THE AGE LIMIT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14442, 8 February 1909, Page 5

THE AGE LIMIT

?,IR CLEARY'S RETIREMENT. (From Our Own Comespoxdent.) UHilfJ l. GribU Oil, I'l-oruary 5. Mr .Mauiicu' Jliciiael C.eary, governor of JjytU-lion liaol, Hlio is yuuiii 10 iravo Uie prison service as a uvult- 01 me uecisiun ui ilic Government to retire all civil servants who have passed the age limit, ot oa years, joined tne service us a warilcr over 4o year.- ago, ana tor nearly 4U years, in his capacity as eliiet gaoler, has been saddled, with ine lespoiijibilny of tli<; sale custody of thousands n( criminals. His onerous unties appear to have sal lightly on Mr Geary's shoulders, lor, even nuiv, with his 7d years behind him, he is slid active, strong, and hearty, unci with his long experience is, to use his own words, "Good for years yet."

To a representative of the Press Mr Geary gave the story of his career. He was born in liio4, at Miltown, county of Clare, Ireland, where his father was engaged in farming. At the age of 16 years and 10 mouths he joined ihe Irish Constabulary, giving his age as 21 years. In 1(154, when troops were, going out to the Crimea, he was on duly in Cork, assisting to keep back the crowd which had gathered to witness the departure of

troopship. Pressed by the crowd, a lady foil oil' tlio wharf and was being carried out by tlio ebb tide, when young Clearv, in full uniform, jumpd in and held her up until both wcro rescued by a hoat. l-'or this act of bravery Mr Cleary, then only 20 years of ago, received special promotion to the rank of sergeant, and wits awarded the Royal ITmnane Society's gold medal. Shortly after that, ho went into the reserve force in Dublin, and in 1857 he resigned lrom the Constabulary and came out in a sailing'ship to Mcltioumo. In 1858 he was appointed .acting sergeant in the city police in .Melbourne, which position be held until ltibi.

in limb year the Gabriel's Gully gold rush bloke out in Utago, and the Provincial Government sent to .Melbourne for all inspector and two consiaoles lor tiie purpose of organising the police iorce in Wtago. ilr (inspector) ulld Ser-geant-major BracKen (ooth long since dead) and Sergeaiii Cleary were appointed and ciiins! across to Oiago. (Sergeant Geary, with 12 men, under Inspector .Motion, were engaged lor some time on the gold escort iroiu Dunstall to Dtinedin. The escort on many occasions had to sleep in n. stable with the gold under their heads and sentries posted outside. "We had on the whole a very quiet time of it," .-aid Mr Geary. " liusliTauging was very rife, and going through certain bush districts we were travelling with our bridle reins in one hand and our revolvers ai half-cock in the other, but wo Hero never intetlered with." Sergeant Geary remained in the police lorco until 586.3; when ho resigned and joined the prison service. He had only been two months in the service when ho was made sergeant, or what is known now as principal warder, in tlio Dcincdin Gaol. In May, 1C67, he was appointed gaoler at Hokitika. That was about two years after the gold rush, and Hokitika, though a bush township, was a busy place, with a lairly iaige population. lie nniaineii there until ltjij'2, and was transferred to Auckland, but the climate there did not suit him, and after two months ho was trans/erred back to Hokitika, where ho remained until November, lßbli, when he was appointed governor of LytteUon Gaol, where he has remained ever since.

" 1 have completed my twentieth year as governor of Lyttellon Gaol," he said, "and my lorlydUth year of unbroken service ill the prison service of New Zealand. Outside of accidents, I have never had ;i day's sickness in my lite. 1 took tho pledge at the age of 11 years, and have never touched liquor, and have never smoked in my life. At the present time ] feel as lit as ever I did." During his long career ho has been present only at two executions, both at Lyilolton a few years ago. They were the. most distressing experiences he had ever bad, and lie would prefer never to have witnessed them. " Mine has been a very uneventful career in the prison service." said Mr Cleary. "I have bad thousands of criminals under my charge, but I have had no very serious trouble with any of them."