OBITUARY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20073, 2 April 1935, Page 8

OBITUARY

MR ARTHUR HOrE Tlie death occurred at his residence. "Tumanako,” 101 Wai-iti Road, yesterday afternoon, of Mr Arthur Hope, well-known and highly respected resident of Timaru, in his eighty-second year. For many years Mr Hope was a prominent runholder in the Mackenzie Country, but after giving up active sheep-farming in 1897 he lived in retirement in various parts of South Canterbury, settling in Timaru about five years ago. A son of Thomas Arthur Hope, a retired gentleman, and Emily Hird Hope, Mr Hope was born at Liverpool, in 1853. He was educated at Rugby, and commenced his career in Liverpool, being six years in offices with cotton brokers, west coast merchants and underwriters. During that time Mr Hope travelled extensively, going on a voyage through the Strait of Magellan, to Valparaiso, Callao, and San Francisco. He visited parts of the United States, and was in Boston during the time of the great fire in that city, which took place one year after the Chicago fire. In 1876 Mr Hope came out to New Zealand, making the voyage on the sailing ship Waipa. After his arrival in Canterbury, he set about gaining pastoral experience, working as a cadet on Longbeach Station and Orari Gorge Station. After spending eleven months in the Colony, Mr Hope returned to England, travelling in the ship Hereford. After his arrival at Home, he travelled extensively through Russia, and on his return to New Zealand at the end of 1878 he joined Mr Andrew Grant as a cadet on his Rangitata Island holding. In 1880 he and Mr Andrew Grant purchased Richmond Station in the Mackenzie Country, a property of 36,000 acres, which later was increased to 87,000 acres, carrying 24,000 sheep. Later Mr Grant sold his share in the run to Mr V. F. Musgrave. In 1888, the new partnership suffered severe losses owing to heavy falls of snow. Out of a flock of 18,000, 10,000 sheep were lost. By buying out his partner, Mr Hope then obtained sole control of the station. Heavy falls of snow in 1895 again brought about severe losses of stock, 21,000 sheep out of a flock of 24,000 dying as a result of the storms. In 1897 Mr Hope paid another visit to England, and during his absence the sale of Richmond Station was effected on his behalf. The sale of that property, which took place in 1899, marked Mr Hope’s retirement from active participation in sheep-farming. On his return from England in 1903, Mr Hope lived first at Raincliff Station, which he bought, and then he took up residence at Gleniti, removing to Timaru about five years ago. Although he did not take a very prominent part in public life, Mr Hope was a former member of the Mackenzie County Council. During his term of office on that body, he was instrumental in getting telephones erected, also snow poles and two snow huts for the benefit of anyone being caught by snow. It is interesting also to recall that in the early eighties Mr Hope was a member of a commission which advocated the erection of a rabbit fence from the Mt. Cook Station to Kurow, for the purpose of preventing rabbits migrating from Otago, where the pest had become firmly established. The fence was built, but unfortunately it did not have the desired effect.

Mr Hope was a prominent churchman, and was a great supporter of St. Mary’s Church, Timaru. being a member of the choir for many years. He was a lay member of Synod for Timaru.

Mr Hope's principal recreation was fishing, in which he first became interested in 1879. He was a former member of the Council of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. As an angler, he gained considerable fame, being the first to fish in the Rangitata river, in which connection he was associated with the late Mr Charles Nicholas. It is interesting to recall that Mr Hope and Mr Nicholas were together on many notable expeditions on the Rangitata, an association which ended when Mr Nicholas was drowned in an accident at the mouth of the river a few years before the outbreak of the Great War.

In 1882. Mr Hope married Miss Frances Emily Tripp, daughter of Mr Charles George Tripp, barrister, of London, and pioneer sheep farmer, who took up the Orari Gorge Station in 1854. Mrs Hope survives her husband. Mr Hope’s family consisted of four sons and three daughters—Mr Henry Norman Hope, of the Grampians Station, Mackenzie Country; Mr Owen Morley Hope, engineer, of Hamilton; Mr Selwyn Peter Hope, in England, who, during the Great War, was a member of the Officers’ Training Corps, joining the Grenadier Guards as lieutenant and serving in France; Mr Arthur Howard Hope, of "Otama,” Hawke’s Bay; Mrs M. Ormsby. of Timaru; Mrs T. Northcote, “The Doone,” Waiau, North Canterbury; and the late Mrs Drummond SpencerSmith.