OBITUARY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16808, 22 November 1928, Page 11

OBITUARY

MRS. MARY KIRK Mrs. Mary Kirk, who died at her residence, Cargill street, Dunedin, was born at Milngavie, Scotland, in 1852 i She arrived with her parents at Dunedin 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 7(1 years. rdrs. Kirk.was one of the first pupils of the old Beach School, the forerunner of the present Arthur Street School.

Deceased 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 exhibitedmt exhibitions of the past, and during!the war period she was an indefatigable winker 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. She insisted upon exercising her Parliamentary vote on the day before her death. One of her lirothers was the late Mr. Robert Wilson, one of the founders and manager .of the Morning .Herald newspaper, upon which the poet, Thomas Bracken, was employed, 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 Gisbornc, formerly Mayor of both Nasebv and Gisbornc, and Mr. A. E. Kirk, of Waimate.—Otago Times.

MR. J". W. JONES

The death of Mr. Joseph W. Jones, which occurred on Sunday at the advanced age uf 81 years, leaves but one or two old 1 Wanganui-born residents to answer the roll-call of the original Wanganui Veterans' Association. The son of one. of the New Zealand Land Company's (Edward Gibbon ; Wakefield s) pioneer settlers, who left the Old E«"d in 1839 to colonise this.country, the deceased had a most adventurous career. At the age of 15, ' during the troublous days with the Maoris, be enrolled as a member of the Wanganui Volunteers, when Wanganui was being threatened by rebel natives in Taranaki and the interior. Later he transferred to a mounted corps .raised on the No. 2 line, composed of settlers and their sons, called the Prince of Wales Company, and afterwards joined the Lancers. His first important mission was the carrying of despatches between Wanganui and Patea. and between Wanganui and Wellington, when the natives were in dose proximity to Wanganui and when the on living'settlers had been ordered to take refuge in the township. It was ho who took the despatch (asking for reinforcements) to Wellington when in. February, 1865. one of the Brunswick settlers" (Mr Hewott) was murdered by the natives and His bead cut off and -carried on a pole. The old veteran afterwards volunteered for service under Major von Tempsky on the East Coast, when the Rev. Mr Volckuer, a missionary, had been killed and his body hacked to pieces. After returning to the West Coast be continued in the service of von Tempqky in the Taranaki campaign, where the latter was killed in the memorable assault- on Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu redoubt. When peace was restored Mr Jones sought fresh adventure en the West Coast (South Island) goldhelds, and later found his way to Canterbury, lieturning to Wanganui he married a daughter of Sergeant-Major Craig, and subsequently carried on various occupations until he retired with a wellmerited war pension. He is survived by his widow and an only daughter, Mrs Thomson, wife of Dr. 'Thomson, of Coogee, Sydney. Deceased, who was a brother of' Mr D. Jones, Springvale, and Mr E. Webb Jones. Gonville, was buried with military honors in the Aramoho cemetery.