PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1921, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. W. McDonald, who has been attached to the staff of the Hawera Magistrate’s Court for the last two years, will leave on transfer to the Auckland Magistrate’s Court this month.

Messrs. L. Glover and J. Roberts, president and secretary respectively of the New Zealand Watersiders* Union, arrived in New Plymouth last night for the purpose of attending the watersiders’ conference, opening to-morrow. The delegates to the conference, numbering about 30, will arrive by the mail train to-night. Out of seventeen applications Mr. L. J. Wild, M.A., B.Sc., was appointed principal of the new Technical Agricultural High School at Feilding yesterday. Mr. Wild is at present on the staff of the Christchurch Training College, and was previously at Lincoln College.—'Press Association.

After residing for 79 years in Auckland, an old pioneer, Mrs. Margaret Healy, died at her home, Newton, oh Tuesday, at the age of 98. Mrs. Healy resided in London in her youth, and went to Australia as companion to the wife of Colonel H. R. Wynyard, of the 58th Regiment. She married a soldier of that regiment, Color-Sergeant W. J. Healy, at Parramatta, and a few months later Sergeant and Mrs. Healy, who was then only 19, came over to New Zealand when the 58th Regiment was sent to take part in the Waikato war. Auckland was mostly -fern and tea-tree, with Partington’s windmill the most conspicuous handiwork of man, when Mrs. Healy arrived. The houses were raupo whares, built by the Maoris, who also used to come round selling vegetables and live pigs led on a rope. When Mrs. Healy did her own shopping in the early days, her husband had very often to carry her on his back through the mud. Her first experience of a Maori war dance was a terrifying one. She used to say that the ground shook when the Maoris danced and sang, and tire roaring was so terrible that she ran all the way home in fright. Mrs. Healy had a wonderful memory, and retained all her faculties until her death. To inquiries as to the reason of her long life and good health she used to reply that plain food and no luxuries was the secret. Mrs. Healy is survived by seven children; 52 grandchildren, 26 great-grand-children, and 9 great-great-grandchild-ren.