PERSONAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 4, 30 September 1907, Page 5

PERSONAL ITEMS.

..Sorgeant-Artificer William Rowb, I of the Royal Now Zealand Artillery, .. has been awarded the long service .. snS good conduct medal. Captain Erskino, commanding the Terrace School Cadets, has tendered his resignation as an officer of the Wellington Cadet. Battalion. /Writing'under the dato, of August 7, Father Hickson, of .Christcliurcli, ono' of tho delegates of the Marist' . ' Order of New Zealand to tho Gencral.Chapter of the Order in Belgium, states that tho Vericrablo Archdeacon ' Dovoy, his colloaguo, lias been, considerably benefited in health: by a '•,'. visit to Ireland. In company with ' tho British and'ono of the Irish dele-gates-'they wont .from London to ■ Dysart, visiting Brussels and Bruges on tbc way.-/ While in London .Father Hiekson mot a f number' of New Zcalamtorsj:,.'including Messrs. .Martin Konncdy- and Owen 'M'Ardlo, and Mrs. Sullivan,' who were accompanied by their families. Dr. and' Mrs. Mackin had .just, returned from Norway, and were contemplating a, visit to Ireland., Mr. T. Kirker, postmaster of Te Aro, , has been promoted to tako charge of tho,/Lichfield Streot Post , ■ Office, Ohristchurch. The; Hon. George, Jones, M.L.C., was a passenger by : tho Mararoa from the South. yesterday. ~ Messrs. Doiiald M'Lean, James Russell, and W. L. Thompson will re-,; !: presont the Wellington Master Builders'' Association' at the Federation Convention that is to be held at Napied on October 22. ( ; Miss Ackerman; representative or tho. Girls' (Realm Guild, who is to tour the Dominion shortly, establishing .branches of the institution in the. various, citios and towns, is rc- - ported to havo promised to mako a ;" Western Australian politician happy. Tlio Guild is a laudable body that assists .girl talent that is' not able to ■ assist itself —monetarily. Miss Eva Champion, the Sydney contralto, who is being sent to England to study, . is j a protegee of tho Guild, winch-has many young people under.' . its wing who are destined to be hoard of in the World.

Miss Marion Grey, who was a loading lady with the Julius Knight Company in New Zealand, has returned to England. Her place has beeii filled'by Miss Beatrice Irwin, whd-arrived in Molbourne from Erig- , land' a couple of weeks ago. Mjss Eileen O'Mooro (Bessie Doyle), the; i .accomplished violinist, who toured'' New Zealand professionally some -years ago, ; is re-visiting Australia. Miss. O'Moore, who was athletically-inclined, is said to be the first , lady to travel "Ovcrlalid from Now. Plymouth to Auckland on horsehack. ' :- - . .

,-. The .Rev. Thos., Tait, M.A;, 8.D.. -of ■ Christcliurcli,' is m Wellington at •present as the guest of the Rev. J. .Kennedy : Elliott. He will probably , ro.tnrn to Christchurch on' Wednesday.

■ The Rev. M'Donald Aspland, President of the Wellington Christian Endeavour Union, will leave for Christchurch' to-morrow, to attend the annual convention of the New Zealand Christian Endeavour Union, which lasts from- till Friday next. Mr. Aspland will return to Wellington at the end of tho week. •

The retirement of ex-Chief Potty Officer Harris, of the - Wellington Naval Artillery, after twenty-seven years' active service, was celebrated .on Friday,, evening by a social gather- ■ ing of members of the Wellington Naval'Artillory and the Old Wellington, Association. , The chair was occupied by Captain Menzies. Adjutant A.- S. Biss referred to the general ragrot felt at the retiremeiif of Mr.. Harris, and pointod out that while, the • retiring members' number on ,the company roll was seventeen the number of the latest, recruit was ■'89S. • The health of the guest of th» ' evening was toasted witli enthusiasm.

■. '.Two ex-NewZealanders wero amon? "the; defeated'candidates at the recent '• New South Wales election. Mr. Eden George, at one time Mayor of Christ ,1 .rchuroh, was defeated' for Ashburham ' '■■■• a seat 'he represented in the last Parliament." Tho other was Mr. Walter 'Bennett, a Wairarapa man. ' Mrs. George Jones, senior, who passed away in Oamaru, a few days ago,,at the ago of eighty-seven, was a, very old colonist.' She arrived in Wellington in the ship Arab in 1841, ' with lier husband, who died ten years r go. These two pioneers—members of the sturdy, adventurous band who braved hardship and danger for the - sake of real freedom—sottled at the Hutt, where,the conditions of life were,-however, at that time, trying in the Oxtrerae. Later thoy proceeded, with two; children, to Tasmania, in a email sailing craft, which went ashore at Nolson, er.- routo.' Subsequently thoy went on to-Melbourne and Geelong, which they mado their abiding . place for fifteen years during the frenzied golden days. Here they played an important part in early colonisation. But the crisis of tho sixties drove them with a family of eight further afield, and with light purses,. , but stout hearts, they began life anew in North Queensland, only, however, within two years to again strike tents and seek a moro congenial clime in Canterbury. Here, not far from the spot, where they started life in real earnest, they still young and vigour- ' ous, successfully lircasted the waves of advorsity. The deceased lady had been the mother of ten children, and leaves six who will remember lier lifo and her namo with tho profoundest respect. These are, in the .order of their ages: The Hon. George Jones, M.L.C.; Mr. P. .Jones, of Wellington; Mrs. W. Wood, of Oamaru; Mr. Charles Jones, of Christchurch; Mrs. C. W. Cooke, of Oamaru; and Mrs. Best, ' of; Sutherland, N.S.W., The numbers of tho descendants arc: six children, ; thirty-four grandchildren, and twenty- ' five great-grandohildren.