OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3006, 25 October 1911, Page 13

OBITUARY

MR LACHLAN LANGLANDS. Mr LaohLan Langlands died early on Friday morning at St. Clair. Despite his great ago ho wias able to move about actively till a few months ago, when, owing to heart -disease,' miuch active physical exertion became impossible. Nevertheless, ue was not confined to his bed, and' still moved about leisurely. As a matter of fact, the end came suddenly, as Mr Langlands died in his sileep. ->

He was the son of Captain Roger Langlands, R.N., and was born on tiro island of Sanda, off Campbellton, Argyleshire, on July 7, 1830, and came to Now Zealand in the third immigrant ship for Otago —the Victory (Captain Meekins), —arriving at Port Chalmers on July 8, 1848. Three months later he was appointed clerk to the Customs, Post Office, and Treasury at Port Chalmers, under Mr John Macarthy* who was appointed by ' the Governor, B>ir George Grey, as head of all Government departments except those of Resident Magistrate and Inspector of Police, which wero allotted to Mr A Chet ham Strode,’ with quarters in Dunedin. No provision was made for a post office in Dunedin, but Mr Archibald Anderaon, who came from Wellington in 1845. with sheep and cattle and had a store in Princes street, agreed, without salary, or appointment, to receive and despatch letters from and: to Port Chalmers. When Mr Anderson retired from business Mr H. B. Graham, editor of the Otago News, acted on the same terms. In 1849 Mr Langlands was appointed postmaster, Dunedin. The only building available was a small building like a sentry box above the Arcade and midway between High and Maclaggan. streets, which belonged to Dr Manning, and was appropriately called “The Pill Box.” Access to it involved a steep climb over rough ground, and was in no way suitable for the purpose, especially as it had to be frequently closed when Mr Langlands journeyed to Port Chalmers to make up an inland or despatch an outward mail. The whole service was most unsatisfactory, so representations wore made to Wellington, with the result that Mr James Brown, draper, in business at the comer of Princes and Stafford streets, was appointed, and Mr Langlands reinstated at Port Chalmers. In June, 1855, the head office was moved from Port Chalmers to an iron building at the comer of Princes and Jetty streets. Until the diggings broke out there was very little to do, and in 1857 Mr Sam Pike, owner of the Waikakahe Estate, Waitaki, offered the management of the -estate to Mr Langlands, who accepted and had the .first buildings at Elephant Hill erected, Mr Archibald Boot taking ais place in the post office. Mr Langlands took great interest in pastoral pursuits, and was very successful in the treatment of scab, then very prevalent among flocks, and successively managed Waikakahe, Hamiltons. Patearoa, and Deep Dell in Otago, and Blaokmount and Lynwood in Southland. While at Lynwood ho, saved the life of Frank Hankinson, one of the owners of tho station, who fell overboard in the middle of the To Anau Lake during a gale of wind, when going with a party which included Mr Cox, Dr Hector’s assistant, and throe of his men, on a geological . prospecting expedition. Mr Langlands rather prided himself on this feat, as the intense coldness of the water and want of buoyancy makes swimming in tho southern lakes a very difficult matter. No person drowned in those lakes ever comes to she surface, and Mr Langlainds’s theory was that tho cold prevents decay, but more likely tends to petrifaction. In 1898 he left the country to again settle in Dunedin in retirement, and in 1899 was appointed secretary to the Ota,go_ Early Settlers’ Association, which was initiated in 1898, but was then almost in a state of collapse through the inability of its promoters (descendants of early settlers) to get a proper “grip” of old identity times and doings In 1906 Mr Langlands married Annie, relict of Thomas Culling, late proprietor, of the paper mills. Matau.ro, and in April. 1909, having mainly by his enthusiasm and energy brought the assocatioin to such a degree of prosperity that it was enabled to build a large hall, including offices and a museum, . and having been successful in scouring quite a large collection of relics and records, etc., | for the museum, Mr Langlands resigned, ! and passed a happy retired life with Mrs , Langlands in their lovely home at St. Clair. \