NEW YEAR HONOURS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 78, 1 March 1929, Page 6

NEW YEAR HONOURS

DOMINION RECIPIENTS. TWO NEW KNIGHTS. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Feb. 28. His Excellency *he Governor-General has announced that His Majestv the King has been graciously pleased to confer upon the gentlemen named below the honours mentioned. It will be remembered that the issue of the list, which in the ordinary course of events would have been made on New Year’s Day, was postponed owing ito His Majesty’s illness. Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (K.C.M.G.): Hon. William Nosworthy, of Ashburton. Knight Bachelor: Dr. Carrick Hey Robertson, of Auckland. Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (C.M.G.): Mr Hugh Fraser Ayson, of Rarotonga ; Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands and Chief Judge of the High Court and Native Land Court in those islands. Mr John William MacDonald, of Wellington, Public Trustee. Commander of . the Most Excellent Order of tire British Empire (Civil Division) (C.8.E.) : Mr John Baird Thompson, of Wellington, Under-Secretary of the Lands and Survey Department. SIR WILLIAM NOSWORTHY. Sir 'William Nosworthy was born at St. Albans, Christchurch, in 1876, and was educated at Turrell’s School, Cooks’ Private School, and the Christchurch Boys’ High School. On leaving school, Mr Nosworthy was employed in a grain merchant’s office for two years, and later spent some time on the Parnassus station, at Amuri. He was four years with I. W. Williams, of Waipiro station, Gisborne; and in 1885 returned to Canterbury, where he joined his brother in sheepfarming at Waitohi Downs, North Canterbury. In 1900 he and his brother purchased “Whakare,” a part of the original Arama station, on which they have farm-'-d ever since. Mr Nosworthy was elected as member of Parliament for Ashburton in 1908, and represented that constituency continuously until it was abolished by the Representation Commissioners last year. In 1919, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Immigration and Tourists, in the Massey Government, and on the death of Mr Massey, in May, 1925, took also the portfolio of Finance. In 1926 he relinquished Finance and Agriculture, and was appointed Postmaster-General and Minister of External Affairs, which latter portfolio he resigned to Mr Coates when leaving on his recent visit to Canada. Ho did not seek Parliamentary honours at the recent election. SIR CARRICK ROBERTSON. Sir Carrick Robertson, K. 8., M. 8., B.S. (LondoHi), F.R.C.S. (England), and F.A.C.S. (Hon.), Foundation Fellow of the College of Surgeons of Australasia, and past president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, was born in Glasgow in 1879, and spent his boyhood days in London. There also ho attended St. Dunstan’s College. Sir Carrick received his medical education at the London University and Guy’s Hospital, where he was awarded, among other prizes, the treasurer’s gold medal. He came to New Zealand in 1906, and for five years was superintendent of the Waihi Hospital. In 1911 li e commenced the practice of his profession in Auckland. In addition to being a past president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association he has been on two occasions president of the Auckland division of the association. Sir Carrick is recognised as one of rt lie premier surgeons of New Zealand. MR H. F. AYSON, C.M.G. Mr Hugh Fraser Ayson was born at Clutha in 1884. He was from 1905 until 1916 a partner in a legal firm of Bunny and Ayson in Wellington. In 1916 he was .appointed a Judge of the Native Land Court, a Judge of the High Court, and Deputy resident Commissioner for Cook Islands. From 1918 until 1922, he acted as Judge of the Native Land Court at Rotorua, and in 1922 was appointed Resident Commissioner of Cook Islands, and Chief Judge of the High Court and Native Land Court. MR J. W. MACDONALD, C.M.G. Mr J. W. Macdonald, C.M.G, was born in Christchurch, and received his education in Timaru. On leaving school he joined the staff of the Lyttleton Times, in Christchurch, but on subsequently qualifying for admission to the Public Service, was appointed to the Justice Department, and took up duty in the Warden’s Court, at Clyde, from which position lie was transferred to the staff of the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington, where he applied himself to the study of law, and qualified for admission to the legal profession. In 1906 he was appointed to the legal division of the Public Trust Office, receiving in the succeeding year an appointment to the position of assistantsolicitor. On the retirement of Mr F. J. Wilson, in 1909, Mr Macdonald was appointed solicitor to the Public Trust Office. In 1917, he was appointed to the position of Assistant Public Trustee and in 1920 to that of Public Trustee. MR J. B. THOMPSON, C.B.E. Mr J. B. Thompson, C.B.E, was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland, and came with liis people to the Dominion, where he was educated at public and private schools. Adopting the profession of civil engineering and surveying in 1891, he entered the service of the Lands and Survey Department, becoming Assistant-Surveyor in 1893. In 1907 he was promoted to the position of district surveyor, and in 1910 became land drainage engineer in charge of the development of the Hauraki Plains reclamation works. In 1922 Mr Thompson was promoted to the position of Under-Secretary for Lands, thus becoming the administrative head of the Lands and Survey Department. Early this year Mr Thompson was appointed SurveyorGeneral.