PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 32, 1 November 1929, Page 13

PERSONAL ITEMS

Sir Alexander Herdman, after having attended an investiture at Government House, left on his return to Auckland yesterday afternoon.

Sir Frederick Lang, M.L.C., and the Hon. G. J. Carrington, M.L.C., left for the north by the Limited express last night.

Mr. H. Barry Coney, of Auckland, will arrive in Wellington by to-day’s Daylight Limited express. Major W. S. McCrorie, of the Wellington West Coast Regiment, has been awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces officers’ decoration.

Mr. J. D. Millen, a member of the Australian Commonwealth Senate for Tasmania, was a passenger to Auckland by last night’s Limited express. The Rev. A. H. Barnett, vicar of the Chatham Islands parish of the Christchurch Diocese, and Mrs. Barnett, who have been in Christchurch attending the Diocesan Synod, left Lyttelton by the Tees, on their return to the Chathams.

The chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board, Mr. C. M. Luke, has been appointed delegate to attend the conference at Palmerston North on December 3, concerning the taking over of tuberculosis sanatoria by hospital boards.

A presentation on the occasion of his marriage, which took place recently, was made to Mr. W. Gerrie by his fel-low-delegates at the annual' meeting Of the Wellington Swimming Association last night. In asking Mr. Gertie’s acceptance of a gift, the chairman (Mr. P. Coira) referred to the high esteem in which Mr. Gerrie was held by delegates and the swimming fraternity, and his long association with the sport.

Representing the Daniel Mayer management with Dusolina Giannini, the famous prima donna, now in Wellington, is Mr. Mark Levine, who toured New Zealand with Mr. Mayer and Mischa Levitski, the pianist, in 1921. On Mr. Levine’s shoulders has fallen the mantle of the estimable Daniel Mayer, who had many friends in everv country of the globe, air. Mayer died a year ago of an internal complaint at the age of 73 years. He was managing for Giannini at the time, and shortly before he died endeavoured to recruit his health by paying a visit to Brittainy. Being a Christian Scientist, Mr. Mayer did not seek assistance in the orthodox way, and according to the diva passed away much before his time, regretted by all who knew him.

Rear-Admiral Lawrence Richard Oliphant, R.N. (retired) and the general secretary of the National Seamen’s Union (Mr. W. R. Spence) have accepted appointments to vacancies on the London Advisory Committee of the New Zealand Sheepowners’ Acknowledgment of Debt to Seamen Fund. The vacancies were caused through the deaths of Admiral Sir William Lowther Grant, K.C.8., and Mr. J. Have lock Wilson, C.8.E., during the past year. Regret at the deaths of these two gentlemen was expressed in the annual report presented at the annual meeting of contributors to the fund yesterday morning.

At this week’s meeting of the social welfare committee of the Wellington Hospital Board, the chairman, Mr. G. Petherick, mentioned the tragic'circumstances which had resulted in the death of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Elton. Mr. Elton, he said, had been in charge of the grocery store in the days, now long past, when recipients of social welfare relief were supplied from the board's own store. The board had regarded Mr. Elton as a capable officer. The committee tendered to the relatives of the deceased an expression of its sincere sympathy. The late Mr. Franc B. S. Falkiner. whose death on October 30 at one of his station properties, “Foxlow,” near Canberra, New South Wales, is reported by cable, was one of the leading pastoralists of Australia, and a wellknown personality in wool and finance circles. For a number of years Mr. Falkiner sat in the Federal House of Representatives as the member for Hume. Mr. Falkiner was a director of the Bank of New South Wales, also of Pitt, Son and Badgery, Ltd., and a past-president of the Sheepbreeders’ Association, and interested in many other activities. During the war he did outstanding work as a member of the Central Wool Committee set up to handle the marketing of Australia’s large wool clip. As owner of the famous “Haddon Rig” merino stud, Mr. Falkiner on a number of occasions topped the market at the annual Sydney stud sheep sales, for both highest individual price and average, for his whole consignment, his sales running up to £50,000. Mr. Falkiner visited New Zealand several times and was a keen admirer of the Dominion. One of his daughter is Mrs. J. N. Lowry, of Hawke’s Bay.

At the annual reunion of the Wellington Fire Brigade and Fire Police last night, bars and long-service medals were presented to the following members of the Fire Police: —Captain John Wright, 30 years’ bar; Mr. W. J. Hildreth, 30 years’ bar; Lieut. J. A. Short and Mr. J. Ogden, 20 years’ service medal. Of the 30 members who founded the Fire Police in Wellington 30 years ago, Captain Wright and Mr. Hildreth are the only survivors.