OBITUARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10707, 23 January 1897, Page 6

OBITUARY.

The many friends throughout Otago of Mrs Holmes, wife of the Hon. Malhew Holmes, M.L.C., will have received with deep regret tht intelligence of her death, which occurred at Wellington on Thursday. The deceased ladj was a Miss M'Lean, belonging to a branch oi the family of which Mr John M'Lean, of Rsa« castle, is a member. As a, child she c*ms -with her parents from Scotland to Tasmania, and in Melbourna wa3 married to Mr Holmei, with whom she afterwards removed to Geelcng, where her husband entered into business ai the head of the firm of Holmes, White. sndCo. This was sis the time of the gold rriah, wheH most of the trade of the goWfialds massed through Gedoag. On tha inemwabie Blaei Tharsda-y (February 6. 1851) Mrs Holmes had an experience of a.'terrihlt: kiod. ' Ths thermometer on that day stood as 112deg in the shade, and flicies from bush fires were consuming tht whole country. rouud about Mr Holmss'a house, which was itself completely destroyed in tha Sre, the family losing everything, Mrs_ Holmes and the whole of her family, to save themselves, stood for tht whole of that day immersed iv the waters of s lagoon, aad from the effects or that- experienca the then youngest child subsequently died. Leaving Gee Song the family visited England, and came io Otago in 1864. They settled at Andersoa's Bay, bat Mr acd Mrs Holmes were in the habit of spending portion of their time also at Awamoa, near Oatcaru, and latterly they lived in Wellington The deceased l*dy, who was abont 76 years of ege, tcok an active part while living ia Duaedin in | charitable and philanthropic moreaieats. Sue was one of the founders of tha | Female Refuge, she took a warn interest iv the i Benevolent Institution, and she was one of- [ those who were associated with Miss Dalrymple \in the movement for providing the girls of Otago with the advantages of higher education. Mr Allan Holmas (solicitor, of this city;, Mrs George M'Le.\n (wife of the Hoa. G. H^Leaa), Mi- J. S. Holmes (of Awsunoa), Mr* J. Whits (wife of Mr John White, solicitor, of this city), and Mr Stuart Holmes (o£ Kakaaui) are surviving members of ths deceased lady's family.