AN OLD WEST COASTER.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1911, Page 8

AN OLD WEST COASTER.

MR SEDDON’S FIRST EMPLOYER

Mr Thomas Ballantyne, who was a familiar figure in the Kaiapoi and Rangiora districts for a great many years, tied at the Christchurch Hospital on Saturday. Mr Ballantyne was born in one of the suburbs of the historic city of .Londonderry in the year 1840 and belonged to a well-known family, a nernber of which was Lord Mayor of the city a short time ago. ( At the age of twenty-one he emigrated to Melbourne and for a year was gold mining at Beech worth. He then left for the West Coast of New Zealand, being attracted by the gold discoveries. After spending some time in gold digging he with four others took a contract to make what was known as the big dam it Kumara. it was whilst this contract A-as in progress that the late Prime Minister, the Hon. R. J- Seddon, arrived on the Coast, and Mr Ballantyne was able to claim the honour of having given him his first work on New Zealand soil. An uncle of Mr Seddon’s went to Mr Ballantyne and said lie had a nephew, a young man just arrived, who wanted employment. Mr Ballautyne told him to send the young fellow along, and it was not long before Mr Seddon was at work with the shovel with a vigour that won the approbation of his employers ; in fact, Mr Ballantyne was wont to say that he neverhad a better workman in all his long experience, A warm friendship was formed between the two, and Mr Seddon on his visits to North Canterbury never failed to look up his old friend. Recognising his stex’ling worth and his value as a workman of experience, Mr Seddon more than once pressed him to accept a position under the Public Works Department, but he steadily refused, preferring to remain his own master. After six years on the Coast Mr Ballantyne went to Canterbury.