PERSONAL

Evening Star, Issue 16089, 14 April 1916, Page 4

PERSONAL

Superintendent O'Donovan, of Weiliii"ton, has been elected unopposed to' represent the Police Force on "the Public Service Superanmiatio.i Board. Miss Dove, head waitress at Brown's Exchange 'lea Rooms, has left the eraplov to bo married. On Wednesday evening between rush times, the girls gathered together to say good-bye, and -Mr S. A. Shean, the manager, presented Miss Dove with an afternoon tea service as a marriage gift from the staff. Official advice has been received that Sergeant John Blyth Austin, of Dunedin who left New Zealand wi'th the Main Expeditionary Force, is returning to the Dominion for a commission. Serjeant Austin was among the first troops to°land on the peninsula., and was with the army up to the period of evacuation. He is due at Lyttelton some davs next week. The members of the. National Reserve at their adjourned annual meeting last evening carried a resolution of svmpathy with Mrs J. M'lndoe and family at the loss they had sustained hy the death of Captain M'lndoe, who was a prominent reservist. Mr Theodore T. King, who has taken up_the duties of Chief Postmaster at Dunedin, in succession to Mr M'Hutehesoii, joined the department in the learners'' gallery at Wellington in 1874. In duo time ho became postmaster at Alexandra, then at Longbush. Alter that he was postmaster at Gore for a long period, till promoted to be chief postmaster at Westport. He then had service for eight vears as inspector of post offices, and ,-itter wards held the chief postmastership at Napier for a year, at Greymouth for 13 months, and at Invercargill for four years. The Public Service Commissioner" has sent Dunedin an officer of experience. Mr E. R. Ussher, well remembered as a civil engineer and surveyor who planned and supervised the construction of many important works in Otago, died this morning at his residence in Sheen street, Roslyn, after a somewhat lengthy illness. He was born in Canada in 1869 ; educated at Toronto and Bowmanvillo. He studied tor his profession in Toronto, became a licensed surveyor in 1860, and was engaged in Government surveys and railway work until 1863, when he" went to Melbourne. About the dodo of the samo year he crossed to Dunedin, and was appointed an officer of the Roads Department under the Provincial Government. He held this position until 1858, and then retired [Jntil November of 1871 Mr L'ssher practised privately in Dunedin as a civil engineer and surveyor, and was then appointed to tlio Public Works Department under Mr W. N. Blair. For several years fie was engaged in laying oil' various sections of railway as well as designing and supervising the erection of bridges, soma of these large bridges In 1887 he became district engineer in Dunedin. and held that office until October, 19,08, when he -ens- S'sa, pire 'uoipinuuu.iadns no po.iqa.i ceeded by Mr Furkert. Mr Ussher was married in 1873 to Miss Jane Stuart, daughter of the late Mr Alexander Stuart, and they had eight sons and one daughter. The deceased gentleman will be imaged in the memory of his many friends as a loyal and painstaking officer, one who never counted duty a trouble, absolutely thorough and trunk in 'all the relationships of life. Incidentally it may be mentioned that he professionally opposed any devia tion of the railway to Lawrence, also thaihe believed in both the Roxburgh and Catlins branches, and gave each league much encouragement by the willing way he pushed on those works. Apart" from Ins profession lie was one of the most retiring of men. He delighted in che-try companionships of a domestic character, but shrank from publicity of any kind. .In every way he was a worthy man, and his memory will be respectfully cherished. Captain W. 11. Johnston, M.D. (brother of Mr A. S. Johnston, of this City), has been appointed specialist, in surgery at No. 1 British Base Hospital in France. Ho went from Edinburgh as lieutenant with the first R.A.M.C., which left Dublin in August, 1914. Ike employees in the engineering department of the Port Chalmers marine repair works mot- last- week to bid farewell to two of their apprentices—James Miller and W. Paul—who have left for Trenthani, and to present them each with a gold watch and belt with contents. The James Angus mentioned in yesterday's Sydney cables as having been killed by a railway accident is well known in New Zealand. He was an Auchterarder man. He and his wife- came out to the Bluff by the ship Helenslee in 1863. By his great energy and enterprise he became one of the stalwarts of Southland. He was one of the first men to go in for sawmilling on a, large scale in that partvif the country. As _pne of the firm of Topham, Angus, and Smyth he was interested in important railway contracts, notably the line to the Bluff and the line to Kingston. He was, it is said, the first man to set up a stone-crusher in Invercargill. He was also connected, through his friend Mr T. Brydone, in sheep freezing at Edendaie. Long prior to that his enterprising nature induced him to visit Hokitika at the time of the rush. That was in the sixties. About 38 years ago he went to Australia, and undertook tho construction of a section of the Cleelong railway. He became a member of the contracting firm of Moouey, Angus, and Topham, who executed many big works. One was the laving down of some of tho Sydney train lines. The track to Coogee was'one of these. He also brought the water into Sydney. He owned the Minchinbury vineyards, and sold out to Penfold for £50,000. He was a large shareholder in the Linlithgow coal mines, and a director of the Clyde Engineering Companv. One way and another he must have' been a wealthy man. He paid a visit to New Zealand about threo years ago to see his relatives—David Angus (of "Waitahuna), Alexander Angus (of Christ-church), and Mrs Dickinson (of Christchurch), these being his children. He also has three nigces in New- Zealand—Mrs David Findlay (of Cargill street, Dunedin), Mrs T. C. Harrison (of St. Clair), and Mrs Cr. Hi. Dail (of Wellington). His residence was at Rooty Hill, near the station, and it is considered probable that, as lie had to cross the rails to get •rom his house to the station, he there' met his death. He was 81 years old, but as active as a youngster.