EARLY BANKER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19915, 18 April 1939, Page 3

EARLY BANKER

MR. R. C. TENNANT DEAD

50 YEARS OF SEIiYJOI

A FOUNDER OF liUtilFi

The death of Mr. Robert Collii

Tennent at the age of SO years in Woodville on Friday removes one of the oldest, if not the oldest of personalities associated with banking in New Zealand. Joining the service of the Bank of New South Wales in Nelson in 1803, Mr. Tennent on his retirement in 1918 had completed 59 years’ service as an officer of the bank, for 40 years of which he had acted as manager at various branches, including Auckland, Wellington. Blenheim, Nelson and Invercargill. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Tennent was educated at Guernsey College. With his mother and four brothers he came to New Zealand ar a lad, the family settling in Nelson

In his younger day's iie was a wellknown athlete and llugby footballer He was also a splendid middledistance runner, winning maxiv trophies for half-mile and link events. After his retirement in 1911he lived in Napier but eight or nine years ago removed to Woodville. First Rugby Rep. Match Mr. Tennent could claim tu be one of the founders of Rugby football m New Zealand. He was instrumentam forming a football club in Nelson in 1868, and at the first meeting was elected secretary and treasurer. In 1871 Nelson sent a team to Wellington to play the first representative Rugby mulch in New Zealand. Nelson won by three points to nil.

His fifteenth year was probably the luckiest of Mr. Tenncnl’s long career. At that time he was employed in a Nelson bank, which had £90,000 in bullion to ship to Australia. The Maungatapu murderer::, Burgess, Kelly and Sullivan, alter their dastardly act, descended on Nelson, and intended to rob the ban!; of the bullion. Their practice was to sandbag the officers of the banks they - attacked, and they had planned :heir attack for the day on which they were arrested, otherwise Mr. Tennent might never have been heard of as a Rugby football player or a bank manager He is survived by a widow, five sons and two daughters. I lie sons are Mr. L. C. Tennent. South Africa, who recently visited New Zcalan ! after an absence of 39 years: Mr. H. 1). Tennent, Dunedin, Mr. H. C. Tennant, Honolulu. Mr. K. 13. lennenl. Howick, Auckland, who stood lor Parliament in the National Party’s interest at Iho bfst general election, and Dr. Allan Tennent, Wellington. The daughters are Mrs. W. Olpherl. Lower I-lutt, and Mrs. Norman Bran son. Tc Araroa.