Mr F. S. Wilding: Lawyer, Sportsman, Councillor

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30477, 26 June 1964, Page 10

Mr F. S. Wilding: Lawyer, Sportsman, Councillor

Mr Frank Sturmer Wilding, who died in Christchurch yesterday, was a partner in a well-known and old-estab-lished legal firm, gave long service to local bodies, and was a director of the Christchurch Press Company, Ltd. He was a member of a family famous in New Zealand tennis and was twice a New Zealand doubles champion. Mr Wilding was educated at Christchurch Boys’ High School and then completed his law degree at Canterbury University College. He joined the legal firm of Wilding and Acland which had been established by his father, Mr Frederick Wilding, K.C. Mr Wilding landed on Gallipoli with the New Zealand Army and later served in France in the New Zealand Field Artillery, rising to the rank of captain. His first local body service was with the Heathcote County Council. He then served for several years on the Riccarton Borough Council and was chairman of its electricity committee. He did not seek re-election in 1938. Mr Wilding was elected to the Christchurch City Council in 1941 and served two terms. He did not seek reelection in 1947. He was chairman of the electricity committee in the difficult post-war years of power shortages, and served on the finance and traffic committees and the Metropolitan Licensing Authority. He was a director of the “Sun” newspaper. He joined the board of “The Press” in 1935. He remained a director until his death and in 1960 served for a short time as chairman. He had a farm in Parnassus and was a member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association for a long time.

Mr Wilding had a good

share of the family’s natural aptitude for games. Like his father, who captained New Zealand at cricket and won New Zealand lawn tennis championships, and his brother, Anthony, who was a Canterbury cricket representative as a schoolboy soma years before he became tennis champjpn of the world, Mr Wilding showed as much promise at cricket as at tennis. However, tennis became his main sporting interest, and he was for some years one of the leading players in Canterbury. His chief successes were in doubles, including two New Zealand championship titles in 1914 and 1919, partnered by Geoffrey Ollivier. His robust serving and driving were an admirable complement to Ollivier's skilful volleying and generalship. Mr Wilding is survived by his wife, two sons, Messrs Anthony and John Wilding, and two daughters, Dr. Sheila Hurrell and Mrs Jane Wakeman.