OBITUARY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1924, Page 7

OBITUARY.

MIL W. 11. HOPKINS. There passed away on Wednesday last another of the older settlers in th© person of Mr. William Newall Hopkins, of Leach Street, at the ripe age of 81 years. He -was born at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and came to New Zealand in th© ship Maori in November, 1859, as a young dad, being followed later by his parents and other members of their family, who settled in Auckland. Mr. Hopkins was one of the pioneers of bhe Thames goldfield, having (with his brother, John Hopkins l , who predeceased him) a claim on the reef afterwards worked with much suooess by the Waiotahi Gold Mining Company. Later ,he went to Christchurch and Wellington and came to New Plymouth early in 1880, -being followed a little later by his wife and family. They came in the Government steamer, Hinemoa, 'before the building of the breakwater, and landed by surf-boat where the railway station now stands. In those days houses were very scarce and Mrs. Hopkins, with her young family, resided in the military barracks on Marsland Hill for mor© than a year; in fact, one of her family was born there. Mr. Hopkins was employed for -a time on a contract, metalling th© Main South Road between Stony River and Opunake, and on its completion he entered the service of Messrs Webster Bros., as storeman. On that firm going into liquidation he joined the firm of Messrs Webster and McKellar as engineer at their Egmont Flour Mills, in the building now owu- 1 pied by the (Farmers’ Co-op Organisation Society at the head of Currie Street. He is survived by his widow, two and five sons, vie.: Mesdames F. J. Bateman (New Plymouth) and B. W. Tisch (Himiera), and Messrs •Harry (Hinuera), George, Philip and Thomas ((New Plymouth), and Ernest (Eltham). Four daughters predeceased him. There are 27 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Mrs. O. Henderson, of Cornwall Park Avenue, Epsom, is a sister.