SON OF A PIONEER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1117, 3 May 1911, Page 4

SON OF A PIONEER.

DEATH OF MR. EDWARD J. RIDDIFORD. The death occurred yesterday at Lougbiirn of Sir. Edward Joshua Riddiford, of the Lower Hiitt, a well-known ruur Holder, and one of mo largest landowners in the Jlutt Couniy. 'i'Jie deceased has_ been in a poor state of health ever since tne death oi his son, Mr. Lionel E. Kitittiiord, which took place at YVcntwortli, I\'cw South Wnlos, about t>ix weeks ago, and last week h> was pronounced to lie in a critical condition, being tlicu laid up at the homestead ot his son, Mr, Edwin John Ridditord, of Longburn. I'hb deceased was a son of the late Mr. Daniel Riddiiord, who arrived in Wellington in 1811 by tho Adelaide, one of the iirst of the >ow Zealand L-ind Company's chartered ships (\v.\idi brought out in sections the iirst European houso erected at Thorndon, near Pipitea Point). It was the mother of deceased who wns employed to write the iirst dispatches ot tho New Zealand Land Compnnv, lor the edification of people in Ei.gland interested in the sehemo of colonisation. Mr. E. .1. Riddiford was born at the Lower Hntt in ISI2. and was (lie first child baptised by Bishop Schvyn ir. New Zealand. Ho was educated first in Wellington, and subsequently at Morton's Scotch College, at Melbourne. Brought up to farming pursuits, he ha* nowr deserted his calling. He owned the big To Awaite estate of between 50,000 and 00,000 acres on the East Coast lone of the finest deer forests in the world), the Oronfioronga estate (which includes 6)0 acres of freehold and y 7000 acres of leasehold land), and about , 200 acres in the Hutt Valley, including / the ten acres surrounding his beautiful,' residence at the Lower Hutt. Mr. Bid;', difnrd lias been too much engrossed agricultural and pastoral pursuits to p.iovote much time to public affairs, biily he was at one time n member of the YV/airarapa County Council and other district bodies, and in the early days of 'unmt ho served as a lieutenant in the.' militia under Colonel Gorton. ]To va/s nt one lime a vice-president of tho iWoliinftoii Airrieullural and Pastoral Association. In IST9 he married a daunhiC.iy of the latr , . Mr. Henry Bunny, of Ihe Jlutt, a sister of Mr. E. P. Bunny, the/nrosont Mayor of the Lower Hull. Th<y'(lorcn?"d leaves lhrei> sons Me«v=. V.. .V Riddiford. R. Riddiford, and 1). Riddiford, and throe daughters. /