OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 21989, 27 March 1935, Page 10

OBITUARY

MR J. J. MALLARD A well-known figure in the city, Mr John , James Jeffrey Mallard, late general manager of the National Insurance Company, died this morning. Of a kindlv nature and genial disposition, Mr Mallard was highly respected among a very wide circle of friends. He was well known in business interests in the city, but probably his longest associations and deepest interests were with the Otago Boys' High School and the Otago Early Settlers’ Association. Born in Melbourne in 1860. deceased came to Dunedin with his parents in the s.s. Gotenburg in 3804, an early period in the settlement or Otago. He received his early education at the Tokomairiro Grammar School, and attended the Otago Boys’ High School in 1874 and 1875. _ He was a member of the school cricket eleven, and won the fives doubles. Continuing his interest in athletics and sports after leaving school, the deceased was prominent in amateur athletics, and won several prizes for the quarter-mile, .half-mile, and the mile. A member of the Carisbrook Cricket Club, he was a line wicket-keeper, and represented the province. Also a Rugby footballer, he was a member of the Dunedin Club, and won represeniative honours in 1880. Ho took a deep interest in the animal tournament of the High Schools of the South Island, ami in other games in which the High School fifteen took part. In the affairs of the High School Old Boys’ Association he took a prominent part, and for a number of years was a member of the High School Board of Governors, ou which he, was the parents’ representative. As a member of the Otago Early Settlers’ Association, a body of which he was president at the time of his death, the late Mr Mallard will be long remembered. For many years he was a member of the executive, and took a very deep interest in the affairs of the association. For the past five years he had been president, and his addresses at the annual Anniversary Day celebrations were evidence of his wide knowledge of the early history of the city and province. His system of recording events as the years passed was an extensive and thorough one, and he lipd no fewer than about 30,000 index cards. Frequently he was asked to refer to something of importance in the life of the province, and his system of indexing generally enabled him to give the required information without much trouble.

The late Mr Mallard joined the Victoria Insurance Company in 1876, and went fo the National Company in 1888. He was transferred to Melbourne as chief clerk in 1889, was appointed manager at Wellington in 1899, and came back to Dunedin in 1914, being appointed general manager of the comSany in 1919, and retiring in 1926. leceased, whose wife died some years ago, leaves one son and one daughter, one son having been killed at the war.