ABOUT PEOPLE

Southland Times, Issue 21582, 21 December 1931, Page 4

ABOUT PEOPLE

Mr Mcrvyn H. Mitchel returned on Saturday from Timaru. Mr J. E. Davies, agricultural instructor, who has been visiting Invercargill, left for the north by last evening’s express. Mr and Mrs Kennedy Black leave this morning to spend the vacation in Ashburton, where they will be the guests of Mrs Armer Orr. Messrs N. W. McGorlick (Ocean Beach) and D. McDougall (Bluff) left by motor on Saturday for Queenstown. They will later go on to Dunedin to take part in the forthcoming bowling tournament. Guests at the Grand Hotel include: Mr and Mrs J. N. Lawson, Miss Ida Lawson (Dunedin), Miss Merle N. A. Lawson (Karitane), Miss Ailsa Lawson (Karitane) and Mr Welsh, manager of the Texaco Oil Company. . Mr C. A. Davis, manager of the Invercargill branch of the New Zealand Express Company, left by last evening’s express to commence a tour of Great Britain, Canada, Europe, Australia and other countries. Mr Davis, who is travelling Home via Sydney and Suez, will be absent for approximately nine months. Prior to his retirement on superannuation after completion of 35 years’ service, Mr P. E. Fletcher, chief clerk of the Railways Maintenance Branch, Invercargill, was met by his fellow officers and presented with a travelling rug. The presentation was made by Mr P. H. Morey, district engineer, and was suitably acknowledged by Air Fletcher.

A memorial service for the late Mrs F. W. Wade was held in St. John’s Church yesterday morning. The Rev. Canon Lush referred to the fact that Mrs Wade had been a regular worshipper in the church and spoke of the good work she had done and of her Christian qualities. A very large number of floral tributes sent to Mrs Wade’s funeral on Saturday showed how widely her death was regretted. Miss Eve Ferguson is the first woman to qualify as an optician in the South Island, and the third qualified lady optician in New Zealand. She recently received official notice that she has passed her final examination in optics, entitling her to registration and to the letters D.1.0.N.Z. (Diploma of the Institute of Opticians, New Zealand). Mias Ferguson received her primary and secondary education at the Gore Public School and Gore High School, passing her matriculation examination and also receiving her higher leaving certificate while attending the latter school. Shortly after this she commenced the study and practice of optics with her father, Mr S. E. Ferguson, watchmaker, jeweller, and optician. She has continued the study and practice for about five years. For a short period she was with Mr F. G. Hayes Towns (F.8.0.A, F.S.M.C.), in Dawson’s Ltd. (Dunedin), and later with Suckling and Suckling (Wellington), Mr Suckling being the New Zealand instructor in optics at that time. During the past year Mias Ferguson has had further instruction and practice in Wellington with leading instructors in optics.