OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22285, 11 June 1934, Page 7

OBITUARY

MR J. J. WOODS The death occurred at Lawrence on Friday of Mr J. ,J. Woods, who for 55 years* held the position of clerk of the Tuapeka County Council, and was during ]iis residence in Lawrence a.noteworthy figure in the business and social life of the community. V , . Mr . Woods was born in ,-Tasmania* in 1849, and received his education' there. As a young man lie took up teaching as a profession, and .was .engaged in that capacity in Tasmania for eight or nine year. He then came to. New Zealand, and landed on the West Qoast. After visiting Nelson, 'Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, ;he was' en* gaged as a teacher, in. private ;6cliobls in Lawrence■ andlnvercargill, .making a specialty of tuition in music, to '.which lie was passionately devoted. On , the formation of:- the •. Tuapeka, .County Council at the beginning of 1877 he was appointed clerk, a position which he held for well over half , a century. It is probably safe to say that his record of service as a county clerk has never been equalled in New Zealand. In January, 1927, when the jubilee of the Tuapeka County Council was celebrated, Mr Woods was the recipient of the heartiest congratulations from a wide circle of friends oh his completion of 50 years of devoted service to the community. Amidst a scene of great enthusiasm he was presented with an illuminated address and a cheque of substantial dimensions for himself, and a gold watch for his daughter as a mark of appreciation of his long and faithful service and the esteem . in which - he and his daughter were held by the County Council and the ratepayers. Mr Wood’s love for his . two- hobbies .was expressed in the course of his acknowledgement of the presentation. He said he regarded music as a divine art and heaven as a beautiful garden of celestial flowers, peopled by choirs of angels, whoso songs of praise and adoration would replace their present-day earthly language. Mr Woods retired froni -the clerkship of the Tuapeka County .in January, 1932, having completed exactly 55 years’ service, with, the and on the occasion of his. retirement he was created an honorary freeman of Tuapeka Council in recognition of his services to . the county and to the Dominion. He thus had the distinction of being the first county freeman to be created in the British dominions. , v > v . Apart from his business activities, Mr Woods had two outstanding hobbies—music and, gardening. He was an enthusiastic musician, and could perform on no fewer than 12 instruments, but his favourite was the yioliri.' For ; many years there was scarcely a musical performance in the. Lawrence district in which he did not take,part, and he was also conductor, of .the choir of the local Roman Catholic Church. , Apart from his abilities as a performing musician, he achieved distinction in the musical world as the composer of,.the score of the New Zealand National Anthem (“God Defend New Zealand’’) the words of which were .written by the late Thomas Bracken.. Many years ago he won a prize of £lO offered by the Saturday Advertiser, which was then conducted by Mr Bracken, for the. best musical setting for the anthem. There were numerous competitors, and Messrs Zelmah, Zephin, and Siede, of Melbourne, who were entrusted with the work of adjudication, awarded the prize to Mr Woods. When Mr Seddon was in England in 1897 for the diamond jubilee celebrations he presented a copy, of the anthem to Queen Victoria, who commanded that it should be sent to Buckingham Palace. Vv ! ‘ ,• • In his younger days Mr Woods took an active interest in most of the recreations in the Lawrence district, including cricket, lawn tennis,’, cycling, and bowling. He .was tlm' winner of the first trophy ever 'competed for by the Lawrence Bowling Club. . Mr Woods, whose wife died many years ago, had; a family of,three sons and one daughter. ■