PERSONAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 63, 11 February 1944, Page 4

PERSONAL

Cabled advice has been received from England that Flying-Officer Douglas Todd, son of Mrs J. Todd, Clifton Street, and grandson of Mr and Mrs A. Balfour, Limbncic Street, has been promoted to the rank of flight-lieutenant.

Among the men who returned to their homes yesterday on furlough from the Middle East was Sapper M. G. Wilkins, son of Mr and Mrs A. E. Wilkins, of Nireaha, Eketahuna. Sapper Wilkins was educated at the Central School and later moved to the Wairarapa, where he was employed on farms. A keen Rugby footballer. Sapper Wilkins toured the South Island with the last Bush Rugby representatives. The special London correspondent of the Press Association in a message states that among members of the R.N.Z.N.V.R. who have been promoted to lieutenants is Sub-Lieut. Keith W. Fletcher, of Palmereton North. Lieut. Fletcher is a son of Mr J. Fletcher. He received his

secondary education at the Palmerston North Boys' High School and up till the time he left in 1935 he had earned a fine record, especially on the sports field. He was a member of both the first XI and XV at the school. The death occurred in Wellington yesterday of Rabbi Solomon Katz, minister of the Wellington Hebrew congregation and senior Jewish minister in New Zealand. Rabbi Kata was born in 1884, near Kishinev, Bessarabia, and was educated in a Jewish seminary. He then went to England and continued his studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary there. His first appointment was as minister to the Coventry Hebrew congre-

gation, and in 1909 he came to NewZealand to become junior minister to Rabbi Goldstein at Auckland. In 1919 he went to the United States of America to study at the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, where he graduated as rabbi. Subsequently Rabbi Katz accepted calls to congregations at New York City, Birmingham, Alabama, and New Rochele, New York. After the death of Rabbi Van Staveren, Rabbi Katz was appointed to the Wellington Hebrew congregation.

The death occurred yesterday of Mr A. G. McFarland, who had been chief reporter of the Wanganui Herald for more than 20 years, and for the past 12 months acting-editor. Ho had been in failing health for some months. Born in Christchurch 62 years ago, he was the eldest son of the late Mr James McFarland, of Aorangi Feilding, who died at an advanced age last year. Educated at the Christchurch Boys' High School and a commercial college, lie came to the North Island with his parents and joined the literary staff of the Feilding Star, under the late Mr F. Pirani. Subsequently he worked in Palmerston North, Wellington, Ashburton and Wanganui. For a time he was on the staff _of the Press Association cable station at Wakapuaka. As a young man Mr McFarland was a prominent member of the Feilding Band, and was well-known in cycling circles in Christchurch. He is survived by hia wife, one son, Mr George McFarland (Wellington) and four daughters, Mesdames Matthews (Bunnythorpe), Kuch (Wanganui) and Misses Joan and Mary McFarland (Wanganui). Mr R. A. McFarland, of Aorangi, is a brother.