OBITUARY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 4 December 1929, Page 6

OBITUARY.

MR JAMES CRAIG One of The pioneer settlers who was in the Dominion in the early days or settlement and sa;w the country grow fiom its primeval forest to the happy, smiling land of to-day, in the person or Mr James Craig, of Hawera, passed away on Monday at the age of 81 years at the residence of his daughter, Mrs E. Mculi, of the South Road. Mr Craig came to this country in 1857 with his parents, and they settled first where the city of Dunedin now is, when it was a canvas town and befoie the days of the diggings. He was born in Ayrshire and sailed in a ship Irani Glasgow. Hi s father afterwards took up land further south, and Mr 'Craig then 'went out on his own on land at Palmerston South and later at Oamaru. He was there when the Glasgow Bank failed and when times were very hard and livino- very strenuous. Then he took up land in Southland with a brothei, when the country was first broken up for settlement. They rode on horseback and settled near Lumsden, Lake Wakatipu and Waimea Plains. There lie spent many years and in 1904 he came with his own family to Taranaki. Giving up farming, he had lived more or less, retired in liaweia and Mauaia. For the past, five years he had been living with his daughter. He was well almost to the last, and death was due to a heart attack aiu occurred suddenly. It is notable that he was the eldest of a familv of nine and his was the first break in that large family. All the others are between 70 and 80. Theic survive him three daughters —Mrs E. Meuli (Hawera), Mrs F. le Fleming (Otakeho) and Mrs D. Muggeridge (Oeo) —and two sons —Mr R. S. F. Craig (Manaia)l and Rev. J. Craig (Onehunga). Another son, Mr Gordon Craig, died at Mauaia some years ago. Mr Craig had a wonderful memory and loved nothing better than to talk of the old stirring days when he lived in the South. He could tell many stories of interesting life and adventure of 70 years ago. His many friends will learn with sorrow 'of his passing.