OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17224, 15 August 1921, Page 8

OBITUARY.

♦ . MR PATRICK _ The death occurred at Sumner on Friday of Mr Patrick Burke, who was for many years a prominent member of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers' Association and founder of the wellknown firm of P. Burke and Co., Ltd., caterers. The lato Mr Burke was born in Ireland on January Ist, 1854, and was the eldest son of Mr Wiiliam Burke, a successful farmer in Galwav. When a young man, Mr Patrick Burke went to Australia, and in 1870 he arrived in New Zealand, where he took up farming pursuits. After a trip to Australia in 1877, he was appointed manager of the Caroline Station, where he remain- , ed until that property was acquired by the New Zealand Agricultural Company, Ltd. He was retained by the company as station manager until about the year 18S0, when he commenced in business for ihimself as a hotelkeeper in Christchurch. He first had the old Victoria Hotel, on the site of the present Federal Hotel, and two years later he built and took over the Southern Cross . Hotel on Lincoln road, which he conducted for eight years. Subsequently he had Barrett's Hotel (now the Excelsior), Cafe de Paris, Tattersall's, and the Empire Hotel in succession. The late Mr Burke went into partnership with Mr J. Chase, and founded the wellknown catering firm of P. Burke and Co., which, after several years of successful business, was formed into a limited liability company, and subsequently sold to Mr J. Bryan, of the Lancaster Park Hotel, hnd Mr Rattray, of the lticcarton Hotel The firm of P. Burke and Co. were caterers tor the Canterbury Saleyards Company, Canterbury Jockey Club, Metropolitan trotting Club, New Brighton Trotting Club, Canterbury Park Trotting Club, Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and many other bodies and i organisations in and around Christchurch. Mr Burke was a member of i the Licensed Victuallers' Association, in which he took an active interest, be- ■ ing several times president, and also a life momber. [J*> to two years ago he was-treasurer of the Provincial' Council of the Licensed Trade. He was also a prominent member of the Hibernian Society. The late Mr Burke was twice married, his first wife being the daughter of Mr James Nailghton, of Limerick, Ireland, and later he married the eldest daughter of Mr Orton Guthrie Bradley, of Geraldine. He leaves a , sons and thrive daughters. The funeral will take place this moninig, leaving Sumner at 8.15 for the Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes street, thence to Linwood Cem- tery. Tb® death is announced of Mr 1 1 Thomas Ings Rayner, a well-known Wairarapa settler.