DEATH OF PIONEER

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 155, 28 March 1932, Page 5

DEATH OF PIONEER

Early Days of Otago GOLD RUSH RECALLED »Dominion’s Oldest J-P. By the death of Mr. Benjamin Lyons, which occurred at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. M. Domb, 219 Vivian Street, last week, a link with the early goldmining days of the Dominion was severed. He had reached the age of 95 years, and had had an adventurous career. Born in London in 1837, Mr. Lyons served his apprenticeship to a firm of cigar manufacturers. He came out to Australia in the ship Champion of the Seas, to a brother, Mr. Joseph Lyons, who a few years previously had started a number of grocery stores in Mel-

bourne. A few months after his arrival in Melbourne, Mr. Lyons came to New Zealand, and obtained a position in a grocery store in Dunedin. Later he went to Denniston at the time of the gold rush, and set up a store business that proved very profitable. When the Denniston field became worked out, Mr. Lyons and his partner trailed the mines in their pursuit of gold, first to Hinton, and then to Hokitika, Kumara and Staffords. His partner, desiring to settle in England, sold out his interest in the firm at Staffords to Mr. Lyons, and for upward of 50 years he continued to conduct the business. Upon the death of his wife, he came to Wellington to reside with his daughter, Mrs. Domb, at 219 Upper Vivian Street. Mr. Lyons bought gold for the bank of New 7 Zealand for upward of 30 years, and had often held as much as £2OOO worth of nuggets in his safe. Three of his sons are now in the services of the Bank of New Zealand, Lionel being at Stratford, Louis at Invercargill, and Clarence at Timaru. A fourth son is in Auckland, and his daughter, Mrs. Domb, in Wellington. ■ He was the oldest Justice of the Peace in New Zealand. A service was conducted in the home in Vivian Street on Friday by the Rev. Mr. Katz, and the body has been taken for interment to the West Coast, where the veteran pioneer will rest on the site of the stirring scenes of his youthful days. < '