OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 11

OBITUARY

MR R- C- TENNENT (Special to The Times) WELLINGTON, April 14. The death of Mr Robert Collins Tennant, at the age of 90 years, in ’Woodville today 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 1869, Mr Tennent on his retirement in 1918 had completed 50 years’ service as an officer of the bank, and for 40 years of that time 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 as a lad, the family settling in Nelson. In his younger days he was a well-known athlete and Rugby footballer and he was a member of the Nelson team, in the first interprovincial Rugby match played in New Zealand, against Wellington in Hutt in 1871. In that match, Mr Tennent was responsible for the only score of the game, a penalty goal. He was also a splendid middle distance runner, winning many trophies for half-mile and mile events. After his retirement in 1918, he lived in Napier, but eight or nine years ago removed to Woodville. ■ INTEREST IN SPORT Mr Tennent could claim to be one of the founders of Rugby football in New Zealand. He was instrumental in forming a football club in .Nelson in 1868, and at the first meeting was elected secretary and treasurer. The first practice was held in Victoria square under Association football rules, and then Victorian rules were tried. After a few practices, Mr C. J. Monro, a son of Sir David Monro, who had returned from England, persuaded the Nelson Club to try Rugby rules. The club did so and preferred Rugby to the other two codes it had tried. In 1871, Nelson sent a team to Wellington to play the first representative Rugby match in New Zealand, which Nelson won by three points to nil. The next year Wellington returned the visit and Nelson was again successful. The third match was played in Wellington in 1873, and on this occasion Mr Tennent captained the Nelson team. The game was played on the Basin reserve in the presence of the .Governor and a crowd of some thousands. The game was so strenuous that one Nelson player received concussion of the brain and a Wellington man had his leg broken. The match resulted in a draw, neither side scoring. Mr Tennent left Nelson for Patea in 1874 and was captain of the Patea Football Club for five years, after which he retired from the game.

KEEN GOLFER An all-round athlete, Mr Tennent was also a keen golfer and for some years was treasurer of the Invercargill Golf Club and an active player. He also did much work in raising funds for the erection of a new club house. His fifteenth year was probably the luckiest of Mr Tennent’s long career: At that time he was employed in the Nelson Bank, which had £90,000 in bullion to ship to Australia. The Maungatapu murderers, Burgess, Kelly and Sullivan, after their dastardly act descended on Nelson and intended to rob the bank of the, bullion. , Their practice was to sandbag the officers of the banks they attacked, and they had planned their 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 his widow, five sons and two daughters. The sons are Mr L. C. Tennent (South Africa), who recently visited New Zealand after an absence of 39 years, Mr H. D. Tennent (Dimedin), Mr H. C. Tennent (Honolulu), Mr K. B. Tennent (Howick, Auckland), who stood for Parliament in the National Party’s interests at the last General Election, and Dr Allan Tennent (Wellington). The daughters are Mrs W. Olphert (Lower Hutt) and Mrs Norman Branson (Te Araroa, East Coast). MR W. C. ALLNUTT (Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, April 14. Cabled advice has been received of the death in Sydney of Mr William Charles Allnut, of Roslyn, Dunedin, and later of Auckland. It is just six years ago since Mr and Mrs Allnut celebrated their golden wedding at the residence of their son-ini-law and daughter, Mr and Mrs H. D. Guthrie, of Heme Bay, Auckland. Mr Allnut was well known in educational and bowling circles throughout the Dominion for many years. He was one of a band of Victorian-trained teachers who arrived in 1882 to serve under the Otago Education Board. His 41J years’ service was' spent in two schools only, the Lawrence High School and the Kaikorai School, Dunedin, where he was head master for over 30 years. As a bowling enthusiast he won many prizes in annual tournaments and club contests, and in 1907 was elected the first Dominion Bowling Council president. He took an active interest in the affairs of the Methodist Church, and gave long service to the cause of Freemasonry.