OBITUARY.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 December 1926, Page 9

OBITUARY.

REV. THOMAS G. HAMMOND. Ward was received in New Plymouth yesterday of the death of the Rev. T. G. Hammond at his homo in Lichfield, Waikato. The deeeased gentleman had been In indifferent health for some months past and died in his eightieth year. Ml-. Hammond was particularly well known in South Taranaki, where he laboured as a missionary of the Methodist Church for nearly thirty years. His headquarters were at Patea, but in his work amongst the Maoris he was a much respected visitor to practically all their villages between New Plymouth and Patea. He held the esteem of all the older natives of rank and was a particular friend of Te Whiti and Tohu, the last of the prophets who for so many years held such great sway amongst the Maoris. Very few men possessed such a great store of knowledge of Maori lore and customs as the Rev. Hammond, for his friendliness with the old Maori learned men enabled him to assimilate a wealth of information that was given only to few white men in whom these old tohungas had implicit faith and reliance. At many of the old-time gatherings of the natives, where the wise men of the tribe assembled the people in the marae (the council ground in front of the big meeting house) and harangued their hearers, the reverend gentleman was invited to express his views. Having a splendid command of the Maori language and knowing the procedure of debate and ceremony, he always secured an attentive hearing. Mr. Hammond was born at Richmond, Nelson. After leaving school he had 14 years’ business experience before taking up his lifelong work in the ministry. His probationary years as a minister were spent at New Plymouth, Rangitikei, and Manawatu. In 1878 he succeeded the Rev. William Rowse as missionary to the Hokianga Maoris. Tn 1887 he was appointed to Patea, and three years later superintendent of the West Coast Mission, which position he held for 27 years, when he was made general superintendent of Maori Missions. Upon giving up mission work he proceeded to the Waikato, where he has lived in retirement for some years. Deceased married a New Plymouth lady, Miss St. George (niece of Miss Shaw, New Plymouth). Mrs. Hammond and her grown up family will have the sympathy of a very large number of people in Taranaki, both pakelia and Maori, among whom Mr. Hammond laboured for so many years. It is given unto few men to be so universally mourned by two races of people. Students of the Maori race owe a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. Hammond. As a writer on Maori subjects and traditions his vast store of knowledge enabled him to write in a forceful manner and his literary ability is shown in the strong, dignified, and lucid English in which he expressed himself. He has left behind voluminous articles which were contrbuted to the Polynesian Journal and also to various newspapers. In 1923 he wrote “The Story of Aotca.” This work is particularly interesting to Taranaki folk, being the story of the Aotca canoe which arrived from Tahiti at Patea somewhere about the year 1350. This canoe was commanded by the renowned navigator Turi, the founder of the tribes living around the Waimate Plains, Hawera, Patea, and as far south’ as Wanganui. The outstanding feature of “The Story of Aotca” lies in the fact that the author collected his information first-hand from the oi l learned men of the districts amongst whom he was so long associated.