OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24944, 17 June 1942, Page 4

OBITUARY

CAPTAIN KING

The death has occurred at Greymouth of Captain John William King, a native of Dunedin, aged 65 years, and probably one of the most widely-known shipping masters in the Dominion. For the last 17 years he had been wharf superintendent at Dunedin, and he went to Greymouth on his retirement two months ago. He went to sea in sail at an early age and joined the Union Steam Ship Company as fifth officer of the Waikari in 1900; He received rapid promotion, and was first officer of the Corinna. Warrimoo, and Manuka.

His first position as a skipper was as master of the Flora in September, 1910. Afterwards he commanded several ships, including the Tarawera and the Warrimoo. In 1911 he was appointed assistant marine superintendent at Dunedin, and when the company's head office was transferred from Dunedin to Wellington in 1922 he went to Wellington till June, 1924. when he was transferred back to Dunedin as wharf superintendent. He was a foundation member of the New Zealand Company of Master Mariners and had a large circle of acquaintances. Besides his wife, who is a daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Haglund, Greymouth, he is survived by a daughter, Mrs A. S. Dalgliesh (Sydney), a brother, Mr Thomas King, and two sisters, Miss- Mary King, principal of the Otago Girls' High School, and Miss Helen King, all of Dunedin. ■ MR W. I. ASHTON

Mr William Isaac Ashton. «ia wellknown Dunedin master plasterer, who died on June 7 at his residence, 36 Oxford street. South Dunedin. was born in 1863 at Wiltshire, England- With his parents and other members of the family, he sailed from Plymouth in 1874 in the four-masted sailing ship Scimitar (afterwards known as the Rangitiki), which arrived at Port Chalmers after a record-breaking voyage of 68 days. Some 10 years later he left Dunedin for Melbourne, where he learned the plastering trade, and in 1888 he married Miss Philippa Nichols. In 1893, with his wife and family, he returned to Dunedin, where he commenced business on his own account as a plasterer. In 1931, he retired from active work, leaving his three sons to carry on the business. Although Mr Ashton did not take any public part in the affairs of the city, he was a prominent member of the South Dunedin Baptist Church, which he joined in 1881. Upon his return to Dunedin in" 1893, he resumed his connection with the church, in which for many years he was a deacon and elder. Altogether he had to his credit 60 years as a Sunday school teacher, a record in which he took justifiable pride. Mrs Ashton predeceased him in 1938. He is survived by five daughters. Mrs G. Ranger (Putaruru), Mrs A. Brown (Paterangi), Mrs A. Young, Mrs H. Ockwell, and Miss Ashton; three sons, William, Baden, and Albert; and by 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.