WANDERER’S DEATH IN THICK BUSHIN SOUTH WESTLAND

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1947, Page 2

WANDERER’S DEATH IN THICK BUSHIN SOUTH WESTLAND

A man’s wanderings in the thick bush country in a sparsely-settled area of South Westland, when he was not properly equipped, for a rigorous outdoor life, led to his death on the Paringa-Haast stock track last month. This was revealed on Monday when at Wataroa an inquest into the death of William Alexander Phillips, aged 52, whose body was discovered by a deer-rstalker on September 23, was concluded. Other than that given him by roadmen, Phillips had been without provisions of food or camping equipment throughout his entire journey, stated a roadman, John Joseph Farrell, in evidence. He stated he had passed deceased and given him three days’ food about nine days before the discovery of his body. He was then only nine miles from the scene of his death. Handicapped by defective feet, the deceased had been, able to make only slow progress on his hikes. Constable N. B. Oxnam, who conducted the proceedings, described the recovery of the body from the isolated bush track, and related the efforts made to establish deceased’s identity. A wanderer, who was well known in the North Island, deceased was a native of Australia, and had no relatives in New Zealand. He had. been warned about the danger of undertaking his last journey between Paringa and Haast. Phillips died as a result of an attack of pneumonia, accelerated by exposure and exhaustion, stated Dr B. W. Nixon, who performed a postmortem examination on the body.

The district coroner, Mr G. R. Northcroft, returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.