PERSONAL ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3040, 19 June 1912, Page 67

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Advice has been received by cable that Lieutenant Redmond B. Neill, son of Mr P. G. Neill, of thds city, has been promoted to a captaincy in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, now stationed at Quetta. Captain Neill ioined the ay-my in ISOO, and saw active service during \he Boer war with the South Lancashire Rsgiment, and subsequently with his present regiment, the 2nd Battalion Irish Fusiliers, which has since the war been stationed in India. Captain NeiLl has recently returned to India from a successful shooting expedition in Central Africa,

At the meeting of the Dunedin City Council on the 11th, Cr W. D. Stewart was unanimously appointed the council's representative on the Otago University Council.

The friends of Mr Reynolds Denniston, who - is suffering from rheumatic fever in Kalgoorlie, will be pleased to learn that a cablegram, was received >on th* 11th stating that tie is now out of danger. A Press Association telegram from Wan-, ganui states that the funeral of the late Wiki Kemp took place on the 11th itist. There was a fairly large attendance of Europeans despite the fact that the date of the funeral came as a surprise. Many of the visiting Natives will leave to-day. for Hawke's Bay, where another tangi is in progress. The death of Mr William Rigney, of Horseshoe Bend, which occurred on the sth inst., lias removed from our midst one more of the fast-disappearing band. of the old mining pioneers. The late Mr Rigney was in many ways a remarkable man, endowed with an intelligence beyond the average, and an indomitable will, combined with pluck, courage, and a hearty constitution far beyond his otherwise somewhat feeble-rooking appearance. The way in which he grappled, almost unaided and without capital, a gigantic undertaking in bringing water on to his claim below the Horseshoe Bend (afterwards known as Eadie and Kirkpatrick's), across the dutha River over an almost inaccessible gorge was a tribute to the enterprise and energy with which he was possessed. His name will always be associated with the Horseshoe Bend in connection v/itfti what is termed the "lonely grave," which always attracts the attention of the wayfarer, and in which is buried the remains of one of the many victims of the early days, who fell a prey to the turbulent and, at that time, unbridged waters .of the Clutha River. These remains were found by Mr Rigney, and buried in this lonely spot on the riverside, around which has been erected a substantial enclosure, contributed to by public subscription, and a headstone bearing the inscription, "Somebody's darling Hes buried here," whilst alongside stands the original cut out on a rude board by the primitive appliance possessed by Mr Rigney at the time. The deceased always expressed a desire to be buried there himself. Some difficulty presented itself in acceding to this wish in the absence of Mr Robertson, fVi-N on*)»ic-;«c<tw Mowr r»f T.>awr«>TWA who. was in Dunedin at the Winter Show, but the matter was taken in hand by Mr John Sheehy, of Miller's Flat, and a few other local gentlemen, and everything was creditably and satisfactorily carried out, The funeral, which took place on Sunday afternoon, was well attended considering the state of the weather, the bad roads, and the outlandish situation of the place. The service at the grave was conducted by the Rev. Father O'Connell, of Lawrence. Mr Alex. MTntosh, who died at Fitzroy. near New Plymouth, on the Bth, was formerly manager of tho New Plymouth branch of the Bank of Australasia, and prior to that had charge of the Invereargill and Maaaia branches of the bank.

According to tho Melbourne Argus, the Brighton (Victoria) Congregational Church has " extended a call to the ■ Rev. W. J. Closs, of. Christchurch, New Zealand, who has filled the pulpit on several occasions since tho ret ! r«!»CEt of tho Rev G R. Brett." Senior-sergeant Harold Roy Domigan, son of Mr YV. Domigan, Gore, and nephew of Mr A. Domigan, Queenstown, who has been eelected to go to Canada with other Dominion Cadets, is 16 years of age, and has fained a marksman's badgo for shooting. d 1911 ho B&atxed the first prize for the best sergeant In the Gore High School Cadete.

