A GOLDEN WEDDING,

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 48

A GOLDEN WEDDING,

Mr Bastings has had a varied career, both commercially and politically. Born at Islington, London, he was educated at the celebrated Christ Hospital Blue Coat School, proceeding to Australia with his father in 1849. Prior to leaving for Dunedin he occupied the position of Mayor of Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne. Arriving in Dunedin in 1862, he commenced business, and subsequently removed to Lawrence, building the Commercial Hotel there and the Black Horse Brewery at Wetherstones, and afterwards becoming proprietor of Cobb and Co.'s coaches. Subsequently he became a member of the firm of Bastings, Leary and Co., Dunedin. Returning to Australia he constructed the first cable line of cars in Sydney, and afterwards built the Bacchus Marsh-Ballan railway, at a cost of £225,000. Mr Bastings was elected a member of the old Town Board of Dunedin in 1863 ; member of Provincial Council 1864, holding office as Provincial Secretary, Secretary for Lands and Works, and Secretary for the Goldfields; member of Otago Land Board; Mayor of Lawrence for six years; member of House of Eeiaesentatives for "WVtaia 1874- , 1832; member of Otago Education Board; chairman of Tuapeka County i Council, etc. With the Superintendent, the Hon. Mr Macandrew, he officially visited Southland prior to its reunion with Otago to arrange the terms of reunion. In return for carrying a. motion in Parliament for the construction of the Tapanui railway Mr Bastings was presented in 1877 with a purse of 500 sovereigns ; while the manufacturers of Dunedin presented him with a handsome drinking cup. In 1866 Mr Bastings was Provincial Grand Master for the Otago Distr'ct of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, and is a Past Master in Lodge St. George, I.C. of Freemasons. Mr and Mrs Bastings, who are now resident at Invercargill, are both in excellent health, und aTe widely respected from one end of the colony to the other.

" To be taken as required." — Some of the London doctors are going in strongly for a new and fashionable cure for their adult patients who suffer from indigestion, etc. They prescribe a quarter of an hour's vigorous exercises c in the morning with skipping ropes.

The Taranaki Herald has been shown a Jjiece cut from a-rimu verandah post that had J been erected about fifty years. The wood is Shard and sound, and shows that age rather improves the quality, and. that good heart of rimu has proved to be one of the most durable as veil as beautiful timbers grown in the colony.

The Auckland Star says that a large number of people assembled at Mackaytown on Sunday week to witness a football match. A sailor, named Faulkiner, who nine years ago was found to be suffering from leprosy, and has since been confined to the lazaretto at the Melbourne Heads, died a few days ago. He was the last and only lepev in the colony.