OBITUARY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 December 1934, Page 7

OBITUARY

. w. I. BOLAM. The death occurred at Christchurch suddenly, on Saturday, of William Isaac Bolam, aged 73, Trust Officer in Christchurch for the New Zealand Insurance Company. He had held positions with the Company in Auckland, Napier, Wellington and Launceston (Tasmania). He was for sixteen and a-half years manager at Dunedin, and was manager in Christchurch till 1924, when he retired on pension. He remained in association with the Company as its Trust Officer, and held this position until his death. He was a Mason, and had held office as a District Grand Master and as Grand Superintendent of (he Royal Arch Masonry.

INSPECTOR D. A. STRACHAN. The death occurred suddenly at Nelson on Saturday evening of Mr David Anderson Strachan, retired School inspector. Born in Montrose, Scotland, in 1871, he was the eldest 'son of the late Janies Strachan, shipowner and shipbuilder. Deceased came to New Zealand in 1877, in the “James Nichol Fleming,” landing at Port Chalmers. After having been dux of the District High School there he entered the Education Service in 1888, and passed on to Otago Training College in 1892, proceeding thence the same year as an Education Board exhibitioner (Richard Scholarship, tenable for three years). He graduated B.A. three years later, and won the MacCordium Scholarship in political economy in 1894, and won his M.A. with double honours (mental and. political science), the following year, also winning the College Debating- Society essay prize. Mr Strachan then went to Kumara as first assistant. and afterwards to Westport in charge- of the Secondary division. In 1902 he became Inspector under the Nelson Education Board, being then the youngest in the Service. He was promoted to the charge of Marlborough, and then went to Hawke’s Bay. He was appointed Senior Inspector for Southland in 1924, and Senior Inspector at Wellington, in 1927, retiring five years ago, after 41 years’ service with the Education Department. Mr Strachan had contributed much to the papers in verse, leading and special articles, and was the author of “The History of the Marlborough Land and Railway League,” “Recojrd Developments and Economics,” “New Zealand History,” and “Inspection of the Post.” He leaves a widow (a daughter of the late Henry Baigent, ex-Mayor of Nelson), two sisters in Montrose, and two brothers, Mr F. Strachan (a member of the Westport “News” Proprietary), and Mr J. R- Strachan, of Island Bay, Wellington.—Press Assn.

CANON PACKE. The death of Canon Horace Packs, aged 69 years, occurred yesterday at Gisborne. He was educated at Oxford, and later was a curate in British Guiana, and then a chaplain in the Gold Coast colony. He was appointed vicar of Suva, Fiji, in 1899 aiid came to New Zealand in 1907 as vicar of Wakatipu. He was vicar of Invercargill from 1912 until 1915, when he was appointed to Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne, where he remained till 1932, when ill health caused his resignation. He leaves a widow, four daughters and one son.