AUCKLAND PIONEER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19744, 17 September 1927, Page 12

AUCKLAND PIONEER.

DEATH OF. MR, J, B, GODKiN.

EARLY WORK AS BUSHFALLER.

CLEARING SOUTH ROAD ROUTE.

Born three years before Queen Victoria ascended the throne and arriving in New Zealand with a master's certificate before the Maori Wars broke out, Mr. John Boles Godkin, whose death occurred at Mount Eden yesterday, at the age of 93, provided a link with tho stirring days of the Dominion's early history. Mr. Godkin was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1834, and nt an early age went to sea, He arrived io New Zealand at the age of 21, and began farming at Pukekohe shortly before the opening of the Maori War. Mr. Godkin claimed as a distinction that he was tho first man to fall bush in the Auckland province as, when hostilities broke out, he was engaged in that capacity in order that the Great South Road might be constructed to facilitate the passage of tho troops. After the war Mr. Godkin resumed farming at Pukekohe, but removed in 18S0 to Taranaki, where he resided for many years. Mr. Godkin took an active interest in local government affairs, and was at various tisnes a member of the New Plymouth Harbour Board and the Hawera County Council. Retaining his physical and mental activities with undiminished vigour, Mr. Godkin retired from farming only about seven years ago, and then made a world tour, on which he was engaged until two years ago. Mr. Godkin has since resided at Halsbury Avenue, Mount Eden, where he attended to all the gardening work in connection with his property until about two months ago, when his health began to fail. His eyesight was so good that ho used to read tho newspaper in the daytime without the aid of spectacles. . Mrs. Godkin predeceased her husband about seven years ago. Mr. Godkin is survived by four sons and two daughters, namely, Mr. James Godkin, of Auckland, Messrs. John, William and Thomas Godkin, of Taranaki, Mrs. J. Archer, of Rotorua, and Mrs. G. Bowers, of Green Lane, Auckland. The interment will be private.

MR. GEORGE SAMUEL SEIVER. Tho death has occurred in Auckland of Mr. George Samuel Seiver, aged 84. Ho came to Auckland from London at the ago of 16 and was engaged on a cutter running between Auckland, Russell and Northern ports. When the Thames goldfields rush started ho tried his luck at goldmining, but with little success. Then he went to Kaeo, Whangaroa, where he undertook bush contracts for the Auck : land Timber Company and later tho Kauri Timber Company, Ltd, After several years of successful contracting ho took up farming with success. Mr. Seiver was keenly interested iq horseracing, and bred several well-known racehorses. He took a prominent part in public affairs in the district, being a member of the Whangaroa County Council, tho Licensing Committee and the school committee. For the last' nine years he had lived in retirement. His wifo predeceased him. MR. JOHN BARRY. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] BLENHEIM, Friday. The death occurred this morning of Mr. John Barry, ono of Blenheim's best known residents, aged 68. A nativ® of County Cork, Ireland, Mr. Barry came to New Zealand as a youth of 17. On landing at Wellington he found employment on the original reclamation works on the foreshore, but tho lure of tho gold diggings soon attracted him to the West Coast. Subsequently he tried his fortune on the diggings in New South Wales but it was not long before he returned to New Zealand, and ho made acquaintance with Marlborough by undertaking the mining of 'antimony at Endeavour Inlet, where he worked for about ten years. In the palmy days of the Mahakipawa goldftelds he took up a claim on which ho was engaged with considerable success for about twelve years. When the claim was worked out Mr. Barry came to Blenheim where he acquired the Marlborough Hotel, which he had conducted for a period of 28 years. At the time of his death he was regarded a* the ideal licensee and he had been ireimentiy complimented by the Licensing Bench upon his remarkable record in rnnnirig his house in strict accordance with the Licensing Act. He leaves, a widow and an adult family. MRS. G. A. SMITH. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] BLENHEIM, Friday. One of the first New Zealand-born colonists, Mrs. G. A. Smith, sen., died at Picton to-day after a long illness. A daughter of one of tho pioneer Wellington settlers who landed at Port Nicholson in 1840, she was born at Wellington in 1845. She was a member of the Bragg family, who subsequently settled in Picton, where the members are widely known. Sha was married to Mr. Smith at Picton about sixty years ago, and during her long residence in that district was held in the highest esteem. Mr. Smith predeceased Mrs. Smith, who leaves six daughters and seven sons.