DEATH OF MR. R.C. TENNENT

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 170, 15 April 1939, Page 13

DEATH OF MR. R.C. TENNENT

Half-Century Of Banking Service A FOUNDER OF RUGBY IN NEW ZEALAND The death of Mr. Robert Collings Tennent at the age of 90 years in Woodville yesterday removes oue of the oldest, if not the oldest of personalities associated with banking in New Zealand, says a “Dominion” Special Service message. Joining the service of the Bauk of New South Wales in Nelson in 186 S, Mr. Tennent on his retirement in 1918 had completed 50 years’ service as au officer of the bauk, for 40 years of which he had acted as manager at various branches, including Auckland, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson and Invercargill. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Tennent was educated at Guernsey College. With his mother and four brothers he came to New Zealand as a lad, the family settling in Nelson, In his younger days he was a well-known athlete and Rugby footballer and he captained the Nelson team in the first interprovincial Rugby match played in New Zealand against Wellington in the Hutt in 1872. In that match Mr. Tennent was responsible tor the only score of the game, a penalty goal. He was also a splendid middledistance runner, winning many trophies for half-mile and mile events. After his retirement in 1918 he lived in Napier but eight or nine years ago removed to Woodville. Founder of Rugby in New Zealand. Mr. Tennent could claim to be one of the founders of Rugby football in New Zealand. He was instrumental in forming a football club in Nelson in 1868, and at the first meeting was elected secretary and treasurer. The first practice was held in Victoria Square under soccer rules, and then the Victorian rules were tried. After a few practices Mr. C. J. Monro, son of Sir David Monro, returned from England, and persuaded the Nelson club to try Rugby rules. The club did so, and preferred Rugby to the other two codes tried. In 1871 Nelson sent a team to Wellington to play the first representative Rugby match in New Zealand, which Nelson won by three points to nil. Next year Wellington returned the visit, and Nelson was again successful. The third match was played iu Wellington in 1873 and on this occasion Mr. Tennent captained the Nelson team. The game was played on the Basin Reserve, in the presence of the Governor and a crowd of some thousands. The game was so strenuous that one Nelson player received concussion of the brain and a Wellington man had a leg broken. The match resulted in a draw, neither side scoring. Mr. Tennent left Nelson for Patea in 1874, and captained the Patea Football Club for five years, after which he retired from the game. An all-round athlete, Mr. Tennent was also a keen golfer, and for some years was treasurer of the Invercargill Golf club. A Lucky Escape. His fifteenth year was probably luckiest of Mr. Tennent’s long career. At that time he was employed in a Nelson bank, which had £90,000 in bullion to ship to Australia. The Maungatapu murderers, Burgess, Kelly and Sullivan, after their dastardly act, descended on Nelson, and intended to rob the bank of the bullion. Their practice was to sandbag the officers of the banks they attacked, and they had planned their attack for the day ou which they were arrested, otherwise Mr. Tennent might never have been heard of as a Rugby football player or a bank manager. He is survived by a widow, five sons and two daughters. The sons are Messrs. L. C. Tennent, South Africa, who recently visited New Zealand after an absence of 39 years ; Mr. H. D. Tennent, Dunedin, Mr. H. C. Tennent, Honolulu, Mr. K. B. Tennent, Howick, Auckland, who stood for Parliament in the National Party’s interest at the last general election, and Dr. Allan Teunent, Wellington. The daughters are Mrs. W. Olphert, Lower Hutt, and Mrs. Norman Branson, Te Araroa, East Coast. Mr. D. G. McCaul The death occurred suddenly at his residence, Khandallah, last Sunday of Mr. D. G. McCaul, a well-known Wellington business man and principal of the firm of D. G. McCaul and Co. Ltd. Mr. McCaul, who was 53 years old, was born and educated in Wellington. He joined the firm of Ellis and Manton 40 years ago and remained with them till a year and eight months ago, when his own company was formed, tie was a member of the Wellesley Club and the Wellington Savage Club, and at the time of his death was vice-presi-dent of the Wellington Commercial Travellers’ and Warehousemen’s Association, which association he always served in the interests of charitable institutions. He was a member of this association for 23 years, during 15 of which he acted as an office-bearer, seven as vice-president. The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon, after a service held in St. Barnabas’s Church, Khandallah, of which he was a vestryman for many years. A tribute to the esteem in which Mr. McCaul was held in by all sections of the community was the fact that the church was packed to the door and the funeral procession was made up of more than 80 cars. Another short religious service was held at the crematorium and the final service was conducted by fellow-brethren of Lodge Otari 190. Mr. McCaul will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends throughout New Zealand. He is survived by his wife, one son, and two daughters. His mother, Mrs. E. A. McCaul, Day’s Bay, three brothers and two sisters also survive him.