EVENTFUL LIFE ENDS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1935, Page 8

EVENTFUL LIFE ENDS

50 YEARS ON CLIMIE ROAD DEATH OF MR. J. THOMAS, NGAERE MONUMENT IN DAIRY FACTORY. The death of Mr. Joseph Thomas on Thursday removed another of Central Taranaki’s band of pioneers and taken from the Ngaere district one whose virile though kindly influence will long be felt. He leaves behind him a monument to his business ability in the modern structure of the Ngaire dairy factory, the establishment of which over 40 years ago was in a large measure due to Mr. Thomas’ strenuous campaigning. He was the first chairman of the dairy company and has lived to see it develop from its modest beginning into the proud place it holds to-day in the dairy industry in the province. Another monument has been left in the wide acres of rich dairy land which Mr. Thomas hewed from the wilderpess of scrub and forest that covered the Climie Road sections when he first took them up 53 years ago. -The homestead has never left the family, and historic lands are still being farmed by Mr. J. H. Thomas, the third son of the pioneer. Had the late Mr. Thomas lived another week he would have celebrated his 84th birthday. His was an eventful life. Born at Carparrack, in Cornwall, England, he worked as a miner in the Cornish mines until the age of 20, when he decided to cut adrift from his old associations and embarked to seek a fortune in America. As a miner he worked in Pennsylvania and California, but later returned to England, where he married Miss Isabelle Matilda Sandercock at St. Kea Church, Cornwall, and took his young bride off to the Antipodes. They settled in South Australia and spent a number of years dairying near Adelaide. .

In 1882 the family moved again, this time across the Tasman to New Zealand. Here Mr. Thomas was engaged on certain specialist work connected with the erection of a sugar refinery at Auckland, but inside a year had taken up land on Climie Road, Ngaere, then in its virgin state. In those days the source of a farmer’s income was derived mainly from bush-felling, timber-milling and work on the roads. He kept his farms rather than the farms keeping him. Throughout the, 53 years spent at Ngaere, Mr. Thomas always took a keen interest in the public affairs of the district. He took a prominent part in the organisation work that led to the founding of the Ngaire Dairy Company and was elected its first chairman. Since then he has sat for varying terms on . the directorate, and his voice was well known at annual meetings of the company as a keen critic or far-seeing advocate. He was one of the early chairmen of the Ngaire school committee, and also served as a member. He was a member of the old Ngaire Road Board and later of the Stratford County .Council. He was a foundation member of Triumph Lodge 1.0.0.F.N.Z. and was the lodge’s first N.G. It was largely due to. his work and energy to a large extent that the lodge owed its successful establishment. _■ ■■■■■--

Throughout his life the late Mr. Thomas gave liberally to charities and to institutions which, in his opinion merited support. In all local cases his contributions were given anonymously,, as he sought neither thanks nor commendation for his actions. The late Mr. Thomas. is survived by four sons, Messrs. R. E. Thomas (Eltham), J. W. Thomas (Hawera), J. H. Thomas (Ngaere) and W. W. Thomas (Hawera). His only daughter, Mrs. H. A. Foreman, Tikorangi, died only a few weeks ago. The funeral will take place to-day.