PERSONAL 'DETAILS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13392, 28 May 1914, Page 4

PERSONAL 'DETAILS.

YMR ORT-ON STEVENS. (Special to Herald.) WJS^£TON,-tJiis -day. keep, sense of tyss of a, wai*m friend comes" to many 'citizens of Wellington and district with the death of Mr "Orton Stevens. Big and brisk iv physique, active' }}} *?uud, bifighJ-- and, breezy, his ' presence was always a stimulus. His , personality "was essentially galvanic, positively electrical,' with, "no patience -' <b.*j pessimism, Hisv circle :-of friends widened,' naturally By vt'he'-human quali-t-ipS'-.which. endeared" ''liini to thpi-e near Jiim. , He-had, "too, that''rai*e'!'powei v'bf giving his* opinions with absolute-un-compromising, fi:a-nkncss, without any unpleasantness, and therefore tj'he: differ- / ences at meetings of local bodies left no •bitterness. He was borne at Forbes-, New South Wales, on 2nd February, 1865, and after leaving ' j»c'hool entered tbe, offioe of the Mutual Assurance Society of.-Victoria, which subsequently amal-g-yhated, with th,e; National Mutual Life -.ssui-ance'&ciefry. That \\as m 1896. and'Mr Stevens was appointed assistant secretary m tlie Queensland office. ' Two years later, he was appointed New. Zealand, manager,for the National Mutual, which' position he had held ever since, HO-leave's a widow' and two children, a Son (Mr Keith Stcransj.Yvlio'is farming, m, Wa **ganm district, and a daughter, who is living at honie. GommercMly M?*Stevbn,s was. -jegar.ded as, Ibeing one of the livest and jiiost successful men m tho insui*ance'World,'bf Ne^. Zealand- AH oyer -New Zealand m irisiiijaiice, circles ids uajrne. Avas. a Bbusfehold'Avbrd, and ui^der liis a management the' National Mutual' has progressed enormously. '-'Hei' was as wellkno>m outsjdei bu»ines.§ cuicl-es as withiri. "For y^s he w'^.. Miyoi; of Lo.iver Hutt," m wnich capacity; his knowl^Jge, of -business' and husihess melihoda riiaa-e, Hfim. ,p^ very great"servicb. He was "a steward, of the W-sllington Racing Club, and m. the bpwlinjj he %yas one' of the mdst^popnl^r skips that could be found "on Any of the city or suburban greens, . '- Z * '■ •"'"'■ ■"'"'"' G t. X- GRBIS^ONE. Mr Gg^e'.X, Gi*ini_jtone, who $qd. _.*orh iiijuribs sustained, ,-n;as Registrar of Tokerau. Afaori Land Board district, a- ijp^iti^n to he was appointed ' from t-he. Ifative Landj -department at WeUington a 'f^w wcek^ ago. He was proceeding to his new duties at the ti_ne of the accident. It was a fortunate ohjanee that his vdte and five fchildren wbj-e not able to make the journey that' day, but' they iijtende.d following on- Friday 1 Mr G'rimstoiie was foi*m«rly secretary to Judge PrfM'efJ ' of the Native .Land Court. .; lie was a son of the late' Mr Grimstone, who for -many years was secretary of the Wellington Racing Club, arid "was"him r self much interested m sports of various kinds.' He was the chaminon billiard, player of Wellington. MR J. SWLNSON. '=■-, Mr John Swinson, who was seriously injured, is the manager of-.the WellinjgtOn bVahch of Messrs Chandler and Co., advertising contractors. ' Be is, a mar. ried man, about 30 years of age, and lives at t'ho Hutt. Prior to coming to liis 'present employment,' 1 Mr .Swinson ttaivelled exteiisivelyj ' living for some time m America. He left Wellington on Tuesday; On a business trip to the •head office of his compaw- Mr Swinson is a native pf Newport, -Slonmouth--ihire, 'and canie to New Zealand a fe,w years ago.. *'