FORTY YEARS' SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 2, 3 July 1922, Page 8

FORTY YEARS' SERVICE

ME. JOHN CAMPBELL RETIRES.

Mr. John Campbell, F.R.1.8.A., Government Architect, is retiring from the Service as from to-day. Mr. Campbell was born in the city of Glasgow in 1857, and received hie early training in Scotland. He entered the profession of architecture in 1872 as a cadet in the office of the late Mr., John Gordon, who for a long period was president of the Glasgow Institute of Architects. In 1882 he arrived in New Zealand, and after a few months' employment with Messrs. Mason and Wales, architects, of Dunedin, joined the staff of the Public Works Department in Dunedin in February, 1883. The office in Dunedin wag then known as the Middle Island head office, and from there was controlled the work,of the South Island. The late Mr. W. N. Blair was the engineer-in-charge, whilst the late Mr. John ,Blackett was engineer-in-charge of the North Island office in Wellington. :

In 1885 the Dunedin head office staff was transferred to Wellington, and Mr. Campbell remained in Dunedin attached to the district office unti1 November, 1888, when he waa transferred to the Wellington head office, and i became Chief Architectural Officer, or Government Architect, which position he has held forl over thirty-three yeaTs. Mr. Campbell was the fourth who held that office, his predecessors being Mr. Beatson, who held the officp about two years only and retired ir 1888: Mi. Burrows, who held the office from 1876 to 1885, and the late Mr. Clayton, the first Government Architect,who was appointed in 1869, and continued in office until about ■1876. ... .' ■:.;■: Officers of the Department and Finance Departments are meeting Mr. Campbell this afternoon to bid him farewell. Mr. L. L. Richards, Assistant Government 'Architect, has also retired from the Government service, and is being entertained with his chief this afternoon. Mr. Richards was born near Newport, Wales, in 1865, and educated at Monmouth Grammar School. He was articled to a leading West sf England architect "n Bristol. .In 1888, he went to Tasmania. He spent three years there, and in various parts of Australia, and returned to England in 1891, and resumed practice with the same architect for another four years. He was in private practice for twelve months, and then went to Perth, Western Australia. When the big retrenchment came in 1899, Mr. Richards came on to Wellington, and joined the Public Works' Department staff as a temporary draughtsman. He was transferred to Hunterville, in 1901 for two years, and then rejoined the head, office staff. He was appointed Assistant Architect in 1908. His total service is 23£ years.