OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 22573, 15 February 1937, Page 11

OBITUARY

MR& G. S. SOUNESS On February 3 there died at her residence, Purekireki, Mrs George Skirving Sounness at the advanced age of 90 years. She had resided in the district since the pioneering days. Born at Cowdenbeath, Fifeshire, she came to New Zealand in the ship Arima, reaching Port Chalmers on March 19, 18(53. She went into barracks at Dunedin to await developments, and within a few days she received a call from Mrs Burns, wife of the pioneer minister of Otago, who was seeking a maid for her daughter, who had recently gone to Puerua as the wife of the Rev, William Bannerman, the pioneer minister of Southern Otago. The journey to her new home was not an easy one. She went to Baldlutha by coach, and was there met by Mr Hay, of Romahapa, and completed the distance on horseback. Throughout the remainder of her life Mrs Sounness remained an integral part of the Bannerman family. She was married from the manse, while at her funeral three grandsons of the late Dr Bannerman were pall-bearers. Five years after she had taken her position with the Bannermans she married Mr Andrew Weir Fleming, who accidentally killed five months after r marriage. Later she married Mr George Skirving Sounness, who died 30 years ago. The family moved to Purekireki in the early ’eighties and took up land for farming. For more than 70 years Mrs Sounness was a staunch member of the Presbyterian Church, and actually baked the bread used in the earlier communions at Puerua. She managed her own farm right to the end, and displayed an alert and vital interest in the affairs of the district. One son of the first marriage died some years ago, and Mrs Sounness is survived by one son and four daughters of the second marriage. MR A. F. STUART Through the death of Mr Abraham Francis Stuart at his home in Duncan street yesterday, the city has lost one of its earliest newspaper workers. Mr Stuart, who was in his eightieth year, completed 60 years’ service with the ‘ Otago Daily Times ’ Company last May. He was one of the old school of craftsmen, and was a compositor who combined considerable skill with speed and accuracy. His introduction to the newspaper industry was in July, 1871, when he joined the staff of the ‘ New Zealand Herald,’ and six months later transferred to the Auckland ‘ Star.’ In 1876 he joined the ‘ Otago Guardian,’ Dunedin, and since May of that year he had worked continuously for the same company, the proprietors of that paper subsequently taking over the ‘ Otago Daily Times.’ It was his claim that from 1872 to 1936 he had worked for only two proprietaries. Mr Stuart retained vivid recollections of the early days, and he possessed a rich fund of anecdotes of that time. Tn spite of the vast changes which have taken place in newspaper methods, Mr Stuart kept pace with his fellow workers in an amazing manner until the time of his The completion of his 60 years’ service was marked by the presentation to him by the members of the chapel of a signed address also a case of pipes.