FATAL ACCIDENT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21632, 8 February 1945, Page 6

FATAL ACCIDENT

TRACTOR OVERTURNS RIVER BANK* TRAGEDY GISBORNE MAN PINNED An employee ol' the Gisborne Borough Council was killed instantly this afternoon when the tractor he was driving along the river bank between Peel street and Lowe street turned over, pinning him beneath it. He was Mr. Johnny Te Whata, married, aged about 40 years. Mr. Te Whata, who had been in the employ of the council for some two .years, was engaged in cutting the grass along the river bank and was towing a mower behind the tractor when the accident occurred. The late Mr. Te Whata was the son of Mr. Edward Te Whata, of Hokianga, North Auckland, formerly a wellknown resident of that district. He was born at Hokianga, and came to the East Coast 23 years ago with a party of Ngapuhi bushfellers, who worked in the Tokomaru Bay district. Later he was employed at the Tokomaru Bay freezing works, and he transferred to the Kaiti works after some eight years there. An illness necessitated his leaving the freezing industry some time ago, and he had since been employed about Gisborne, for the Inst, two years with the Borough Council's outside staff. A keen fisherman, Mr. To Whata was well versed in the native lore of the coastal waters, and was a popular member of the amateur fishing community. In his earlier manhood, he was a fine athlete, and excelled in racing cycling. Ele leaves a wife and four young children, Gordon, Melva, Shirley and Audrey. Other surviving relatives include his mother. Mrs. Ripcka Te Whata, of Hokianga, and an elder brother, Mr. W. Te Whata. of Gisborne.

The funeral will lake place on Saturday morning, and will leave Poho-o-Rawiri meeting-house at 9 a.m. for the Wainui Maori cemetery. Burjal in that cemetery is a privilege not commonly accorded to members of distant tribes, and is a tribute to the late Mr. Te Whata’s popularity in the Gisborne native community.