OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 138, 8 March 1945, Page 9

OBITUARY

Captain J. M. Cameron

Mr. E. V. Bevan, New Zealand manager of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Co., Ltd. has received advice of the death of Captain J. M. Cameron, one of the bestknown shipmasters in the company’s service. Captain Cameron, on the completion of his last voyage about the middle of February, was landed at an English port seriously ill, and a cable message announcing his death was received in Sydney on March 2. Captain Cameron, who was about 55 years of age, joined the Shaw, Savill Company in 1918, and seven years later was promoted chief officer of the Mahann. In June, 1925, he succeeded Captain C. M. Andrews as master of that ship, and had commanded her ever since. He had completed 5J years of strenuous war service, bis last visit to New Zealand being in April, 1944. Mr. N. B. Austin

The death occurred in Wellington on Sunday last of Mr. Neil Blair Austin, in his day one Of the best known professional athletes of New Zealand, aged 85 years. Mr. Austin, who was only sft. in height, was promnient in many branches of athletics, but was perhaps best known m New Zealand as a champion sack-race runner. He won the Australasian sack race championship at Dunedin in 1892 by beating Freddy Bowen (Australia). He won £lOO at Greymouth by beatiug all comers in a sack race, and on another occasion at Taylorville (near Brunnerton) he won £5O in a similar event. Mr. Austin came from Oamnru to Wellington, where he took over the old Millow Bank boarding-house on Plimmer’s Steps, and acquired the old Exchange Hall, which he converted into the Bon dining-rooms. A bootmaker by trade, he occasionally worked at that trade, being considered the best maker of runningshoes in New Zealand. Mr. Austin took a lively interest in young men of athletic ambition, and helped many a good performer of fifty years ago. Mr. Austin is survived by big wife, three sons, and one daughter. Mr. C. E. Johnston An association with the Feilding district of nearly 50 years was broken this week by the death of Mr. Charles Edgar Johnston, Cheltenham, at the age of 76 years. It is just on 50 years ago that Mr. Johnston took up farming on the “Kamano” property at Cheltenham, first acting as manager for his late father, Mr. J. R. Johnston, who took up the land in its native bush state over 60 years ago. Before going on the land Mr. C. E. Johnston was with the Canterbury Meat Company, where he gained an insight into the then uncertain industry of shipping frozen meat, an experience which was to stand'to his advantage later in the early 90’s when he became associated with the investigations being made into the arrival of defective frozen meat in England from New Zealand. Just before the close of last century, Mr. Johnston came to Feilding and took over from his brothers, Messrs. Arthur and W alter Johnston, the management of his fathers farming interests at Cheltenham. He became actively interested in all agricultural and pastoral movements, and was particularly keen on the development of Romney sheep, a step which his son, Lieut. H. B. Johnston, now on active service in Italy, carried into the estal3 " lisbment of the present “Kamano stud in 1924. For nearly 20 years Mr. Johnston was chairman of the Cheltenham Rabbit Board and was a member of the executive of the North Island Rabbit Boards’ Association. He was also a member of tlie Feilding A. and P. Association. Mr. Johnston is survived by bis wife and family, Mesdames E. M. M<?yrick Ridgelands, and A. J. Clark, lending. and Lieut. H. B. Johnston, overseas.