, his letters from the country signed "A Tramp. Esq.." were an attractive feature sf the Weekly News. Mr Wickham took a keen interest in racing, and owned a number of trotting horses, ineluding Olbertorius, at various times. He was a widower, and leaves a grownup family.