DEATH OF MR J. BROOKING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13171, 3 September 1913, Page 2

DEATH OF MR J. BROOKING.

Tlie death occurred late yesterday afternoon of .Mr John Brooking, vvho has been a. resident m the Poverty Bay district for the past half a century: The deceased gentleman had been m tailing health for some time, apd about a fortnight ago ho was admit^ecTtb the hospital, where ht gradually! iirJiklJ He leaves a \vklow, who is, also a patient m the hospital, ajid an adopted daughter, MrsL.Tait.

The late Mr Brooking, , whose „..,two brothers reside' at Makauri, had s ""^ an interesting career, and wa* an authority upon native matteTs m this district. He was bom m Dartmouth, Devonshire, being a son of Mr. Henry Brooding,, was collector of customs at'Briicham, Yand a. nephew of Captain Arthur Brooking, of the Proserpine, who "distinguished himself during the Burmese^war, as,mentioned m "Grant's British 1 Battles." Coming to New Zealand m■■ 1857, : Mr; Brooking joined the Hawke's Bay Col-' onial Defence force m 1863, ' and m 1865 came to Poverty Bay, where he was engaged m the ttefence of Waerenga-a-hika. Mir Brooking afterwards wenVto the Chatham Islands as one of 'the 'guard «£. fc th m re vvith the Hauhau priwneß. When Te Kooti escaped from', tlie Ghathams, Mr Brooking wes a member of, a volunteer corps,, and was among those who, having been without -food for several days and having expended their ammunition, suffered a disastrous- defeat - ' ?Lo p f atu: ' After ' tbe htassacte './m •'■ 1«68, the corps to which Mr Brbokinc belonged, acted as scouts: for" the pro--tection of the district till -1872. wttert they were struck off pay. He thWfbiri- - ed the armed constabulary, and was >eh- ; gaged m expeditions against Te Kooti m the vicinity of Waikarerpoaria ahd-an the Urewera country. , lii i_7s, fighTfcig being ovAr, he accepted -an appoihtinerit : •as extra clerk and interpreter m tlu* Native Land Court under judge RoaStf'' This he held till. 1877, and ; in 1879^e obtained an appointment as . clerk and interpreter m the, Government Land,_)e--partment. On the retirement of Col. Porter, Mr BrookSng tobk cjiiffge Ibf land purchase work and, all I native Wopfc ' ' m the district, until tho^purchase^f native land was discontinued- -axo^ >' was then appointed) olerky and ihtSfeeter to the Native Land Uoi_rt. Tn 1886- : ,he was appointed regiitrar of. the Native Land Court, Gisboripe distriot, _ntf' from September 1893,: until January 189%: hi was detached from the court for. the • pm-pose of acquiring native' land ' m the East Coast district for the Government, and he succeeded m acquiring . a. large area. ;In March 1897,:' he was?ap- : pointed a su6'-'Comjnissioftefy I6Tl 6T the l N^ye?' '' Land ' Court. • ' Duriihg recent years Mar Brooking has acted _s; intei§tet l er"at''fe' ■ Native " and! Magistrate^. 'C_tirts: ". >ise funeral will leave the hospiUf at 2'S. ' to-morrow. " ' , ; :y. .'..' .'• .: