WEST COAST PIONEER.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18968, 5 April 1927, Page 8

WEST COAST PIONEER.

DEATH OF MR W. ARNOTT. (SPECIAL TO TBI PKIBS.) GREYMOUTH, April 4. Mr Win. Arnott, the oldest, and one of the best-known citizens of Greymouth, died thia morning at the Grey Hospital. Born at Edinburgh on May 17th, 1829, the late Mr Arnott had an interesting career, being one of the lew surviving veterans of the Crimean War. Immediately after that campaign he came to Melbourne in the ship Jessie Munn. From Melbourne he proceeded to Geelong and there worked on the construction of the Bank of Australia. , Mr Arnott came to New Zealand in 1804, and lor a time was engaged in the building trade at Dunedin. In 1865 he joined the rush from Otago to the newly-discovered West Coast gold fields, arriving at Hokitika. Shortly afterwards he came to Grey, where he spent the greater part of his life. He was a partner in the firm of Hunter and Arnott, which built the first Slate School in Greymouth in 1876, also the Church of England, and most of the important earlier buildings in Greymouth and other towns on the West Coast. One of the first buildings Mr Arnott erected on the "West Coast was the Catholic Church at Barrytown. Mr Arnott later joined the firm of Arnott and Seahrook, ironmongers and builders, in premises at the corner of Albert and Mackay streets. When the Star of the South was wrecked, while attempting to cross the Grey bar against the signals in December, 1884, Mr Arnott was among the crowd on the breakwater who watched the angry seas breaking over the doomed vessel, which was fast being battered to pieces. Besides the officers arid crew on the deck the crowd on the breakwater could see a woman cowering on the poop with six children about her, v one being a baby in arms. A spar was thrown aboard and without waiting for this xo be lashed, Mr Arnott soon made his way aboard and called out for the children. They were handed to him and he made his way back as well as he could. ' In this way he brought all the children ashore, where he was re-< lieved for his burden. Mr Arnott was a pioneer of technical education, being founder of a carpentry class in connexion with the State School, where he gave his services as an instructor for one afternoon per week. He was twice married. His only Son, John, died 27 years ago. His second wife resides in Greymouth.