THE LATE JOHN CURRIE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 82, 3 October 1929, Page 20

THE LATE JOHN CURRIE

AX APPRECIATION'

The following appreciation by "a fellow feather enthusiast' 3 is written by "G.M.G.":

On Tuesday I paid my last tribute of respect to tho memory of one of the greatest lovers of feathered stock New Zealand has known. And in my car in the great procession were two other feather contemporaries, who suggested that I should write a short appreciation of. our. late dear friend.

We first became acquainted with John Currie in the ■ closing years-of last century. He had tlien left the storm and turmoil of sea life and was engaged in a shore occupation still dealing with ships and men and cargoes. He was settling down, and his fancy was captured-by the beauty of White Leghorns. And how he loved them! We recalled his exhibiting his first pen of. them.-: The fondness for feathered Tjeauty had properly entered into his blood, and he secured some better stock from the late .: Captain Owles, of Christchureh, who possessed at that time: some of England's best blood in the breed:' And these were really Leghorns, large, beautifully feathered and furnished birds, -which John Currie quickly became adept at showing to perfection. Catalogues of. Wellington Poultry Show of :about 1900 bear eloquent witness to the quality of his birds and the magnificent manner in which he staged them; Those were the days when our city's-annual show'of ■birds was one: of the greatest in New Zealand, and when it drew birds from all parts of New Zealand, and- even from: Australia. Jack Currie was a veritable master at washing and preparing his exhibits, and his big strong hands were gentle as,a child's in bringing to each feather its fullest glory. Later he exhibited "other varieties of poultry, and he became a judge of feathered -stock—of -poultry,- most breeds of which he knew so ■ well—of pigeons, with which he had the born adjudicator's knack of vseparating ; the wheat from the chaff, though the finer points wereivont to puzzle him—canaries, and even cats and toy dogs, he >was also game- to wield' his iudeinestick over. ' V- ■ ■ .. .. ■• s fa ■ A really lovable man. X always thoroughly appreciated his real hand-shake,' and I loved hearing- his full-throated voice giving orders to-' his men, and P always found myself /wondering how this truly wonderful and sternly masterful man hid -'within -himself his softer nature yhich could so gentlyhandle the beautiful--little feathered creatures he loved so well. And a tribute to one of the great and most loved men of last century occurs to my mind as I'close this: "A power was his beyond the touch of art ■ ' ■: ■ ;. Of armed strength: his pure and mighty heart."