OBITUARY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 9

OBITUARY

Another of Eketahuna’s old settlers, Mr. Robert Hall, has died, aged 76 years. He was born at Wanstead, Hawke's Bay, being the son of the lato Mr. William Hall, of Tikokino. The death of Mrs. Sara Newman, widow of the late Mr. W. L. Newman, removes another of those highly esteemed citizens of New Plymouth, who have had so much to do with the earlier days of the district. The late Mrs. Newman was the second daughter of the late Captain Hempton, paymaster to Her Majesty’s forces during the Maori War. She was horn at New Plymouth and spent her life in the district. Of the family of the late Captain Hempton there remain now only Miss A. Hempton, of New Plymouth, and Mr. Arthur Hempton, Government Auditor in the head office of the Bank of New Zealand, Wellington.

A Taranaki pioneer and veteran of the Maori wars, Mr. George Francis Robinson, has passed away at Christchurch at the age of 94 years. Born in the Isle of Man, he came to New Zealand in the barque Creswell, arriving in New Plymouth in 1855. On the outbreak of hostilities Mr. Robinson, with other settlers, garrisoned the Bell Block stockade. As the war progressed lie was pressed into the commissariat branch of the Imperial Forces and was present as a bullock team driver attached to the , artillery at the repulse of the British in the attack on Puketakuere pa in June, 1860. Tipping out big gun ammunition, his cart was hastily improvised as an ambulance, and he left the field fully loaded with wounded, whom he delivered safely at the main camp in Waitara. During the depression in the early ’seventies, Mr. Robinson was engaged in engineering work in Queensland, hut oil the opening of the hush country of Taranaki lie was recalled at the instance of the provincial Government in 1875 to take charge of development work. He eventually retired from the Government service, holding the post of road engineer for the Wellington land district.