At a double valedictory social, held in tho Tokomairiro Presbyterian Church Hall this week, Messrs R. M'Kinnon and A. C. Webb were bidden farewell by the choir and congregation, and made the recipients of tokens of the esteem in which they were held, and in recognition of their services to tho church during many years- Mr M'Kinnon, who has been recently transferred to Dunedin as auctioneer for Messrs D. Reid and Co., had been a member of tho church choir and deacons' court, and was also a Sunday school teacher. He was p,v.«on+nd with a handsomely-bound volume of Church Praise and a travelling rug. Mr Webb, organist and choirmaster for the past five years, who has accented an appointment as musio master at King's College, Reamera, Auckland, was presented with an ebony silver-mounted inscribed baton from the choir, and also a gold double albert from the congregation. Mr J. W. Smith, dairy inspector, who is to leavo Dunedin for tho West Coast, was met by a number of the members of the Dunedin and Suburban Dairymen's Association on Wednesday evening and presented with a silver-mounted umbrella and an inkstand, suitably inscribed. Mr Beissel made tho presentation, and spoke in very high terms of the capable and tactful manner in which Mr Smith had always carried out his duties, and expressed the opinion that Mr Smith would be quito as successful in tho new position to which he is going. A number of justices of tho peace, together with Mr S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., assembled at tho Napier Courthouse on Monday, 10th inst.. to bid farewell to Inspector Dwyer, who (says tho Hawke'e Bay Herald) left on Wednesday to take up hie duties as Inspector of Police at Dunedin. Mr S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., said that tho Napier justices thought that on Inspector Dwyer's promotion to a more important centio it was fitting that they should tender him their congratulations and express their regret at his leaving the district. In-

spector Dwyer had alwaye met all classes of people with tact ajid impartiality. In conclusion, Sir M'Garthy expressed his regret at Inspector Dwyer's departure, but congratulated him -on the fact that the authorities had decided to g'vo him a better position. Several other gentlemen spoke-in praise of Inspector Dwyer's work, and in reply the Inspector stated that during the four years ho had been stationed in INapier he had striven to do his best. He had always had the support of the-magistrate and the justices of the peace when conducting business in the court. He concluded by again thanking the justices for their kind words of farewell. Later on the same day a number of leading citizens of Napier gathered to honour Inspector Dwyer,' and to make a. presentation to Mrs Dwyer. In returning thanks on this occasion, the Inspector said that his promotion was not of his own seeking, , and he would have been quite content had the department passed him oyer. In six years' time he would be entitled to his full pension, and he was certain that h 9 would then return to Hawke's Bay to spend the remainder of his days. The solicitors of Napier also took an opportunity of saying farewell to the Inspector, and a representative gathering of the Police Force met on Monday evening to make a presentation to Mrs Dwyer, as a mark of their esteem for her and appreciation of her husband. Tho death of Mr David Forsyth, of Elm row, which is announced in this issue. re> move* a very old settler from our midst. Mr Forsyth, who was born at Laurencekirk, in Kincardineshire, on November 20, 1833, arrived at Port Chalmers in the StrathaHan in January, 1858, and was on the goldfields in 1862.,. For some years he carried on business as' a builder in Dunedin, and he erected many of the wellknown premises of the early days. The deceased gentleman, who retired from basiness many y#ars ago, is survived by two sons—Robert -and Alfred Stuart. ._

Advice has t>een received at Diannevirko (says an Association message) of the death of tho Right Rev. Monsignor Ahcrn, of Casino", New South Wales. Tho deceased was well known in New Zealand' being formerly stationed at Nelson, Blenkeim.viWaipawa, Gisborne, and Pukekohe. .

Tho flags on the Town Hall buildings' were lowered to half-mast, on Friday op ac* count of the death of Mrs Wiiham Wilson, tho mother of Mr John Wilson, Mayor of the city. The deceased lady, whose age was 82 years, arrived in New Zealand from Scotkuiu some 54 years ago. She leaves a family of two daughters eons.

Mr Harry Douglas Cook, who died suddenly in the Stirling Athenaeum on Tuesday, June 11, was a resident of Kaitangata of long standing. For some years he nad been working at the Kaitangata mine, but eince meeting with an accident about two years ago he was unfifc for strenuous work* and latterly earned his living as a book - canvasser. As Dr Fitzgerald had been attending him for some, time, he certified that death was due to hemorrhage of the brain, and an inquest was deemed unnecessary. The deceased, who waa 47 yeans of age, leaves a widow and a family of four, the youngest about 12 yeans. There passed away at his residence, Mary streut, Invereargill, on the 12th, another of Southland's very early settlers—Mr William Farnie—at the age of 73 years. Born at Dunfermline, Fifeehire, in 1858, the deceased came to New Zealand by the ship Lady Raglan, landing at Port Chalmers in 1864. The times were very dull when he arrived in Invereargill, so he revmovcd to Dunedin, where he found employment until 1875, when he returned to Invprcnrgill, and founded the painters and decorators business in Tay street; which 'is still carried on. He was married in Glasgow in 1863 to a daughter of the late Mr Robert Fergus, of Kirkintulloch, Dunbartonshire, and leaves two eons and one daughter. A Rotorua message states that one of the most aristocratic chiefs of the Ngati Pikiao, named Hopetu Te Pakura, died on Thursday; aged 89. He was a great peace advocate in his tribe during the Maori war, and was instrumental in* avoiding much bloodshed.

