OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 291, 4 September 1931, Page 10

OBITUARY

’ The Rev. T. G. Brooke i f ■ , :-■■■. ■' ■■■’ •’’ -1.: A respected minister and ex-president of the New Zealand Methodist Conference, the Rev. Thomas George Brooke died at his residence, Penryn Road, i Mount Eden, Auckland, recently, in his I eighty-second year. The late Mr. Brooke rendered fine ser- > vice to his Church in many capacities, l but most notably as general secretary of its home mission department from its creation in 1909 until his retirement i from active duty in 1924 at the age of .75. Born at Wargrave, Berkshire, in December, 1849, Mr. Brooke spent his boyhood at Reading. He began to preach and study for the ministry at Whitehaven Cumberland, in 1875. Three years later he was selected by the Rev. James Buller for work in New Zealand, and arrived in Auckland by the Clan Fergusson in December, 1878. The New Zealand Conference accepted him as a probationer, and he continued his studies at Three Kings under the Rev. Thomas Buddle. Mr. Brooke’s first circuit was in the backblocks of North Auckland. He spent three years as superintendent of the Northern Maori Mission. Thence he i was moved in turn to Hokitika, Grey- [ mouth, Ashburton, South Dunedin, Mornt ington and New Plymouth. ; In 1906 Mr. Brooke was president of the conference, and was a representa- | tive at three general conferences in . Australia before the New Zealand Church [ became fully autonomous. He assisted i in the production of the denominational > paper, “The Advocate,” and for five years > edited the Methodist section of “The Out- > look.” 1 ; Mrs. Brooke survives her husband. , There are three children, Mr. T. H. > Brooke and Miss G. V. Brooke, of Auck- . land, and Mr. G. H. Brooke, of Christ- - church. i Mrs. J. Deeley Despite her advanced age of 84, Mrs. J. Deeley, who died at Palmerston North last Saturday, led an active life and saw , many changes in the sixty years in which she had lived in New Zealand, states a “Dominion” Special Service'message from . Palmerston North. A native of Totnes, England, the late Mrs. Deeley arrived at Timaru when she was 24 years of age, marrying three years later, and being predeceased by her husband by two years, he passing i away at the age of 87. Mr. and Mrs. . Deeley came to Palmerston North nearly i 40 years ago and had lived there ever . since. ' A family of four daughters—Mrs. O. ' Johansen, of Morrinsville; Mrs. Kilford, of New Plymouth; and Mrs. Edmonds, of , Palmerston North—and one son, George Frederick, also of Palmerston North, are left. There are 21 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Three members of the family predeceased their I mother, one being Ben Deeley, who. nt i the height of his career, was one of, if ' not the most, prominent liorsemen in racing circles in the Dominion. Two sisters of the deceased, one of whom is older than Mrs. Deeley, are still living in England. Mrs. James Paul Mrs. James Paul died at New Plymouth yesterday at the age of 71 years, states a Press Association, message. She was the widow of James Paul, a well-known New Plymouth business man, who predeceased her by 25 years. Mr. E. A. Bennett The death of Mr. Edmund Arthur Bennett took place at Awahuri on Monday, states a “Dominion” Special Service message from Palmerston North. Born at Waimate in 1870. the late Mr. Beunett went through some exciting times as a boy when the Maoris were not as peaceful ns they are to-day. When he I was two years of age his parents erme to the North Island and settled at Wanganui. Hiss father later settled nt Awahuri, where Mr. Bennett had been farm- ; ing for many years. His surviving j brothers are Henry. Charles, Joseph, Buckland, and Dunean, while his two sisters are Laura and Mabel, all of AwaI hurt.