PERSONAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 255, 25 September 1933, Page 6

PERSONAL.

Mr J. W. Muir, city electrical engineer, is at present in Wellington attending the annual conference of the Electrical Engineers’ Association. Mr C. W. Collins, of Christchurch, the holder of a Carnegie fellowship in library science, has completed his visit to the United States, and. is now study, ing in Europe before returning to Canterbury College. The death occurred in Christchurch on Friday of Mr George Francis Robinson, aged 94, a Taranaki pioneer and veteran of the Maori Wars. Mr Robinson was born in the Isle of and with relatives, Mr and Mrs T. Kelly, senr., and their sons, arrived in New Plymouth by the barque Cresswell in 1855. Mr Kelly settled on a small farm at Bell Block. On the outbreak of hostilities, Mr Robinson and the Kelly brothers with other settlers garrisoned the Bell Block stockade. During the depression in the early “seventies” Mr Robinson was engaged in engineering work in Queensland, but on the opening of the bush country of Taranaki he was recalled at the instance of the provincial Government in 1875 to take charge of development work, the clearing and formation of roads, and the building of bridges. He was stationed at Inghvood as road engineer and Crown lands ranger, and from this centre he supervised the settlement of extensive and important areas of country. Returning to New Plymouth on his retirement, he resided there for a few years, but in 1919 removed to Christchurch.