OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 23931, 25 September 1939, Page 9

OBITUARY

MR D. L. POPPELWELL

The death occurred at Gore on Saturday morning after a brief illness of Mr Dugald Louis Poppelwell, one of the best-known and most highly-respected citizens of the town. He was 76 years of age. Mr Poppelwell was born in the Tokomairiro district, and was a son of the late Mr and Mrs William Poppelwell, who settled' on land two miles north of Milton in 1853. He • was educated at the Milton primary school and the Christian Brothers’ School, and after studying at Otago University he became a solicitor and later a barrister. Mr Poppelwell arrived at Gore in 1892 and soon made a name for himself, being regarded as a man of more than average ability. He took a keen interest in the welfare of the town and had a long association with the municipal management. He was elected a councillor in 1893. Two years later he was elected Mayor, but in 1896 he was defeated at the election by the late Mr James Beattie. After serving as a councillor in 1902 and 1903, Mr Poppelwell was again elected Mayor, holding office in 1904 and 1905. He was defeated at the 1906 election by Mr A. A. Mac Gibbon, who was Mayor for four consecutive years until defeated by Mr Poppelwell in 1910. Mr Poppelwell served for another three terms before being defeated by a narrow margin at the 1913 poll by Mr D. McDougall. It was not until 10 years later that Mr Poppelwell was again elected Mayor, serving in 1923-24, 1925-26 and 1929-30. At the 1931 election he was defeated by 221 votes out of a total of 1853 by the present Mayor, Mr A. T. Newman. He therefore served the borough of Gore for 16 years as Mayor and councillor. He was Mayor for 10 years, seven yearly and three two-yearly periods; this is a record for the borough. Mr Poppelwell showed himself to be a progressive administrator, with a thorough knowledge of finance, in the conduct of municipal affairs. Among the works carried out during his terms of office as Mayor were the erection of the Gore traffic bridge, and the launching of water, drainage and electric light schemes. He was also keenly interested in public reserves and he was the instigator of the movement which secured for Gore much of the attractive and valuable domain at Croydon Bush. Mr Poppelwell’s all-absorbing interest throughout his long and active life was fauna and flora. He was a widelyrecognized authority on these subjects, and compiled numerous papers. On many occasions he made visits to the less-frequented parts of Southland and the outlying islands, spending weeks in search of specimens and classifying them. He discovered varieties of native flora hitherto unlisted. Governments of the day gave Mr Poppelwell every assistance and his reports were made public in pamphlet form, and he supplied many papers for the Institute of Horticulture and other bodies. Certain native plants have been named after him.

Mr Poppelwell was widely known and respected by the Maoris of the south as a historian and a friend - Stewart Island and Ruapuke Island were among the places most frequently visited by him in holiday periods, and it was during these journeyings that he assimilated a valuable knowledge of Maori tradition, arts and crafts. He was a member of the Catholic Church and took a deep interest in its activities. Through his devotion and work he rose to a high position in the councils of the church. He was president for a term of the New Zealand Catholic Federation, and was decorated by the Pope with the Papal Cross “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.” He was a strong advocate of denominational schools and State aid for private schools. On one occasion he was one of the delegates from the Catholic Federation to the Minister of Education and he presented the claims of the federation on the subject.

Mr Poppelwell took a keen interest in sport, and he played a prominent part in the Hibernian sports and football clubs during their existence. He was a life member of the Gore Racing Club and he .had acted as a steward for 42 years. He was president in 1911, 1912. 1913 and in 1925-26. He was also a life member of the Gore Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

Among other organizations on which he served were the Gore Chamber of Commerce, of which he was the first president, the Gore High School Board of Governors, the Gore Library Committee, the Gore Bowling Club and the •Gore District Early Settlers’ Association. He was also chairman of the Gore Unemployment Committee when it. was formed in 1930, and chairman of the Seddon Memorial Hospital Committee, which raised the sum of £l3OO towards the-cost of the erection of the present hospital. He was an enthusiastic member of the Gore Tramping Club when it was formed a few years ago. He was a foundation member of the Gore Club, of which he was president on several occasions.

In his younger days Mr Poppelwell was a keen tennis player and cricketer, and he also played golf and bowls. For 10 years he was a lieutenant in the Gore Volunteers. For many years he was senior member of the Gore Bar, and he had been president of the Southland branch of the Law Society. He was also a Justice of the Peace. In 1894, Mr Poppelwell married Miss Nora Green, a daughter of the late Mr Thomas Green, and he is survived by his yridow, two daughters, Sister Mary Joan, of Winton, and Sister Mary Cuthbert, of Mosgiel, and three sons, Messrs William Thomas Poppelwell, Harold Milton Poppelwell and Dugald Louis Poppelwell, all of Gore. MR DAVID HUDSON The death occurred at his residence at Happy Valley, Te Tua, last week of a well-known and popular Western District resident, Mr David Hudson. Mr Hudson was born at Clifton, and after leaving school he entered the sawmilling industry. He became interested in competitive chopping at quite an early age and was later recognized as one of Southland’s leading axemen. He married Miss Vella Clode, a daughter of Mr Alfred Clode, of Colac Bay, by whom he is. survived. On retiring from sawmilling, Mr Hudson took up a block of land at Te Tua, which he has farmed successfully. He is survived by his wife and a family of two sons and one daughter, Mr Wilson Hudson (Te Tua), Mr Garfield Hudson (Central Otago), and Miss Agnes Hudson (Te Tua). A big number of district residents attended the funeral, which took place to the Tuatapere cemetery. MR RODERIC McIVOR Mr Roderic L. Mclvor, a son of Mrs Jane Mclvor and the late Mr John R. Mclvor, of Otaitai Bush, died on Thursday at the age of 27 years. He was bom at Otautau, but received most of his education at the Riverton District High School. After completing his education, he took up work in a district flaxmill, and later worked in the same industry in other parts of the district. He took a keen interest in Rugby football, and was a member of the Riverton club, playing first for the junior team, later

reaching senior standard. He was a regular attender at the Riverton Presbyterian Church. The funeral, which took place at the Riverton cemetery on Saturday afternoon, was largely attended. Among those present were several members of the Riverton Football Club and several former school mates.