OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18636, 10 March 1926, Page 13

OBITUARY.

REV. WALTER HARRIS. The death occurred yesterday of the Eev. Walter Harris, one of the pioneers of Methodism in New Zealand. The Rev. Harris, who was 77 years of age, retired from aotive ministry a few years ago and resided at'Redruth avenue, Spreydon. His last charge was Addington. He came out to New Zealand from England as a young man to the Primitive Methodist Church in Auckland, he having belonged to that section of the faith until the' union thirteen years ago. Prom Auckland he came to Christchurch and was minister at the Cambridge terrace church. In the following, years Mr Harris served his church in various parts of the Dominion before he returned to Christchurch. ■ > A son of Mr Harris the Rer. A. 0. Harris, is in the Methodist ministry, and is stationed at Leeston, while another son and a daughter reside in Hastings, North Island. The late Mr Harris was a man, of sterling qualities and uprjght character and many friends mourn their loss. MR BENJAMIN PERRY. Mr Benjamin Perry, of the Occidental Hotel, a vory old resident of Christchurch, died last evening at the age of 81. The late Mr JPorry arrived with his parents in New Zealand in 1856, and came of tho old pioneer stock, Like most people who came out in those times, they had large hearts and little money, and he was apprenticed to the brewing trade. He took part in several of the gold rushes, and was on the Gabriel's Gully, Lindis,-DuMßtan, Kumara, and Wakamarina fields. He had many interesting experiences whilst a digger and -was tho first man to get one pound avoirdupois from the Gabriel's Gully field, Another episode in his career was that he slept one night in the same room as members of the Kelly Gang, who were operating in New Zealand, and he did not know until afterwards who they were. On August 25th, 1870, Mr Perry entered the hotel-keeping business, and from that day until his death he was never a day out of business and was never charged with any offence under the Licensing Act. In 1920 the Licensing 1 Committee presented him with a certificate to mark this fact, on the occasion of his fiftieth year as an hotel-keeper. The late Mr Perry's family consider that this must be a record in the British Empire. Mr Perry was a man of fine character and true worth, and he made many friends, who will join with his family irf mourning their loss. He leaves a widow, two sons, Mr Ben Perry (Christchurch), who will take over his father's business, and'Mr Thomas Perry, farmer, Totaratahi, and two daughters, Mrs J. Kerrigan, Christchurch, and Mrs George Mathias, Christchurch.