OBITUARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8123, 19 November 1904, Page 2

OBITUARY .

MR JOHN WINKS. fo With regret we have to record the of death of Mr John Winks, Chairman of Ci the County Council, who for many years has been a resident in this district, and 0 has been always intimately associated tr with various governing bodies and local institutions. Mr Winks for a consider- si? able time had been in weak health, and more than once in recent years his life m seenuxl to.be hanging by a thread, but, vi at auy rate to the ordinary observer, oi He appeared to have* a strong constitution b< as well as plenty of pluck, and he shook otf attacks and was able to get about w apparently as well as usual. Some year or so ago he took a trip to Australia, and ir appeared to derive considerable benefit therefrom, and though never robust he , had since then appeared to be fairly well, b Early this week he was at Wanganui in p connection with the Show, where he was d a successful exhibitor, but not being well a he returned home on the evening of Wed- c: nesday, and said that had not he got v home he would have to go into the bos- £ pital. Dr Westenra, who attended him, v found that he was suffering from an old c I complaint, hemorrhage of the stomach, c i and despite all that could be done he v grew worse, and passed away at about r 10 p.m. on Friday. The late Mr Winks \ < was brought to New Zealand fifty year*, c ago by his family, who settled in the t Rangitikei, and he came to Taranaki 39 I ' years ago. He started the first bakery t ■in Hawera for supplying the troops, and o had been continually in business in the ! district ever since, principally in connec- j ( tion with stock and farming operations, s le was a member of the old Hawera j Town Board, >iawera Road Board, and i Hawera' Borough Council, and for many I years held a seat on the County Council. < [n 1899, on the retirement of Mr John | Heslop. Mr Winks was elected chairman, i and held the office continuously thenceforward. He was also a member for some '. years of the Xormanby School Committee. From its inception Mr Winks took a ' great interest in the Egmont Agricultural i ami Pastoral Association, and filled vari- ; ous offices, including that of President, j This year he was elected > patron, ne was also a constant exhibitor at t this and other shows ; and his services as judge were availed by other societies. Mr ! Winks was predeceased several years by his wife, ana leaves a large family, most of whom are grown up. We have to ex- ' press our regret at the loss of so useful a public man, and sympathy with the bereaved family. A TRIBUTE FROM COUNTY COUNCILLORS. [ At the monthly meeting of the Hawera I County Council this morning Crs McLean, Buchana, Dive and Marx were present^ Cr. McLean, who was voted to the chair, said it was with great regret that he accepted the call to take the chair of a " far better man than he was. Those pre- ; sent were aware of the demise of their late 1 Chairman, Mr Winks, a man they could J hardly afford to lose. Mr Winks was ' one of the earliest pioneers in the dis1 trict and came here when Hawera was j only a small place. They might growl ' about the roads now, but Mr Winks was ' here when the streets of Hawera were k worse than many of those roads now com1 plained about. Mr Winks was one of r those men who are bound to succeed in : any course of life. He was not a man to ' wait to stej) into his father's shoes, anil although his father was comfortably cirb circumstanced, struck out for himself, and - by his untiring energy and good judgment liad amassed not only a competence but an affluence. The speaker was pleased a to know, too, that Mr Winks had imparted tome of his grit to the young ones. He ir did not think they need fear for decease cd. with all his engagements and the care of bringing up a family, Mr Winks ,1 still found time to devote to public busiy nes, and was one who always assisted in anything for the public benefit. He was '. connected with meat companies and dairy s companies, and was always to the fore. Always a careful man in his own affairs, he brought that care into public bodies l * with which he was associated in looking c after the welfare of the district. He '' was on nearly every public body in the I district and gave his time, energy, and ' judgment to the public. As Chairman of II the County Council Mr Winks did not ' spare himself ; if he was wanted anywhere '» he was always prepared to go there and 1 see what was required. He never used '* his position on any public body to further ° his own interests. He was a man of a 1 retiring and self-contained disposition, and v one required to be pretty intimate with P him before finding out all the good quali1 ties Mr Winks possessed. Although the c speaker had known Mr Winks for many ! " years it was only within the last few years n he knew deceased well enough to appre5 ciate his good qualities. The speaker d thought the Council should adjourn now as a mark of esteem and respect to their d late Chairman Mr Winks' loss would ), be severely felt by the Council, and it i- would be ' difficult to fill his ' place as i'- Chairman. He moved, too, that the y Council express its sincere sympathy with c the family in their sad bereavement. r- Mr Marx, in seconding the resolution, c said that during the five years he had o been a member of the Council he had alit ways found Mr Winks to go straight, and ! h<» had never made use of his public posiie tion for his private "ends. Mr Winks ie had always endeavored to save the money p of any public body whenever he had an te opportunity of doing so. Is At this stage the Council adjourned unit til Wednesday next at noon, it