INTERESTING CAREER

Evening Star, Issue 22526, 19 December 1936, Page 29

INTERESTING CAREER

MR CLOUSTON’S RETIREMENT FORMER POSTMASTER AT' DUNEDIN [Special to the ‘ Star.’ | AUCKLAND, December 18. Mr J. P. P. Clouston, chief postmaster at Auckland, will retire from his position and the service on December 31. This afternoon he was made a farewell presentation by members of the Post and Telegraph staff. Mr Clouston was born at the Orkney Islands in 1881, and went to school in Fifeshire, in Scotland. He came to New Zealand as a boy of 12 with his parents, and attended the Devonport School. Later his parents went to live in tho Waiuku district, where his father (the late Dr J. Clouston) went into practice. Mr Clouston joined the Post and Telegraph Department at Waiuku in 1897 and was soon transferred to the head office in Wellington. He was next transferred to the Christchurch chief post office, and in 1916 was transferred to Auckland, this being his first executive step. His next transfer was to the Hamilton office, and in 1921 he was appointed postmaster at Devonport. In 1925 he became postmaster at Rotorua, and then for four years went back to the head office at Wellington in an executive position. Mr Clouston was appointed chief postmaster at Dunedin in 1931, and in 1934 he was appointed chief postmaster at Auckland. Mr Clouston is a veteran of the Boor War ? to which he wont with the eighth contingent from Wellington. He holds tho Queen’s Medal with throe clasps, and tho King George Jubilee Medal. He has served with the Waiuku Mounted Rifles, also the P. and T. Rifles in Wellington, and was a first lieutenant in tho Signal Corps in Auckland during the Great War. Apart from his official life, Mr Clouston has found time to take a busy part in local body affairs and sport. At Devonport he was president of tho swimming club, chairman of.the school committee, a vice-president of the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Auckland Swimming Centre. At Rotorua he was president of the Caledonian Society, a member of the borough council, and a member of the committee of the Rotorua Bowling Club. At Dunedin he was a vice-presi-dent of fho Orkney and Shetland Society, and a member of tho Balmacewen Bowling Club. Ho is now a member of the Devonport Bowling Club and an honorary member of flic Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Mr Clouston recalled that he came out to Australia in the steamer Gulf of Genoa, and that tho trip across to New Zealand was made in the old Rotoniahana. Ho is hopeful that ho may bo able to go Home to survey the scenes of bis youth in Fifeshire and the Orkney Islands.