OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 156, 31 December 1945, Page 6

OBITUARY

-Captain c. v, Sanderson

The death occurred on Saturday of Mr. E. V. Sanderson, founder of the New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society, an outstanding advocate for the preservation and welfare of all native birds, and always an active agent in all steps taken to eradicate inimical imported animals such as deer and opossums. The society was founded at the instance of Sir Thomas Mackenzie in 1923, and Mr. Sanderson did most of the spade work in making it a valuable body. In addition to his interest in freeing New Zealand from imported pests, on the smaller species of which he waged a personal war, accounting in his lifetime for many thousands of them, he early realised the necessity for preserving native forests if native birds were not to disappear, and was one of the prime movers recently in arranging for a bird sanctuary not far from Wellington where the native food and shelter trees could be established in their natural proportions. This is only one of many similar efforts on his part, many of which were successful through his persistent presentation of the value of the work to the authorities.

Much of Mr. Sanderson's work is known only to those whom he influenced, sometimes against their inclinations, to place no obstacle against his campaigns for the extermination of imported pests, such as deer, goats, opossums, and other destroyers of native forest trees and the smaller flora. He made trips to Kapiti and was instrumental in having the goats cleared out of the bush. He laid the blame for erosion almost wholly on the destruction of seedling forest trees, which left the forest floor bare and a mere sluice for storm water, and one of his most outstanding works was in accumulating evidence against the deer, and prevailing on the Government to ignore the sporting value of these pests. It may be said that for some 10 years this had been his chief work, and its success marks a step, although taken somewhat late, that may yet save some of the remaining forests.

He has left a body of active workers who will endeavour to honour his memory in caiTying to a conclusion his sound and practical methods of retrieving past errors. His last public act was the erection of the memorial erected on the grave of New Zealand's greatest botanist, Leonard Cockayne, D.Sc, F.R.S.

"Forest and Bird," his society's quarterly magazine, was instrumental in arousing interest in a large body of supporters gathered from all ranks of life who owed much of their practical knowledge of forests and bird life to it. Amongst these were naturally many young people who spent their holidays in the forests or in the open. Conservationists, foresters, and scientists also appreciated his work at.lts true value, and "Forest and Bird has'been acclaimed by a United S.tsttps -authority as one of ithe finest journals of its sort in the".world. ". ' .• ■..',.'T:'''1""....:.. He was in his 80th year.-Educated at Wellington College, he was an athlete in his younger days, and achieved reputation as.a boxer. He captained the Wellington College Old Boys' cricket team while it rose from; junior to senior status.

Defence questions always interested him. As trooper in the Boer War he soon rose to commissioned rank, and in the Great War saw service on Gallipoli

and in France, emerging with the rank of captain. Captain Sanderson leaves a widow and two daughters. The funeral will take place on Wednesday. After a service at Morris's mortuary chapel in Kent Terrace at 11 a.m., the burial will take place at Otaki.

AN APPRECIATION,

(By H.) "The native genius of indigenous New Zealand, rather ;than the genius of pakeha development, «was - the special study of the late Captain Sanderson. He was dismayed; at the pastoral intrusion of imported grasses in all those parts of New Zealand that were fitted only for the perpetuation of their first and best crop—the native forest. He saw—and had long foreseen—the erosive effects of deforestation and of the vain efforts to turn steep land into pasture; and he sometimes asked whether the mismanaging white man should not, even now, hand New Zealand back to the Maori. He had been a fighter for the Empire in the Boer War and the first Great War, and was a man of experience and hard knocks —in fact, a man of steel—but the idealist side of his nature found fruitful expression in his single-minded devotion to the sacred cause of preserving what is left of the flora and fauna of Old New Zealand, among which the avifauna had his special affection, brilliantly illustrated in the many colour plates of the Forest and Bird Protection Society's bulletins. About a generation ago he gave up his place in a thriving commercial business and devoted himself to the cause of the birds and forest. Who in that cause has rendered greater service? As the driving force of the New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society he was untiring and also relentless. It is only a tribute to such a man to say that he stepped on some toes. But always, even to opponents, he must have appeared as the happy warrior consecrated to a single goal—to reeducate New Zealanders in the matter of care for indigenous wild life. This work of re-education, carried out in priflt and in many other ways for many years, has still to show its harvest. Meanwhile, the sower of the seed, full of years and honour, has been gathered to his fathers."

MR. ROBERT COULTER, M.P.

The death occurred today of Mr. Robert Coulter, Government member of Parliament for the Raglan constituency. Mr. Coulter, who had been ill for some considerable time, underwent a major operation in 'Wellington which

prevented him from undertaking his sessional duties during the last sittings of Parliament. He died in Timaru, where a brother and sister live. Mr. Coulter was born in Christchurch in 1891 and was educated at the Woodend Public School. He left school at a very early age and worked in various capacities throughout,, the Dominion. He commenced business in Te Aroha in 1904 and served, that town as Mayor for a number of years,