OBITUARY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 139, 14 May 1941, Page 5

OBITUARY

LATE MR C. A. MOUNTFORT. On Sunday, May 11, there pulsed away at 1 1 is residence m Tedding, at the age of 87 years, Mr Charles Adiiani lVlountfort. one of the early Government, surveyors. Mr Alounlforl’s parents, who came to Christchurch with the Canterbury Pilgrims in the Charlotte Jane, which reached Lyttelton on December 16. 1850, had purchased land before their departure from England. Mr Mountforl was born at Opawa, Christchurch, on February 9, 1854, and at the ago of three went with his parents to Dunedin. lie attended school there, later being one of the early pupils ol the Dunedin Boys’ High School, which had just ' started with about 140 scholars.

Following liis father’s profession of surins. Mr Mountfort commenced work as an assistant with liis father on the survey for the railway from Christchurch to Kniapoi In 1873 he was licensed and laid out the township of Sumner. In 1874 he came to the North Island and was sent to Foil ding, where ho surveyed for the Manchester Corporation for the next six years, lie was responsible for much of the survey of the surrounding district and made the first survey of the Oroua River. Uis next activities took him to the little known Molu country behind Gisborne. Following this bo worked on the West Coast Commission under Sir William Fox, and then in 1884 lie was appointed to carry out an exploratory survey for the Public Works Department for the railway from New Plymouth to joiy with the exploration being done for the Main Trunk lino, and on this work he made the first traverse of t lie Tangarukau Gorge, Ohara. County. Here he had difficulty with hostile Maoris from the Wanganui River, having his camp and provisions destroyed at one stage, hut in spite of tins lie completed the task successfully. Other work followed —such as laying out Taihapc and Ructibi and subdivisions along the Wmaranui River and the proposed Main Trunk route. Later ho served as an inspecting surveyor arid also worked on the triangulation survey of the Wellington province. Among his later works were the standard surveys of such towns as Lower llutt, Masterton. Wanganui, Nelson, Napier, Hastings, Palmerston North, and Foilding. Mr Mountfort was offered various high positions necessitating oll.Ve life, but steadily refused them as his outdoor activities had made him feel lie was essentially a field man. lie retired from active surveying in liis 70th year, lie was made a life member of the Surveyors’ Institute and is believed to be the last surviving foundation member of this body.

Mr Mountfort married Miss Vaughan, of Havelock North, m the year 1880, and sli| predeceased him by three years. He is survived by his brother, Mr E. P. Mountfort, of Tauranga ; liis sister, Miss E. 13. Mountfort, of bedding; his daughters, Mrs A. W. Mountfort (Ohakunc), Miss o. K. Mountforl (Marton), Misses J. E. and .T. M. Mountfort, (Foilding), Mrs 17. Worsnop (Waipawn) and his sons, Messrs C E. Mountfort (Otorohanga) and 11. V. Mountfort (Rcmucra). and by thirteen grandchildren.