CENTENARIAN'S DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1920, Page 8

CENTENARIAN'S DEATH.

MR. "MELCHOR" WINTER. -' LONG AND VARIED CAREER. A noted centarian, Mr. Thomas Wil- '. tiim Winter, who died at Christchurch ' Sn His 102 nd year the other day, had a ** varied career. Born in Hereford on ~ October 28, 1818, lie obtained a position " -When 13 years of age as a midshipman 1 In H.M.B. Howe, 120 guns, and served \ Sot three yeui. In the early "sixties" .' Mr. Winter arrived at Auckland, and his :'; fast impressions were not of the pleas- '.'. aotest, for on the night of the ship's ar- ,! tival the passengers by those 4 into came aboard if they had rifles, as •I an 'attack by the Maoris was expected. '' The attack did not take place, and Mr. took employment on Dr. Hale's , Uxa, in thfc Thames district. A little .■' later lie accepted a position as store- :. keeper at Raglan, his employer-being Mr ,1 (Simpson, the contractor for supplies for t jtfca troops. He was at Raglan for entt two years, and, in the meantime, t word for Mrs. Winter and family to ' tone oat to the Dominion. * •, Mr. Winter gave up bis position at ' ftaglan and, settling in f-e city, gave his "! itrst concert in New Zealand in the |»oral"HalI l Auckland, in October, 1869, jMder the patronage, and in the presWtceof Sir George Bowen (the then Gov- "' «nwr of New Zealand), Lady Bowen, CeJeae! EDSofct, and the officers of the ißtb. Regiment.. From that year on to 1100, Mr. Winter took part in concerts 'had ja open* in New Zealand and Aus-'-2«.Al!cklaad he was one of the vocal,«T4tt concerts) given by the famous , 3pt4aaw Caradini. He also took part L*frP7lM Creation" (Taydn), and later] • iWNed the Dominion with Miss M. E. | '■'' JHJ* II &**' "*' 'k' B unten h appearing j syMm J**r &» P'ay* like "Rob Roy,'' and

Melbourne Exhibition concerts in 1872, and at the Sydney International Exhibition concerts in 1879. He was a member of the Kitty and Leon Opera Company, which played an extended season with "Les Cloches de Corneville" in Sydney, in the early part of 1880. In'lßß2 Mr. Winter was with Williamson's Opera Company of *vhich the late Mr J. C. Williamson and,jMiss Maggie Moore were members—and had parts in "Patience" and "La Fille de Madame Angot." During the period covered by the, above brief sketch of Mr Winter's'musical career he had an experience of going on the land, his venture taking place in the Whangarei district, # He discovered gold on his land, and lit'also endeavored to develop the limestone deposits. The Whangarci farm did not prove a success, the distance from the Auckland market and the difficulty of transport being two of the causes.