At Waikouaiti, on Monday evening, » farewell social was tendered Mr J. W. Mil lor, who for the last three years has acted as manager of the KUttoa sheep station, and who is leaving to take up the position of manager of the Malvern Downs Station. The gathering was held in the Anglican Sunday School Hall, the Mayor of the borough presiding, and there was a V»<»o attendance. Tho Mayor, asked Mr Miller to accept a gold sovereign-case a farewell gift from his many Waikoiraiti friends, and Mr P. Toomey, on behalf of the young ladies of the district, presented 'him wjith a gold love charm. A number of representative gentlemen spoke of the general regret fek at Mr Miller's departure from the district, and wished him much eucceso in his new position. Police Inspector Dwyer arrived in Dunedin by the second express from the north on Saturday.

Mr Ernest T. Dawn, who was recently with the local branch of Messrs Stewart Dawson and Co., and who was well known among mueical circles in Dunedin, has been appointed manager of the Christchurch branch of that firm.

A private ietter received from Mr Harry Plimmer (says the Dominion) gives particulars of the illness of his partner, Air Reynolds Denniston (formerly of Dunedin, and son of Mr G. L. Denniston). The company had to leave Mr Denniston behind at

Kalgoorlie with his wife (professionally Miss Valentino Sidney). He was then in a very bad way with rheumatism, which was afftectinjf the heart, and looked like developing into acute pericarditis. Once or twice he was close to death's door, and whan the company finally loft Fromantle the news came that he had slightly improved. Since v then he had a relapse, and pneumonia supervened... On Saturday, June 1, all hope was given up, but three days later he was still fighting. Fortunately Mr Dcnniston is now out of danger. v' : " An old and highly-respected resident of Mosgiel has passed away In the person of Mr 3 Robert Gibson. The golden wedding of Mr and Mara Gibson ia comparatively fresh in tho memory of friends, having l taken place on March 11. 1909. The deceased lady (saye the Taieri Advocate) was a daughter of Mt Wm. Petrie, of Durris, Scotland, and was married" to' Mr Gibson at North Taieri by the Rev. Dr Will, in 1859. A family of 14- children were born of the marriage, and of these 42 survive. Of th«> sons, William is at'Dunedin, Robert at San Francisco, John and Edgar *t Napier, James at Otokia, Arthur.at North Taieri, George at Wellington, and Herbert at Ohristchurch. The daughters are Mrs Meikletobn (Dunedin), Nurse Mathse«oh (Dunedin), and the Misses Maggie and Isabella (MoSgiel). During the past 50 odd years, in sunshine and in rain, thnntgh' Hie trials of early pioneering life, a true and sympathetic helpmate, Mrs Gibson has been wjfh her husband, and, like him, found herself in the evening of her lifetime, a bo- • % loved parent and an honoured and respected . . member of the community. To the relatives ' we extend out sincere sympathy. A Wellington Press Association telegram reports that Mr R. H. Ferguson, who went to Guclph, Ontario, about 12 months ago for the purpose of studying agriculutral methods as taught in the best schools of America, has recently been (selected as Profesor M*Oaeady's assistant out of 800 students. The professor is director of elementary agricultural education in the State of Ontario, and has 5000 schools under his control. Mr Ferguson was cdu- j oated in Ohristchurch, and until recently held a .jjositlbh as teacher under the Hawke's Bay Education B»ard, , A Press Association telegram reports the death at Wellington on the 17th of Mr ft. O. Barraud. Deceased, «?ho was a son of th# late Mr C. D. Barraud, was born in. Wellington in 1853. At the age ol 15 he joined the Telegraph Department, bub left the service five years later to tako up'{a position on the staff of the Bank of New Zealand. Subsequently he was on the staff of the bank-on the West Coast at Hokitika, Ross, Stratford, and other places, and-"was appointed manager of the bank at Lowe* Hutt in 1879, retiring a few years ago. He was twice married, and is survived by his second wife, a daughter of Mr W. Mowbray, of the Hutt, and coven children. > three by his first wife.