THAMES FLOOD VICTIM

Northern Advocate, 6 February 1936, Page 2

THAMES FLOOD VICTIM

EARLY HOKIANGA PIONEER

[Special to "Northern Advocate.”] AUCKLAND, This Day.

One of the victims of the week-end storm at Thames, Mr G. F. Webster, aged 78, came from a well-known pioneering family of North Auckland, A single man, Mr Webster was highly regarded by all who had known him during his long life in New Zealand. Born at Kohukohu in December, 1857, he was the elder son of Mr John Webster, one of the earliest white settlers on the Hokianga River, and an intimate friend of Judge Manning. He was a grandson of George Frederick Russell, who landed at Hokianga in early 1830. i In 1874 he went farming on his father’s property at Opononi. He was a keen student of natural science, his favourite hobby being geology. He was a member of the syndicate that first exploited the cinnabar deposits at Puhipuhi for the production of quicksilver. Latterly he had been interested in goldmining at Thames. In his younger days, Mr Webster was an enthusiastic cricketer, being associated, while he was at school in Sydney with Spofforth and the Gregory Bros. Mr Webster was for many years a .Justice of the Peace and was an early member of the Hokianga Masonic Lodge.