OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20563, 3 June 1932, Page 16

OBITUARY.

♦ MR T. J. EDMONDS. ! The death of Mr T. J. Edmonas, ! chairman of directors of T. J. Edmonds, Ltd., which occurred shortly j efter 11 o'clock last night, will | come as a surprise to many, j Up to about three months ago Mr j Edmonds appeared to be in his Usual good health; in fact, when he returned from a visit to Sydney to ! see the opening of the Harbour Bridge, J many of his friends remarked how well !he was looking. One day he complained of not feeling very well, and on the advice of his medical man he took to his bed, heart trouble having been diagnosed. i Mr Edmonds was a native or Ijcm- . don, and was born 74 years ago. _ In 1879, with Mrs Edmonds, he arrived ' in Lytteiton by the ship Waitangi, ' jmd wghc into business os o. gioccr m i 1 a small way in premises on Ferry road, i not far from the site of the well-known present-day factory of T. J. Edmonds, Ltd. Somewhat naturally, he drifted 1 into making his own baking powder, > and from this small beginning grew the ■ large and flourishing business of today. Some years ago it was formed into a private company, alul though : Mr Edmonds coased to participate

actively in the business, he continued to be chairman of directors till his death. lie was also connected with the Australian branch of the business —the Australian Cream of Tartar Company, from which the raw material for the famous baking powder is obtained. Although never connected with public bodies, Mr Edmonds was keenly interested in public affairs, mark the golden jubilee of the arrival of Mrs Edmonds and himself in New Zealand he presented to the City the very fine band rotunda and shelter on the north bank of the Avon, between the Colombo and Manchester street bridges-, and on the south bank, further east, a clock tower with telephone and letter boxes. The rotunda was formally opened on the evening of November 11th, 1929, Mrs Edmonds cutting the ribbon stretched across the entrance. On that occasion Mr Edmonds said that his wife and he himself felt that they owed something to ! the City whose citizens had contri-' buted, in no small measure, to whatever success had been theirs. It was their wish that the area should he known as "Poplar crescent." They had chosen the eastern portion of the City in a hope that others might become imbued with the desire to make Christchurch the beautiful Garden City the pioneers planned. Another of Mr Edmonds's benefactions was Ihe K'ft of a section at Wainoni, in the vicinity of the former residence of Professor A. W. Bickerton, for tho erection of a memorial to Professor Bickerton. Mr Edmonds as a business man wn•straightforward and strictly honest in nil his dealings, and from the path of business integrity he never diverged. He is survived by his widow, hv a brother, Mr Edward Edmonds. New Brighton, by three sons, Messrs EruT'i Edmonds, of Christchurch (his eldest son, Mr T W. Edmonds, died in 1914), and hv tour daughters, Mesdames A. L. S. Williams*, K. Bnllantyne, of Christchurch, and Mrs S. T. Fripp of London. 1 '

MR E. R. VICKERMAN

The death is announced at Auckland of Mr Edward Robert Viekerman, manager of the security department of Wilsons (N.Z.) Portland Cement, Limited, aged 79 years. Born in Marlborough, Mr Viekerman was the second surviving son of the late Dr. F. L. Viekerman, who was one of the,pioneers of the Marlborough district, arriving at Nelson as medical officer in charge of the ship Cissy in .1849. At the age of 16 Mr Viekerman entered the service of the Union Bank of Australia at Nelson, subsequently becoming manager of various branches throughout New Zealand. Upon retiring from the bank he went to Auckland, and in 1916 entered the service of Wilsons (N.Z.) Portland Cement, Limited, where he remained until his death. He is survived by his wife, three sons, Messrs E. M. Viekerman, D. D. Vi<> kcrman, and R. M. Viekerman, and one daughter, Miss 0. Vic.kerman, all of Auckland.

MR GEORGE BEATTY. The death has occurred after a Jong illness of Mr George Beatty, New Plymouth. Mr Beatty was at one time well known in theatrical circles and was a brother of the actresses, Miss May and Miss Maud Beatty. LADY EGMONT. (rKITED PUESB ASSOCIATION—BT SLXCTMO TELEGRAPH —COPYRIGHT.) LONDON, June 1. The. death has occurred of Lucy, Countess of Egmont, a kinswoman of the 10th Earl of Egmont, known as the "Rancher Earl," who died last month. [The dowager Countess of Egmont married, first, the seventh Lord Egmont in 1869, who died in 1897. Her second husband died in 1927.]