OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 9

OBITUARY

mrs annie McChesney A well-known resident of Gladstone, Mrs Annie McChesney, of 92 Lewis street, died at her home yesterday morning at the age of 83 years. She had lived in the suburb for 55 years. Mrs McChesney came from Dumfries to New Zealand in the ship, Timaru, arriving at Port Chalmers in 1879. Her husband, the late Mr F. E. McChesney, arrived in New Zealand in 1863 with his parents and took up residence at Gladstone. He married Mrs McChesney, whose maiden name was Miss Annie Smith, in 1884 and she had lived in the district continuously since then. When she arrived in the Dominion she was accompanied by a brother and a sister, her widowed mother and another sister arriving later. Her early years in New Zealand were spent with her family and with an uncle, Mr Francis Calvert, of Roslyn Bush. Mrs McChesney was for many years a member of St. Paul’s Church and she sang in the church choir when the Rev. Mr Paterson was minister. She was always closely associated with the activities of the church carried on by the women members of the congregation. She taught a Sunday school class at the Gladstone Sunday School. For a considerable number of years she was a member of the Victoria Home Committee and a few years ago she received a long-service badge from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. She was also interested in the Waihopai school; her husband was a member of the school committee for 32 years. In 1920 she unveiled the Wai-hopai-Park mural memorial to the old pupils and teachers of the two schools who had served in the Great War. She was unable to attend the recent combined school jubilee commemoration services because of illness. In 1934 Mr and Mrs McChesney celebrated their golden wedding. Mr Mc-

Chesney died in January, the following year. Mrs McChesney is survived by two daughters and one son, another daughter having died in 1908. The surviving members of the family are Mr Hugh McChesney, assistant senior inspectoral schools, Auckland, Mrs Cyril Ashley, Invercargill, and Mrs Bruce Leggett, of Nelson. There are 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.