OBITUARY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25394, 17 January 1948, Page 8

OBITUARY

MR W. fl. NICHOLSON Mr William Henry Nicholson, aged 77, a former Mayor of Sumner and secretary of the Canterbury Sheepowners’ Union and the New Zealand Sheepowners’ Federation, died yesterday. Mr Nicholson was born in England in 1870 and came to New Zealand in 1890 after serving an apprenticeship of four years at sea. He worked in the Amuri district at Glynn Wye station

and at Leslie Hills. He came to Sumner in 1917 and was appointed secretary of the Sheepowners’ Union in the following year. Mr Nicholson was interested in local body work and after several years as a councillor he was elected Mayor of the borough in 1923. He held the position until 1935. He was a former president of the Automobile Association (Canterbury) and one of the provisional directors of the South Island Motor Union. He was a member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association and, as a representative of the Sheepowners’ Union, was an active member of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. He was a well-knov n member of the Royal Humane Society. MR J. T. PARKIN Mr James Thomas Parkin, who died recently, was a well-known Sedgemere farmer, who for many years took an active part in the affairs of the Ellesmere district. The son of early residents of Leeston. Mr Parkin was educated at the Leeston School and later entered upon a farming career. As a young man he took over the farm at Sedgemere which he occupied until his death. For many years Mr Parkin served on the general committee of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association and was president of the association in 1940. Twenty-seven years ago he was one of the prime movers in securing a public hall for the Sedgemere district and throughout that long period acted as chairman of the hall committee of management. Among other positions he held at different times were the offices of chairman of the Sedgemere School Committee and president of the Ellesmere Gun Club and of the former Ellesmere Aquatic Club, which used to hold regattas at Fisherman’s Point Taumutu. He was chairman of the district patriotic committee during the First World War and took a prominent part in patriotic affairs during the recent war.

For many years he was a member of Progress Masonic Lodge at Southbridge. Mr Parkin is survived by Mrs Parkin, whose parents, the late Mr and Mrs John Gilbert, were also early settlers, and by one son. Mr J. F Parkin, who is farming at Sedgemere, and two daughters. Mesdames W. F. Reese (Sedgemere) and G. M. Doyle (Southbridge). A very large gathering attended the funeral, which took place in St. Mark’s Churchyard, Sedgemere. The service was taken bv the Rev. H. F Ault. The service of the Masonic Lodge was read bv Wor. Bro. R. B. Willis. More than 100 floral tributes bore testimony to the high regard in which Mr Parker was held by friends in parts of Canterbury. CAPTAIN J. RANKINE Captain James Rankine, a former Union Steam Shin Company master, died on Wednesday at Napier, after a sudden illness. Bom at Markinch. Fifeshire, Scotland. in 1882. he began a four-year apprenticeship at 16 in the sailing ship Dechmont. owned by Lang and Fulton, of Greenock. On finishing his train-, ing he continued in sail as third and second officer for some years before being transferred to steamers, where he served in the same capacity for five years. Obtaining his master’s certificate at Leith in 1908 he entered the Union Company’s service as fourth officer on the Moeraki in 1910. Serving on various of the company’s vessels, he worked his way uo until in 1916 he was given command of the Rosamond. He commanded many other ships belonging to the company. In May. 1929 Captain Rankine was granted extended leave to Scotland, and on October 25 of that year he took command of the new collier Kaimiro, for her maiden voyage to New Zealand. He subsequently commanded a* number of vessels before being transferred to the trans-Pacific service, where he was master of the Waihemo, Waikawa. Waiotapu, Waipori. and Wairuna On several occasions he made voyages to India and Malaya as relieving master of the Narbada.