OBITUARY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17502, 26 February 1931, Page 7

OBITUARY

MR. LESLIE ARNOTT

SYDNEY, Feb. 23. The death has occurred of Mr. Leslie Arnott, one of, the pioneers of biscuit manufacturing in Australia, aged 74 years. One of the few remaining pioneers, Mr. Josiah Viles, passed away peacefully on Saturday at his rosideneo in Fenthcrston at the age.-of 91 years. The late Mr. Vile's was- Irorn at South Pctherton, Somersetshire, England, in 1840, and when he was nine months old his parents, with their three sons and two daughters, emigrated to New Zealand in the sailing ship Arab. The Voyage took five months. The late Mr. Viles’ father died on board the ship on the voyage. Mrs. Viles and the family landed in Wellington in 1841, and settled on the Kaiwarra flats, and experienced the big earthquakes of 1848 and 1855. Mr. Viles was of an adventurous nature, >and travelled over a considerable portion of both Islands of. New Zealand. ■ During his travels he had many experiences with the Maoris. Ho also served in the Maori war, for. which he was given his first piece of land. Very often he and his companions were in extreme danger from tho Maoris. Ho also went with his brother Jim to the gold rush at Gabriel's Gully. Mr. Viles finally settled in Featherston and took up farming, where his residence is one of tho few remaining old landmarks in the Wairarapa.—Post.