PERSONAL

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1932, Page 4

PERSONAL

Sir James Coates, who recently suffered a severe illness, has now recovered. Dr. J. O’Regan, Wellington, returned on Tuesday after three years’ post-graduate work in England. He has been admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. and Mrs. Hockin Kapotoga, who have been in England, where Dr. Hockin has been doing post-graduate work, are returning to New Zealand. -

Mr. J. Hine, Waitara, was to leave for Te Kuiti early -this morning to attend a sitting of the Taranaki Mortgage Adjustment Commission. Sergeant-Major J. T. R. Bell, New Plymouth, who underwent an operation in hospital on Monday night, is progressing favourably. Captain R. J. D. Davis, N.Z.S.C., chief weapon training officer, of New Zealand Headquarters, Wellington, who has been at New Plymouth on duty for several days, returned yesterday.

The Rev. Neville Watkins, who has been appointed vicar of Hororata, has arrived in New Zealand, and will take up duty during this month (says the Christchurch Press). He is a young New Zealander who has been on the staff of Si. John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong, since 1929. He is a son of the organist of St. Marks, Wellington, and studied theology at St. John’s College, Auckland, before going to Leeds parish church. He is a nephew of Air. A. E. Watkins, New Plymouth.

A well-known resident of Northcote, Auckland, Mr. James Hurley, celebrated his 92nd birthday yesterday. He was born at Watchet, Somerset, England, and. was married at Somerset on May 7, 187 1 !, to Miss Elizabeth Gould. With their family they came to New Zealand ,in the Shaw, Savill and Albion clipper Northumberland, Captain Richard Todd, and arived at Auckland in ISSO, after a passage of 14 weeks from Gravesend, London. A London correspondent states: Engineer Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Skelton, who lias been engineer-in-charge of the Fleet at the Admiralty since 1928, will shortly retire from the service. In January he and Lady Skelton will go to New Zealand by the Tainui. Sir Reginald was appointed to superintend the building of the Discovery for the National Antarctic Expedition of 1900, and he served in that expedition under Captain R. F. Scott as chief engineer. On returning to New Zealand from the Antarctic he married Miss Sybil Devenish-Meares, of Christchurch, ,in JL9OS. It is over 27 years since the latter saw her native country. Sir Reginald and Lady Skelton have one son and two daughters. The elder daughter, who-has embarked upon a medicine career, has gained her qualification. She is on the staff of a hospital in London obtaining further experience before setting up in a practice of her own. Sir Reginald held many important positions during the war, mainly in connection with the submarine service.