PERSONAL ITEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 4 January 1928, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

'The Hon. O. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, accompanied by his private secretary, Mr W. J. Shanly, left Eltham by express train for Wellington yesterday. Mr Hawken intends revisit, ing his electorate shortly, but in the meantime will visit V7estland and the Far North.

Mr W. J. Tristram has returned to Eltham from his holiday trip to Auckland.

Mr. H. F. Wren will act as judge of Jerseys at the Woodville show early in February.

A London cable reports that Mr. Thomas Hardy, the “Grand Old Man’*’ of English ''literature, is .seriously ill.

Mr, C. Hay Mackenzie returned last night to Hawera. after a few days away in Wellington. Mr. L. O. ‘Hooker returned to Haweia yesterday from Wellington, where he spent the holidays.

Mr. Thomas White, of the Napier branch of the Commercial Bank, arrived in Hawera last night for the purpose of relieving Mr. E. R. S. Dale, who is leaving on furlough for Australia for a. few weeks.

Among the Eltham visitors to Wellington by yesterday’s mail train, on holiday bent, were the Rev. C. H. and Mrs Isaacson, Mr and Mrs W. Mumby, Mrs J. and Miss 0 ’Hagan, and Mr N. D. and Mrs Connell.

Mr and Mr s A. Harvey, of Auckland, who, with Mr and Mrs Rolfe have been on a motor tour of the is And, were in Hawera yesterday staying at the Fgniont Hotel. Tliev left to-day for Auckland.

Mr and Airs H. Duff, of Levin, and formerly of Hawera, have been on a. short visit to Hawera, staying at the Commercial Hotel. They left yesterday to proceed to Auckland.

Staff Sorgt.-Major C. S. Mahoney, who has been on. a holiday visit to Bawera, returned to Wellington by mail train to-day.

Mr A. L. Monteith, workers’ representative on the Arbitration Court, returned to Wellington to-day. He had been spending the holidays at Stratford.

Air. L. Hooker, son of Air, L. O. HooJver, is now in London, whither he went some months ago, and he will return as wireless operator and purser of the new Government steamer Alaui J/omare, which is expected shortly in the Dominion. In a letter received by his lather yesterday he gave interesting notes on his experiences in Londlon and the provinces, where he was then spending a short leave. He described tne terribly heavy fogs experienced in the great capital, and the generally bad weather in England. He saw Aliss Mattery, oi : Hawera, in London, and she was looking well and enjoying her stay in the Did Country.

There diedi at Auckland on Saturday at- tlie advanced age of 87 years, Air. Alexander Alunro, one of the early settlers of New Zealand and for many years resident in Hawera and district. Mr. Alunro was born in Scotland in 1840 and came to New Zealand at the age of 28 years (in the sailing vessel ‘ ‘Seleswick Bride” and landed at Port Chalmers. For some years he followed the occupation of builder and contractor at Christchurch, and later was engaged in rural pursuits in Southland tor about 15 years. He came to Taranaki about 1890 and took up land atOthangai on which he was farming for many yeans until he retired and came to live at, Hawera. For the past six years, howtever, lie had lived with his daughter, Airs. T. R.. Greig, at Auckland. About a month ago, he met with an accident which hastened his death. Air. Alunro is survived by a widow, a sou and two daughters, who are Mr. J. T. Munro, Kawihia, Airs. G. D. McGregor, Hawera, and Airs. T. It.' Greig, Glenfield, Auckland.

One of the very oldest of the residents of New Plymouth, in the person of Miss Lydia E. Shaw, died on Saturday, at the great age of 93 years. As a child of seven she arrived in New Zealand in the ship Amelia Thompson, the second ship to bring settlers, to New Plymouth. Till her death Miss Shaw continued a busy, useful life, Keeping herself in touch with world affairs by wide reading. She retained a live and clean interest in the affairs and the people of the town. She was as early as 1868 the teacher of a small school in the meeting house at Kawau Pa, at the bottom of what is now Currie Street. Later this was taken over by the Department in the passing of the Education Act in 1878 and IMiss Shaw was thus the first Government lady teacher in Taranaki. Up till 1960 she taught, in the last years before that date in a school which became the West End Primary School. With her parents she endured all the hardships incidental to those early days. Their first dwelling was a raupo house near what is now' the Terminus Hotel. Later her father imported a ill-use, built in sections, and this was erected in lower Currie Street. This dwelling is still in existence, the oldest house in New Plymouth. In it Miss Shaw lived until her death. Her sisters were Mrs. Dr. St. George, Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Henry Halse. With the latter Miss Shaw lived, for two years, 1859-1861, in Auckland. With her death the only survivors of the Amelia Thompson’s passengers are Mr. Thomas Allen (New Plymouth), Mrs!. iSam Wfright and Mis Greenwood (daughters of Mrs. Oxenham), and Mrs. Telfar (Urenui). ’l’lie funeral was conducted- by Archdeacon Evans, the services being, conducted at the house and at St. Mary’s and the interment being at Te Henui. The pall bearers were: Mr. Ernest Shaw (Okau), a nephew, and Messrs. Ti-üby King (Stratford), Ronald Douglas (Palmerston North), Hamilton Douglas (Masterton), Graham Hammond (Opunake), and Douglas Fox (Okato), all of whom were greatnephews.