OBITUARY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 520, 9 October 1915, Page 6

OBITUARY.

MR THOMAS CAWTHRON. Press Association. NELSON, October 8. The death occurred this evening of Mr Thomas Cawthron, at the age of 82. Mr Cawthron was born in Camberwell, London, in 1833, and came to New Zealand at the age of 15, with his father, who settled in Nelson. After an absence of a few i years in Wellington and Australia, Mr Thomas Cawthron returned to Nelson in 1857, and entered into a shipping business. For many years he was agent for the principal lines trading to the place when Nelson was one of the most important ports in the colony, and also transacted a very large business ns a shipping contractor. He accumulated a large fortune, which in later' years he drew upon with the greatest liberality to benefit the city. Among his more important benefactions to Nelson are the new hospital, about to be erected, for \yhich he gave £15,000; Cawthron Park, a beautiful forest reserve of 2500 acres near the city; a flight of stone steps on Church Hill, costing £1800; an organ in the School of Music, costing £1800; and a gift of £2500 to clear off the indebtedness of-thu institution. He also made valuable benefactions to the Nelson Institute i.nd other public institutions. At the time of his death he was elaborating a scheme for further expenditure for the public benefit, including a' Solar Physics Observatory, estimated to cost £30,000. v