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Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 10, 11 January 1918, Page 3

Mr. Thomas Field, of Remuera, who died suddenly at Nelson on Tuesday in his 86th year, was born in Dublin, and came to Sydney with his parents in 1845. In 1552 he came to Christchurch, intending to take up land in the new Canterbury settlement, but returned to Australia, to try his fortune on the Victorian gold diggings, where lie spent several years. He settled in business at Dunedin in 1562, but in 1866 he went to Westport, where he became one of the pioneers of the coal industry. He procured the first samples of coal by packhorse from the Moimt Rochfort Plateau, and rfent them to Melbourne for analysis. In 1880 he helped to found the hardware business of Wilkine and Field at Nelson, and retired in 1902. He then spent several years in travelling, and finally settled at Remuera. He was a justice of the peace and an active member of the Auckland V.M.C.A. and the Remuera Bowling Club. He was twice married, and leaves a widow and four children (one of'whom is Mr. T. A. H. Field, M.P. for Nelson), and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of the grandchildren is AssistantPaymaster A. N. Field, R.N.V.R., fori merly a well known Wellington journalist.