PERSONAL ITEMS

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 29 March 1932, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

The esteem m which Mrs. R. F. Roebuck was held was manifest, bv the large assemblage, representative of the district from New Plymouth to O'punake, at Oka to yesterday for the funeral, and by the floral tributes. The Revs. Roberts and Wilson, Methodist ministers at Opunake and Okato, officiated at the service in the church and at, the graveside. The bearers were Messrs. A. J., F. W., S. I. and B. Roebuck, and Messrs. A. Andrews anti M. R. Hill, sons-in-law. The Very Rev. G. R. Barnett, vicar of St. Peter’s Cathedral .parish, Hamilton, and Dean of Waikato, has announced his resignation, to take effect in June next, when he and Mrs Barnett will leave for England. Dean Barnett was bom in Blenheim and was educated at Marlborough and Victoria College, graduating M.A., in 1907, with first-class honours in mathematics and mathematical physics. He was ordained deacon in 1910 and priest in 1912, and after two and a half years at Hokitika went to England. He was appointed 4 ean aud vicar of Hamilton in 1927. The death of Mr. William Duncan, a well-known resident of Takapuna, and one of the most widely experienced land valuers in the Auckland district, occuri-ed on Saturday. Mr. Duncan was horn in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1853. At the age of eleven he came to New Zealand, the family settling in the Raglan district. Later they removed to Christchurch. On completing his education at Canterbury College Air. Duncan entered the building trade and ultimately became a master builder in Christchurch. A few years afterwards he returned to the Raglan district as owner of the Newlands Estate, Ruapuke, of 1200 acres. In 1881 Mr. Duncan was appointed xt justice of the peace and about the same time he was asked by the Government to endeavour to arrange a meeting between the Maori “king” Tawhiao and Ministers of the Crown. This he succeeded in doing, as he was well acquainted with Tawhiao, and as a result of the meeting most of the troubles with the Maoris in the Waikato were brought to an end. After going to Auckland in 1885 Mr. Duncan engaged principally in land valuation, in which he became an expert. From 1890 he was inspecting assessor under the Property Tax Act, and when the Advances to Settlers Act came into operation he was appointed chief valuer for the Auckland district. He subsequently became •supervising valuer under the Government Valuation of Land Act. and he was also appointed a member of the Waikato District Land Council.