OBITUARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 20 June 1912, Page 8

OBITUARY.

♦ MR W. SWADLING. [lEoj* ona own gorekspondent.l The brief reference in Wednesday's issue of the Star t othe death of Mr W. Swadling intimated the unexpected end of one who was highly esteemed on this district. Mr Swadling had been ailing for some time past, but not so as to cause his friends any alarm on his behalf, and his untimely end came as a shock to the community accordingly.' During the afternoon of Tuesday Air Swadling had been engaged in gardening, and was last seen alive about 4.30. His absence during the evening was not remarked upon as lie was in the habit of coming and going on business at irregular times, and this was assumed .to be one of them. His body was discovered close to the front entrance to his property, at an early hour on Wednesday, by Mr J. Bullock, when on his way to his work. Deceased had been engaged in planting a shrub and had collapsed just as he was completing that task, as the position of the body indicated. Mr Swadling was a native of Oxfordshire, England, and came out to New Zealand 30 years ago. At first he resided in the Manawatu district for a short period, and then moved to Kaponga, where he was among the first arrivals, and where he has since resided. Mr Swadling always took a great interest in local affairs and devoted much time, | voluntarily, to some of them. During his term as chairman of the Kaponga Dairy Company, that institution has been an exceedingly prosperous one, and any innovations that in any way would add to the output of the company, were always warmly championed by him. As first chairman of the Kaponga Town Board, and as chairman of the School Committee, he has done good work. His death will leave a gap in a number of other local bodies also. As representative of the Kaponga Riding in the Eltham County Council, and as member of the Haw era Hospital and Charitable Aid Board and New Plymouth Harbor Board, his services will be hard to replace. He also sat on the directorate of the Moturoa Freezing Works. Mr Swadling was a tower of strength in the local Anglican Church, where he held the position of people's church warden, and where his generosity contributed much to the fine church anr 1 Parish Hall possessed by the Church of England congregation in Kaponga. Mr Swadling's wife died just six years ago. He leaves one daughter, aged eight years. The sympathy of the community is extended to the relatives and friends of one who at all times labored hard in the interests of the general good of the community and his fellows, and who was a practical supporter of every worthy and deserving cause that came undm- his notice,an example worthy of emulation. The funeral will leave Kaponga at 2 o'clock to-morrow (Friday) afternono.