OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 221, 11 June 1908, Page 5

OBITUARY.

COLONEL TEMPLETON. .A private cablegram received yesterday announced the death- of C'oionel Templeton, C.M.G., Y.D., F.1.A., F.S.S., . J.P., chairman arid managing director 'of the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia. Colonel 1 empleton was born in Ivilniaurs, Ayrshire Scotland, ,on May 20, 18J0.- He was the eldest son of Mr. Hugh ' Templeton, - schoolmaster, of Dunfermline and Edinburgh, who in 1852 brought- his family to Australia, and for • many years continued his career as a schoolmaster at Fitzroy, a,pretty suburb of Melbourne. Colonel Templeton studied under his father m Edinburgh and Fitzroy, • and also at the Training School of the, National Board of Education, boing afterwards classified _ as a ,teacher with first-class honours. Continuing as a teacher at Fitzroy until 1868, the budding underwriter then accepted the position of. accountant to tho National Insurance Company of Australasia, now amalgamated with the London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, of which he was a director. ' It will, be seen, therefore, that v tho founder of ; the : National Mutual ontered upon the great--work ; of his life within about a year of-'rotiring. from the usually tranquil occupation 1 / of:; a- 1 schoolmaster.'

, Thatv he inade good use -of such- oppor- «■ tunnies- as offered may he inferred from the fact; that" he constructed all the National, -Mutual's tables of premiums. He also prepared, for tKe leading building societies of Melbourne, their tobies of present - values of future instalments of loans; and, in 1572 ■having sent all details of his work to the members of the Council of the Instituto of Actuaries in London, -was immediately recognised rind rewarded ,by admission as a fellow" of that learned and honourable bodv. As early as 1870 Colonel Templeton mado the first investigation, and divided'the profits ot the Victorian Permanent Building Society.Not only did Colonel Templeton take out the first policy, but the first day's takings of his office were represented solely by his quarterly contribution, .£6 10s., the amount assured being .£IOOO. -In an entertaining little pamphlet ontitled ''From ,£G 10s. to nearly <£4,U00,Q00 in 35 years," which is ■ a copy of a report by the Review (London), of a dinner givon to Colonel Templeton in the great metropolis about three years ago, the history of ■ the National Mutual is concisely given; and mention is made therein of a challenge made some years before in support of the gallant Colonel's olaim that he was tli'o first in the world ' to" apply surrender values automatically to the payment of over-due-premiums. .

, Though devoted to tho interests of his office, Colonel Templeton has taken an active part in matters of moSe general concern As .a member of the ROyal Commission on Friendly Societies, lie rendered valuable expert service; and as a member and acting chairman of the Royal Commission on Education, it becamo his duty , to draft its final report for presentation to Parliament. It is, however, as a member of the Victorian De-fence-Force, since the year 1859, that his rnost signal servico has been rendered. For many years ho had command of a regiment, and afterwards he commanded tho Victorian Militia Infantry Brigade. Early in 1900 the Military Commandant of Victoria appointed him to superintend ar.d direct the rifle club movement, and by the end of 1901 his command included more than 22.000 men. Going Home in ,1897 as captain of the Victorian team sent to compete for the Kolapore Cup, which they won with a record score), Colonel Templeton took his place in the great jubilee procession lis t.he senior officer present from all the colonies of the British Empire.