PEOPLE in PERSPECTIVE

NZ Truth, Issue 997, 3 January 1925, Page 1

PEOPLE m PERSPECTIVE

It} is safe to say that no appointment

■ to the Supreme Court MR. JUSTICE Bench within modern OSTLER. times has been so

great a surprise as that of Henry Herbert Ostler. There was certainly a great expectation that the honor- would go to an Aucklander — but "H.H.'s" name, was not the one mentioned. The new Judge shares the record with Mr. Justice Herdman m the matter of youth, but the ex-Cab-inet Minister gives the impression of age beyond his years, while "H.H." does not look his age. Wellingtonians look upon the new Judge as one of themselves, largely because he was so closely associated with them , at Victoria College and as associate to the Chief Justice. Sir Robert Stout, . by the way, took an especial interest m his assistant, and the lengthy young fellow was so full of vim and nerve 'that he just '" couldn't help getting exactly where he wanted to climb. Of his experiences on the land; ; assisting his plucky mother, "Truth" has already told. Our. new Judge is not only a veteran of the heavy gun m hunting big game to their lair m. the centre of Darkest Africa, but he is the owner of miles of that country. Indeed, some of the surprise sprung upon many folks who know the new Judge well is due to the' fact that an impression had got abroad amongst them that his greatest ambition was to forsake the law and get over to Africa to develop his farm and the country. Mr. Justice Ostler is an upright and wellequipped legal light. He ,is also the father of a fistful of young family, their mother being a member of the Duigan family, well known jn the newspaper life of Wangariui. Meet Captain J. D. Frew and you meet; •v ' i ■■■■ n °t a "yo ho ho A MERCHANT- my hearties" type, MAN OF MERIT but a quiet chap I who might easily be a city business 'man. On appearance that is, .but; underneath -the surface; thejrie^lies; a;.spirit*t|ftati .scornsVthe sedentary 'life ; and rejoices ' most'.^hsri the bridge deck creaks to the easy Pacific roll. Many a good ship has lie I commanded m his 22 years m the U.S.S. Co. service and whether it was a case of pushing, the old Komata through a heavy West Coast storm, or stealing the Whangape out of Westport harbor m dark war-time nights with precious coal for ships of war, to be delivered according to British Admiralty sealed orders he did his job with equal efficiency spd confidence. •* When the fruit laden Atua ran her nose on an uncharted Fiji rock it was Skipper Frew who safely beached her and at the subsequent inquiry was complimented by the Court on his seamanship and resource. Now, ihe is on the bridge of the good ship ; Hauraki and doubtless when, the | 'Frisco Golden Gates are cleared and the knots are slipping easily past, his. old loves parade m perspective— r Pukaka, Komata, WTiangape, Waihemo, Te Anau, Squall, Taviuni, Hauroto, each a ship with a story and each a ship of adventui'e would the skip- | per but care to talk. But he seldom does. „■■'•■'.■ ' Off to the Old Country on a --twelve-.' , months' holiday jaunt FRANK HYDE is Frank Hyde CAMPBELL.'. Campb el 1 , better i : known as Barney. For thirty, years now he has helped to shape the lives and destinies of successive generations as a master at the Otagb Boys' High School; and the prominent, positions attained by hosts of old boys of the school are largely the result of his. teaching ', and influence.! The strictest of disciplinarians, Barney yet has a way with him t)iat compels his pupils to step themselves put and do their. best, and the stray slacker soon discovers there is. no place for him at the feet of this learned pedagogue. As one of the speakers at a farewell function* held m his honor said: "If ; he sometimes exercised his arm with vigor he always, did so with justice, and /though there was temporary physical soreness there was no mental soreness left behind." In the sporting section of the school's activities Barney has always taken the greatest interest , and the admirable motto he ha.s always held up before the boys is to play the game for the game's sake. As so many New Zealanders do, he thinks there is no finer game m the ' world -than Rugby and there are few ,■' better critics of ! the game m the Dominion to-day. . For many, years; he sat on '■' the' Rugby Union; whiTe he also gave several seasons' service as a referee and wears I the life membership medallion' of the local association. Barney is setting but on his holiday , loaded : with good wishes and tokens of esteem and he is alone m his belief that he doesn't deserve -them.

