OLD IDENTITY ON PENINSULA DIES

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33434, 16 January 1974, Page 17

OLD IDENTITY ON PENINSULA DIES

A very old resident of Banks Peninsula died at the end of last year. He was Mr Thomas Masefield, of Akaroa, who was 91. Mr Masefield was active until, his death. Mr Masefield was the son of the late Mr Valentine Vickers Masefield, who first took up the Masefield prop-

erty at Goughs Bay, and Mr Thomas Masefield returned there after attending Opawa school and Christ’s College. With a brother, Valentine, he took up his father’s property when he was aged 25. and he continued to farm it until 1957 when it was taken over by his sons, Messrs R. T. and D. O. Masefield. Mr Thomas Masefield has since lived in retirement at Akaroa. He served on the committees of both the Duvauchelle and Little River shows, on the Banks Peninsula Rabbit Board and was a member of the Akaroa Borough Council.

Before World War I he was officer-in-charge of the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry on the peninsula. Always interested in sport, Mr Masefield represented the peninsula at cricket and was also a cricketing administrator in the district, and was a member of the Banks Peninsula Rugby sub-union. He is survived by his wife — they were married for about 65 years — and three daughters — Messrs W. B. Hutchinson (Banks Peninsula), L. B. Allan (Christchurch) and A. F. S. Rutherford (Culverden) — and the two sons already mentioned. Another son, Mr J. V. Masefield, was killed during World War 11.