NINETIETH BIRTHDAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 97, 26 April 1928, Page 16

NINETIETH BIRTHDAY.

MR. FRANCIS THWAITES.

COLONIST FOR 64 TEARS. WELL-KNOWN SHIPWRIGHT. * You do not seem to think a man «js getting on in years until ho has passed 70," remarked a visitor to Auckland one day, and certainly if an octogenarians' club were founded in this city it could get together quite a lot of members, and it would appear as if enough others would be left to start a club for nonagenarians. Last Saturday night Mr. Francis Thwaites celebrated the ninetieth anniversary of his birth in England. A party was held at the residence of his brother-in-law, Mr. B. Burnand, of Seymour Street, Elleralie, and was attended by five out of six sons of the old gentleman. The other son was ait Pahnerston North.

Notwithstanding his advanced years, Mr. Thwaites has a wonderful memory, and astonished the representative of the " Star " who called upon hhn by asking: " How many years is it since your brother Bill broke his leg?" To which the answer was, " Fully fifty."

Mr. Thwaites stated he was reared in Sunderland, England, and learned the shipwright's trade under the late Mr. William Hanson, who died a few years ago, after passing his ninetieth milestone by a few years. It was in 1864 that Mr. Thvvaites reached Auckland by tho ship Mary Warren, and, with the exception of 18 months spent in NewCaledonia, on the nickel mining field, ho has lived here. Mr. Thwaites had in his hand, when seen by the representative of the " Star," a cutty clay pipe. " I've just liod my smoke," he Said. " There's nothing like a clay pipe, if you get a soft one."

" But it wears your teeth away," remarked the pressman, whereupon the old gentleman laughed and said, "It can't mine, for I have not one left."

"I want to New Caledonia about 50 years ago," he said, " when work was hard to get in Auckland. I was carpenter for a nickel mining company, and made nmre money there than I was ever able to do in the earns time in New Zealand. My work waa making sets of timbers for the mines. The field was about £00 miles away from the town. I got tired of 'being there, and returned to Auckland. I worked at shipbuilding for Henderson and Spraggon, and was sent to Tauranga soon after the fight at Gate Pa, to help raise a vessel that had been sunk. After I gave up work for Henderson and Spraggon I used to go 1 down to the yard when a vessel was to be founded. For some time I ran a cutter named the Tiri to Port Charles for loads of sawn timber for the Auckland market. I was skipper of that cutter. My brother, Thomas Tbwaites, was • also a ehipwright. He built a steamer called the Jane that ran to and from Thames in the early days of the gold fields." Mr. Thwaites mentioned that he was a Primitive Methodist, and k proud of the fact that he was one of the twelve who, -with the late Mr. David GokKe, voted against amalgamation with the Wesleya.n Church some years ago. "It was the parsons that carried it," he said, " not the laymen. Mr. Goldie was a real fine man. I knew him when he was yardman for George Holdship, before he started business for himself."

Mr. Thwaites mentioned that -when he built his house at Arch Hill the place was covered with ti-tree. His place was one of the first houses built there, and he lived at King Street for many years, until the death of Mrs. Thwaites broke up his home. He ie now spending the eventide of a long life with hie relatives at Elk™lie.