Of the many good and faithful railway

servants who STATIONMASTER have retired SPINDLER SAYS through the "SUPERANNUATION." 40 years' ser-

vice regulation, the latest is William: F. Spindler, until recently stationmaster at Lyttelton. William, or "Bill," as he always prefers to be called, is one. of the youngest old identities m the railway service. Born m a burg called Piper's Flat, on the Wet West Coast, he started off as a cadet with the N.Z.R. m 1883 and has had no other employer. His first job was at the Dunedin end of the line, but m his first year he was transferred to Oamaru, where 1 he. stayed '. for six years. The "heads" considered at the end of that time that he had. outgrown the trousers of cadetship, so a pen was placed m his' good right hand and he put m a couple of years as a clerk at Dunback. Dunedin then saw him , again, until he was transplanted to Greymouth. He was a clerk the,re at the, start, but he stayed 15 years and wound up that period under the gold banded cap of a full blown stationmaster. Eventually he became SM.. at Lytteltbn, where he carried on for exactly live years. \ His advice and word of honor were respected to the utmost by whai'fles and all who had to do with transport by road, rail, or sea. It's not pullinc the long bow to say that his tact hiaprevented as much industrial troubUas it has brought such bother to 1 an amicable settlement; :; ' !! •*; s: ■■': !! ■ ■ Word has come forth out of the Big p Smoke that Professor REEVES Wm. Pember Reeves R E D ! V I V U.S. has made up his mind to make the great adventure of returning to the land of his birth. Wonder ,if he \yill recognise Lambton Quay again, or Queen Street, or even the corner 'round Cathedral Square which he was wont to turn what time he did his daily stunt on the "Lyttelton .Times'V?. For .he has .been absent^y ; thfesb'; : years, ' going Hdme ito occupy the'' offices of AgentG.enera.l and staying 1 to' become Professor of Economics at the London 'Varsity. Born into the purple of journalism sixty-seven years ago, his father having, the ■ controlling interest m the "Lyttelton Times," W.P. became a lawyer, but took first to journalism and then to. politics, making a great success of both. He edited the "Canterbury Times", (weekly to the daily "Times," and defunct years ago) and later on edited the daily. When he was a member of the Seddon Cabinet he became managing director of the "New Zealand T^mes." But his real hobby was writing verse— and it was never worse. He. was the bottle •of vitriol that used to; spill itself and make the other fellows fume on the floor ,of the House of Representatives. It was because of his debating powers th^t John Ballance incorporated W.P. m his Lib.-Lab. Cabinet— -and it was because of his vitriol that Premier Seddon sent him to London. W.P; had the' honor of becoming |the world's very first Minister of Labor, and he chose' Edward Tregear as His under-secre-tary. It was a department with initiative, and / WiP. had the courage and genius for the job. He was back - watered m London, ■•'■' but there he gave one of his daughters •• (Amber Reeves, now married) the opportunity to become famous m literary circles. In his latter "days W.Pi has emulated the friend of his youth. Sir Harold Beauchamp, and became a- banker, chairman of directors 'of the National Bank ofi New Zealand. It : is probably as a director of .'-the National Bank that he will make the threatened return to our. Dominion. >v .-.•'' Old Christ College boys are busily .arranging a testimonial iTH E for senior science master FAITHFUL A. E. Flower, M.A., who FLOWER. at the- end of this year • ■■■•■■,: ;.•:■ is : handing- over the housemastership which he has held for years and years. It would be hard to find a' -'master', more popular with the old boys than A.E.F., and it is generally pleasing that he is merely resigning- from his position as house master and not from the school altogether. Mr. Flower holds an uncommonly creditable position m the school's history. Between 1886 and 1892 he was a pupil at the school, and from then he elevated himself to the position of head prefect. He simply ate up knowledge and looked for mpre, and, m 1897, he joined the teaching staff as assistant master. In 1912, 1914, and 1920 he carried on with singular success as; acting; headmaster. He's been president of the Old Boys' Association and for a number of years on the Canterbury College Board of Governors. •