PERSONAL ITEMS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 115, 11 November 1929, Page 11

PERSONAL ITEMS

Mr. C W. Miller, who has occupied! the position of chief clerk at the head office of the Commercial Union Assurance Co., Ltd., at Wellington, for six years past, has been appointed manager of the company's AVellingtou branch.

Lieutenant •C. 1?. G. Bassett, V.C., arid Private J. Crichton, V.C., who dined at Government House on Saturday night with the other New Zealand V.G.'s, returned north by last night's, Limited express. '

Mr. T. F. M'Bryde, the manager for". Now Zealand of the Australian Mutual" Provident Society, has returnedfrom a.™ trip through Europe, Great Britain,;: and America, and will resume duty [ about the riiiddle of the month. Mr." D. E. Walker, who has been actingmanager during his absence, has beenappointed manager of the : London;branch, and will leave for London, via. Sydney, on 22nd November. Mr. C. M. Martin, of the Queensland branch,' 1 will succeed llr. Walker, and will arrive on 19th November.

At a meeting of the Karori Bowling ■• Club a letter of condolence and sympathy with the relatives of one of the ■ club's late members, Mr. H. D. Eoberts, was carried. The president, moving the . motion, referred to the late Mr. Bob--crts not only as a bowler, but as a ■ worker for the club. For the last.= twenty^years he had taken a keen in--terest in the club's advancement, and * was always ready with both labour and money in bringing the club to the-i high standard it has'achieved. He had' been in charge of the social and entertainment side of the club for a-nuni--, ber of years, and in his hands it proved; ' a. financial success. v .■ ' ' ■■-

Mr. W. Saundersou Cooper has been; appointed investigation officer by the Wellington Hospital Board. His dutie* will consist of reporting on the .financial position of ex-patients; and, when the social welfare officer is on leave' Mr. Cooper will act in his place. Ht» will carry out his duties under the* direction of the secretary of the board (Mr. B. Brown). Mr. Cooper was in the service of the board sixteen years ago, and since then has occupied positions in the Cook Islands and Samoaa^ services, and was on active service during the war. He was also for a period secretary of the Flock House trustees.:

The Rev. George Brown, a ■ pioneer "•' minister of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand, celebrated his 99th birth-' day to-day. Eesiding in Onehunga iii■ a wooden bungalow, he has occupied "■ for well over sixty years, Mr." Browa; enjoys the evening of his life in pea«e and modest comfort. He-spends his days reading theological books, in which ' his interest has not ebbed since he; preached in the Onehunga Persbyterian. - Church. Since his last birthday Mr.' Brown has suffered-an illness which has compelled him to keep to hia room, and he has had to give up, much against his will, studies in HelJrew and Greek, which occupied a large part of his time m the years gone by. He is a learned scholar in the dead languages. It is 69 years since Mr. Brown came to Onehunga. He was born in Scotland seven years before Queen Victoria came to the Throne, and was thirty years of age when he arrived in AucklanS in the ' ship Jura in 1860. ■

The death occurred recently at hi3^ son's residence at Pokeno, .near Auckland, of Mr. J. J. Eason, an old iden-. tity connected with both Australia, and New Zealand. The late Mr. Easoa : was born at Buniiigyong, near Ballarat, in 1850, and he always had some very . vivid memories of the goldfields. He was present at the departure of the ill-; fated Burke and Wills expedition. In. 1 1563. Mr. Eason arrived in Dunedin... with his father, entering the wool.; trade. Here he .married the second ' daughter of- the late Charles Bentley, who, arriving in the John Wickliffe in. 1848, was one of the early colonists of Otago. For over 30 years he was manager of Glen' Craigie fellmongery (on. the site of the present city abattoir). For about ten years he -was" in business ■. I with his sons in Johnsonville. At the . j end of this time, about 1916, his wife, died. After he withdrew from business ■ he lived at his son's farm hear Auckland, taking, up to the .time of his.. death, an. active interest, in- affairs. He was extremely proud of his long con- \ neetion with the M.U.1.0.0.F., extending over 61 years: He leaves five sons -■, and one daughter, eleven grandchil-. dren, and two great grandchildren. -

A West Coast pioneer passed away in. Wellington on Thursday last in the person of Mi-. Joseph Steele, who had attained the great age of 90 years. Mr. Steelo was a native of Stoiala, CountyTyrone, Ireland, where his father, the Eev.. James Steele, was a Presbyterian minister. Accompanied by his brother James, Mr. Steele arrived in Victoria in 1858, and a few years later he came to New Zealand, attracted by the news of the gold discoveries in Otago. From the Dunstan, he moved to Thames, but soon answered the lure of the "West Coast goldfields, going to Hokitika, Stafford, Charleston, ana Eeefton. He resided at Eeefton, where he was in business as a sharebroker ana commission agent from 1872 until last year, when, on account of failing health, he came to Wellington. He is survived'by; his- -nrife, who is a sister of ■ the late Mr. William M'Lcan, for many' <ye'ai( a well-known citizen of Wellington. Messrs. J. ana B. Steele, of this city* are nephews. One daughter, Mrs. J. Maloney, also resident in Wellington, survives him. The respect in ' -which the deceased was held was shown on Saturday when a large number of frienas, mainly foriner vresidents of. th« West Coast, followed the remains to fh« Karori Cemetery. The Eev. Mr. Hitchcock performed the last rites of the Presbyterian Church at the graveside.