OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3897, 20 November 1928, Page 51

OBITUARY.

A cable message from Sydney announces the death of Mr J. W. Abigail, a prominent criminal court lawyer. Mr H.. E. Caughey, of the firm of Messrs Smith and Caughey, Auckland and president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, passed away at his home on Thursday morning. Walter Henry Bailey, a retired farmer, formeidy of Kimbolton, Feilding. died at Wellington, aged 78. It is understood bba t he leaves substantial bequests to public institutions, including the' City Council. Mr M'Cully was one of the best known figures in the farming community of South Canterbury, and in Temuka he was untiring in everything that pertained to the welfare of the town. He was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was an elder. As superintendent of the Milford Sunday School he was esteemed by children and parents alike. He was in his sixty-third year, and these years from his earliest manhood were crowded with an abundance of labour. The death occurred suddenly of Mr, W. H. Tisdall, founder and head of the firm of Messrs W. H. Tisdall, Ltd. The cause of death was heart failure. Mr Tisdall was widely known, not only in business circles, but as an angling and shooting enthusiast;- He was for several years on the council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and was president for one term. He also held, the office of treasurer and president of the Canterbury Automobile Association. He is survived by a widow, three sons, and a married daughter.

Mr James Mowat, an old identity of Wellington, died at his residence in Bidwell street on Wednesday at the age of 92 years. He was born at Ronaldsha, in the Orkney Islands, and came to Australia when a young man. . Later he came to New Zealand, and was for some years in business as a tailor in Dunedin. Forty years ago Mr Mowat took up his residence in Wellington, buying out the tailoring establishment of Messrs J. and R Sloane, on Lambton quay, and carrying on the business for 12 years, when he retired. He was one of the oldest members of the Wellington Bowling Club which he joined when he first came to’ Wellington. He was also an old member of the Wellington Commercial Travellers Association. Mr Mowat was closely con-

nected with the member of Waterloo Lodge for many Je xT B ’ r.? 1 ! 8 27 years ago. Mr Richard Norman writes: “ I note with regret the death in Dunedin of Mrs Elsie Smith, eldest daughter of the late J?! ° nald , and Elspeth M'Lennan, of Hawea i +' , ey were the first permanent resire ’ the family coming about 1866. Mr M Lennan held the position of married shepherd in charge of that part of the run. which was an important charge 1868 VZ% da , y9 TT D , Uring the winter of 1868 John Hugh Healey, an aged man of ob, who was a Victorian pioneer who ° de P< and two youthful men started to cross Grandview, opposite the Lagoon V alley hut. There was a lot of InnWi 0 n l he grou ? d > and the weather b w d ’ i and when the y reached the top Mr Healey turned back. Mr M’Lennan was then three days, searching for mm, leaving home before daylight, and getting back after dark.- Mr Healey, hownncr’, Camp Cr eek hut, where one of the station bullock drivers found him, and he was then taken to the Clyde Hospital, and three toes were amputated foot ’ a He bad the best of medical attention, and recovered, but he died a couple of years after.”

xnru suddep deatb of Mr Samuel M Cully on November 11 has cast a gloom over the community. Shortly bewr n ° Clock in the afternoon Mr M Cully was one of the mourners motoring with the 50 cars which made up the funeral cortege of Mrs George Ward whose remains were laid to rest in the Cemetery. He then attended the Milford Sunday School, of which he was tor many years superintendent. Having dismissed the pupils, Mr M’Cully wm about 4.30 p.m. motoring to Clandebove, and when near the homestead of Mr W Timblick Ins car was seen to swerve across the road and run into a ditch, , along the road in view of Mr M Cully s car were M r J. Jones (Milford) and Mr P. Wallace (Clandeboye), hastened to the car and found Mr M Cully sitting behind the wheel with his head thrown back and breathing heavily Mr Timblick, who was called conveyed Mr .M’Ciilly to his house, and Dr Scannell, who was quickly on the scene, could only pronounce life extinct. Mrs Mary Kirk, who died at her residence, Cargill street, on Thursday, was born at Milngavie, Scotland, m 1852. She arrived with her parents at Dunediu in. the ship Strathfieldsay in 1858, and, with the exception of about two years of her married life, when she lived in Wellington, she had resided in Dunedin ever since—a period of over 70 years. Mrs Kirk was one of the first pupils of the old Beach School, the forerunner of the present Arthur Street School. She was of a quiet and retiring disposition, but, nevertheless, gathered to herself a large circle of friends, to whom her death will be a distinct loss. She employed much of her spare time in needlework, examples of her handicraft being frequently exhibited at exhibitions of the past, and during the war period she -was an indefatigable w T orker for the men at the front. She had a very keen mentality, and took a close interest in the events of the day, retaining her faculties and exercising them fully until within an hour or two of her passing away. This was evidenced by the fact that, although she died early on Thursday morning, she insisted upon exercising her parliamentary vote on the previous day. One of her brothers was the late Mr Robert Wilson, one of the founders and manager of the Morning Herald newspaper, upon which the poet Thomas Bracken was emploved, and a sister was the late Miss Jean Wilson, the first child to be baptised in old Knox Church. The deceased’s husband predeceased her by over 45 years. She leaves two sons, Mr J. R. Kirk, of Gisborne (formerly Mayor of both Naseby and Gisborne), and Mr A. E. Kirk, of Waimate.