TO MEET FOR FIRST TIME

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 285, 29 August 1938, Page 7

TO MEET FOR FIRST TIME

Wellington Doctor And Brother ELDEST AND YOUNGEST OF FAMILY Telegraph—Press Association. Melbourne, August 27. Mr L. C. Tennent, who left New Zealand in 1900 for the Boer War, returned from South Africa by the Norwegian ship Templar to-day. He is on his way to visit his brother, Di. Alan Tennent, Wellington, whom he has never seen, and will be travelling to New Zealand by the Maunganui. Mr. Tennent said that after the Boer War he became a tourist guide in the African hinterland. Later he took to mining and farming, and then he went to the Great War. Now he is secretary of a shipping company at DaresSalaam, Tanganyika.

In an interview on Saturday, Dr. Alan Tennent said the message concerning his brother was correct and it was true that they had never seen one another. Mr. L. C. Tennent was the eldest of the family and bad left for South Africa before Dr. Tennent was born. Curiously enough, however, the doctor has met his brother’s wife. She happened to be in England when Dr. Tennent was there 11 years ago. Dr. Tennent said that the primary object of his brother’s visit was to see his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Tennent, Woodville, and not to visit himself as stated in the cable. Mr. L. C. Tennent would arrive in about three weeks and expected to be in New Zealand six or eight weeks. He had to be back in Africa early in January. When Mr. L. C. Tennent left New Zealand to go to the Boer War he was just a lad. He sailed with the Ist Contingent. At that time the Tennent family was living in Timaru. Mr. L. C. Tennent has not been back to New Zealand since. After the South African War he remained in Africa and later was joined by two of his brothers. All three were in South Africa when the Great War broke out, and they saw service in the Germun South-west African campaign. When that was over the two brothers who had joined their eldest brother came back to New Zealand, and, joining up with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, went off with the 14th Reinforcements to France. The eldest brother joined the expedition which went up to what is now known as the Tanganyika Protectorate, but which at that time was German East Africa. Since the war he has been managing the shipping company referred to in the Melbourne cable. The Tennent family consisted of five sons and three daughters, and Dr. Tennent is the youngest of the sons. The two -brothers who were with the eldest brother, Mr. L. C. Tennent, in South Africa and who afterward served in France are Messrs. H. D. Tennent, Dunedin, and H. C. Tennent, a chartered accountant in Honolulu. The other .brother, Mr. K. B. Tennent, who is standing as a National Party candidate for the new Otahuhu electorate at the coming General Election, also served at the Great War. He left with the sth Reinforcements, and after being at Gallipoli, saw service in the Mesopotamian campaign. One of the sisters, Mrs. Mules, Woodville, died about 18 months ago. The other sisters are Mrs. Olphert, Lower Hutt, wife of the late Captain Wyhrants Olphert, and Mrs. Branson, Te Araroa, East Caipe.