OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22099, 1 November 1933, Page 8

OBITUARY

MR J. C. ABERNETHY The death occurred at Gore on Saturday of Mr J. C. Abernethy, for many years accountant for the firm of Messrs Fleming and Co. He was born at Castle Douglas, near Durafrieshire, Scotland, in 1855, and was educated at the Dumfrieshire Academy. At the age of 19 he came to New Zealand with his family in the James Nicol Fleming. He lived for a short time with his family at Dunedin, but then responded to an urge for travel. After working in Sydney and Auckland for a short time, be became associated with a commercial.venture trading with the Pacific islands. From there he journeyed to America, spending most of his time in San Francisco. Mr Abernethy was a keen boxer, and was for a time a pupil of Jem Mace, the famous boxer. He was also a personal friend of two ex-world champions, Jim Corbett and Peter Jackson, acting as sparring partner,to the former. He was also a keen bulldog enthusiast, and in hia early ditys at Auckland he kept a pack of hounds. He was a foundation member of the Dunedin Coursing Club. From America he returned to New Zealand and was married, and about 1907 commenced business at Mataura. Shortly afterwards he became accountant for Messrs James Macalister and .Co., Invercargill, and in 1918 went to Gore as accountant for Messrs Fleming and Co., with which firm he worked until about three years ago, when he retired on account of failing, health. He was a keen bowler, having been a member of the Caledonian (Dunedin), , Mataura and Hokonui Clubs. He was a great lover of cricket. He was a great student of Scottish literature and had a valuable library on Scottish literature and history. He is survived by his widow (nee Miss Sophie Beattie, daughter of Mr and Mrs William Beattie, of Dunedin), and his only son, Mr lan Campbell Abernethy, Matamata, Auckland. ’ 1 7 DR W. E. HERBERT (Special to Daily Times.)/ WELLINGTON, October 31. Although it was known to some of his friends that Dr W. E. Herbert had been ill for the last two or three weeks, his death early this morning came as a great shock, and undoubtedly removes an outstanding figure from the life of the community. Dr Herbert was born at Lawrence in 1872, and was a son, of Mr John F. Herbert, a runholder of Kelso. He was educated at the Otago Boys’ High School, and after a short period at the Otago University he proceeded to Edinburgh University, where he showed intense interest in his studies. He graduated M.B. in 1899, and proceeded to his degree of M.D. in 1902, passing the fellowship examination of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. After some years of practice he became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and also of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. After his graduation as a house surgeon at Liverpool he came under thej influence of / the late Sir Robert Jones, whose surgical work for soldiers was famous during the Great War. Dr Herbert'commenced private practice in Wellington in partnership with Dr Albert Martin, and his professional skill, human sympathy, industry, and understanding brought him a large practice. He was appointed to the staff of the Wellington Hospital and did excellent surgical work. His name should be remembered in the Wellington Hospital for many years to come for his enthusiastic support in raising money to build a new children’s hospital, which is a great credit to the institution, and for his forceful leadership in helping to raise money for the purchase of radium in the large supplies which have become increasingly useful for the treatment of cancer, and are now in the service of the cancer campaign clinic. Dr Herbert was one iof those who did much for the establishment of a Health Department in t New Zealand, the first Health Ministry to be established in the British Empire. He was always deeply interested in public health affairs, and was a keen supporter of fresh air treatment, including sanatorium treatment for consumption prevention, physical unfitness, and goitre. The investigation of cancer also claimed his attention, and indeed anything that ■ made for the health and happiness of the people generally. He was vicepresident of the Children’s Health Camp Association and interested in the movement from its inception. He was an active supporter of the Plunket Society and with the help of the Rotary Club, of which he was at one time president, he took a large part in the establishment of the Karitfine Hospital. Much impressed with the post-graduate medical study available- in America, which country he visited on several occasions, he became a personal friend of the Mayo brothers and other leading surgeons. In the Great War Dr Herbert served with the rank of major, and did good service in the New Zealand military hospitals in England. He maintained his interest in the returned soldiers and served as the representative of the Returned Soldiers’ Association on the War Pensions Appeal Board. He was also keenly interested in sport and for some years took a prominent part in racing as an owner and as an official of l the Wellington Racing Club. He was a close student of the thoroughbred racehorse and some years back he owned and raced several horses, among the best known being probably 80-peep, Cotillion, Mary Margaret, Philomela, Struggle, Active, Pot Pourri, Rugby and Vogue. He was an enthusiastic advocate of the Bruce Lowe system of breeding horses and it was he who first pointed out the remarkable lines of a yearling to be offered at the 1928 Trentham sales who was later to earn such fame as Phar Lap. Although he was so actively interested in racing he seldom saw his own horses race. Dr Herbert was an enthusiastic Freemason, and among other Masonic offices which he held was that of Master of the Aorangi Lodge.

Dr Herbert married Miss Florence Gilmer, a daughter of Mr Hamilton Gilmer, M.L.C., and had a family of three daughters—Mrs Jeffery Manning (living at Karachi, India), Mrs Charles Levin, and Miss Betty Herbert.

CAPTAIN E. DELANEY (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 31. The death is announced of Captain Ernest Delaney, a well-known resident of Petone, who was formerly in tho service of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board, from which he resigned six months ago because of ill-health. He served in the West African campaign just after the Boer War, and joined up with the Canadian Artillery when the Great War commenced. Later he transferred to the Canadian Cavalry and was in the second battle of Ypres with his squadron. Captain Delaney next transferred to the Canadian Tank Corps, after which he was appointed adjutant at the cavalry training barracks at Folkestone. In New Zealand he had been actively associated with the Legion of Frontiersmen. MR R. H. MEDLAND (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 31. The death occurred at Wellington of Mr Robert Henry Medland, a well-known

bowler of the Thorndon Club, in his ninetieth year. His parents came to New Zealand in the ship Amelia Thompson, and landed in New Plymouth in 1841. Mr Medland wds born in 1844. As a boy he was apprenticed to the Taranaki News, and became overseer of the Taranaki Herald. He later entered the Government Printing Office at Wellington, and retired in 1909 after 35 years’ service. Mr Medland saw a good deal of the Maori wars. When only 10 years of age he joined the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers, in which he served for five years.

SIR AUGUSTUS FITZGEORGE COUSIN OF QUEEN MARY. LONDON, October 30. The death is announced of Colonel Sir Augustus Fitzgeorge, who was a great grandson of King George 111, and a cousin of Queen Mary. MR WILLIAM STONE \ (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, September 20. * The Ilford Recorder announces the death of Mr William Stone, who in his early days was an engineer with the New Zealand Shipping Company. He had to leave the sea in 1901 when he contracted rheumatic fever, and he took a tobacconist’s shop in the High road, Ilford. On retirement from business in 1921 he went to live at Leigh-on-Sea, then moved to Shenfiold, and returned to Ilford a year ago He was a Freemason of the Leigh-on-Sea Lodge 4708. Mr Stone leaves a widow, three sons and a daughter.