PERSONAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 January 1939, Page 4

PERSONAL

The Hon H. G. K. Mason, AttorneyGeneral, returned to Wellington from Auckland yesterday. » The Hon R. Semple. Minister of Public Works, will return to Wellington from Christchurch today. Mr Jack Mules, son of Dr P. H. Mules, Woodville, has received an important accountancy appointment with the British Air Ministry. Mr Douglas Rees, sub-editor of “The Daily Telegraph,” Napier, is with Mrs Rees the guest of Mr and Mrs H. J. Bannister, Cornwall Street, Masterton. Mr B. F. Hall, manager of the Bank of New South Wales, Matiere, and formerly of Masterton, has been promoted to manager of the Bank’s branch at Waimate.

The Hon A. Hamilton, Leader of the Opposition, will arrive at Wellington from Invercargill tomorrow morning. He will visit the Feilding Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show during the day, and return to Wellington in the .evening. Mr Hamilton expects to be "in Wellington for. a week.

The Rev Father J. O’Reilly, St Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Rev Father R. Ryan,, St Ignatius's Parish, St Heliers Bay, Auckland, arrived at Wellington yesterday by the Limited express to join, the Awatea. They will visit Rome and later travel to Ireland in the course of a 12 months’ holiday tour.

The Hon W. Perry, M.L.C., who addressed a meeting in Masterton last night regarding a proposal to form a branch of the New Zealand Defence League, was later entertained at supper at the Midland Hotel by the com■mittee members of the Wairarapa R.S.A. Mr Perry is president of the New Zealand R.S.A. Born before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, with a proud ancestry traceable back to the crew and passengers of the Tainui canoe, the death occurred at Kakariki Pa last week of Mihi-ki-Turangi Matawha, chieftainess in her own right, at an age of more than 100 years. It is understood that she was the oldest Maori on the West Coast. With her death the last direct link connecting Maoris settled along the West Coast with the days of the chief Te Rauparaha, is broken. Some Maori relatives and pakeha friends say that the chieftainess was at least 102 years of age at the time of her death, and by means of her whakapapa, or genealogical tree, her age has been calculated at certainly not less than 100 years. For the past 70 years she lived at Kakariki Pa.