Obituary MR S. W. AYERS

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31412, 4 July 1967, Page 9

Obituary MR S. W. AYERS

Mr S. W. Ayers, who died in Christchurch last week after a short illness, was an active worker in social service, church and trade union circles. Bom in 1890 he was the son of a pioneer bricklayer, Samuel Ayers, of Rangiora. From Rangiora High School he joined the New Zealand Railways as a cadet and rose to the position of stationmaster before entering into business on his own account in the early 19205. His experience during the depression years greatly influenced his later political and social service work.

In 1933 he joined the Labour Department and in this position worked to help the unemployed and their families. He and his wife looked after several needy children in addition to their own. In the early 1950 s Mr Ayers became one of the Labour Department’s flrst factory safety inspectors. Active in church work, he was a Methodist local preached and Bible class leader at the Cambridge terrace Methodist Church and

later at Trinity Congregational Church. When the Christchurch Central Mission was formed in 1939 he was its flrst treasurer and in difficult times for the mission he helped to keep it going until the Methodist Church agreed to take it over in 1950. He remained treasurer of the mission for 18 years. As a result of his industrial contacts he enlisted widespread support for the mission and also Wesley Lodge, the missions old people’s home. Mr Ayers was nominated to the executive of the Canterbury Clerks’ and Cashiers’ Industrial Union in 1936 and he remained a member of the executive without a break for 31 years, being vice-president for the last six years. He represented the union at national conferences and the New Zealand Clerical Association at Federation of Labour conferences on many occasions. He also represented the Clerical Workers’ Union on the district council of the Workers’ Educational Association.

in 1954 Mr Ayers was selected as the Social Credit Political League’s candidate for the St. Albans electorate and he served a term as president of the St. Albans branch of the league. At the time of his death he was vice-president of the Canterbury Council Of the New Zealand Alliance, vicepresident of the Christian New Zealand PaciAst Society, an executive member of the Anti-Vietnam Committee, treasurer of the Christchurch Chapter of the Order of St. Luke the Physican and convener of the Canterbury Camps Farthest Out. Mr Ayers is survived by his wife, formerly Miss E. Borrows, and one son, Mr L. S. Ayers, of Christchurch.