OBITUARY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LV, Issue 9535, 16 July 1927, Page 2

OBITUARY

MR C. F. MARK. A shock came over the trotting and racing community in Auckland when it became known that Mr C. F. Mark, secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club, had passed away on Monday morning at his residence, Cornwall Park Avenue, Epsom, after a short illness, he having caught a chill about three days previ. ously. Early in last week the deceased gentleman was kftking forward to a visit to Wellington to be present at meetings of the New Zea’and Trotting Conference, and it was understood would accompany the president (Mr John Rowe) and Mr 11. R. Mackenzie and delegates of various trotting clubs thereto. This, however, was not to be, and (lie news of his death would come as a surprise to his many co-workers assembled there early- this week. The hue Mr Mark’s connection with the sport ot trotting dates hack over nearly four decades. lie came to the Dominion as a lad in 1875, his father, a Presbyterian minister, coming out from Belfast, where he w'as born, to Kmikati. in the Bay of Plenty, in connection with the Vesey Stewart Land Settlement Company. About the time the Auckland 'tramway Company commenced operations, Mr Mark's services were secured as accountant, and for six years lie served that company, which went into liquidation, and it was then that lie turned his attention to secrelarial work for various societies, and so acted for the lirst Auckland coursing Club, the Auckland Kennel Club, the Auckland Poultry Association, while his lirst connection with the horse-racing sport was as secretary for the las t meeting held by the Onehunga Racing Club. Chess playing had an attraction, and he acted as handicapper to the Auckland Chess Club, of w'hich as a member he played in the first class. The trotting sport had not a very strong hold when the Auckland Trotting Club and the Otahuhu Trotting Club came into being about the same time. Races of that description were sandwiched in between pony galloping and Jumping cents and novel and selling races for horses, the programmes being ot a mixed order. As tifne wore on, trotters increased in number’ and light harness racing come into favour, first being allowed with saddle horses competing with those in sulkies. Later the two styles were kept separate,and after a number of locally-made sulkies w'ere built as nearly as the manufacturers could follow American patterns, harness racing begun to drive out the saddle events, and to-day there are very few such in the Auckland province, w-hile t is about fourteen years since the pony races for gallopers were discontinued, though they brought out some of the finest lilliputian thoroughbreds in the world. As everyone knows, the light harness sport has gone ahead in leaps and bounds during the past decade, until if has assumed such proportions In the Auckland Province as to place the Auckland Trotting and Otahuhu Trotting Clubs in leading positions, with similar institutions in southern parts of Ihe Dominion, wdiere the sport made an earlier start under more favourable conditions. The late Mr Mark was a lower of strength to the sport in Auckland, and to his knowledge and energies can be attributed a big share of the splendid results to be met with on every hand, not only at Alexandra Park, wnere there is the best grass racecourse in Australasia and a colossal grandstand and other accessories which make for the comfort and pleasure of the thousands of patrons pf the sport for which" Mr Marie worked so keenly, supported by enthusiastic committeemen led by a practical man of affairs like Mr John Rowe, the president of the Auckland Trotting Cmb. Every trotting club in Iho province and several beyond owe a debt of gratitude for the valuable services rendered by the late Mr Mark in so many directions. He worked harftin order to get a proportionate share of permits for the Auckland province, and ■rendered great service at the monthly meetings of the New Zealand Trotting Association for many years as a North Island delegate thereto, and helped to frame and bring up to date a comprehensive set °* rules for the control of the sport. It is needless to say that he will be missed by those who have the 'vtterment of the sport at heart, by the members and executive committee of his club, and by those associated with trotting and racing tlu-oughout the ..province, as he was thoroughly in touch with both branches of racing in another direction than that of secretary to the Auckland Trotting Club—he was indeed, managing the totahsator business for Messrs Blomfield and Co., which extends t,o the majority of (he clubs in the province. Mr Murk is survived by his wife and four sons, Mr Charles Mark, on the staff of the New Zealand Insurance Company at Tokio, Japan; Mr John Mark, of tlie staff of Ross and Glendining, Limited; Mr Robert Mark, of the National Bank; and Mr L. J. Mark, school teacher, under the Wanganui Education Board. Mr John Mark (Te Puke) and Mr A.. Mark (Piopio) are brothers of the deceased, and Mrs Shroff (R«muera) is a sister. Deep sympathy will be expressed to them by numerous friends throughout the province, and by those with whom the late Mr Mark came in contact- when they’ visited Auckland.