OBITUARY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 102, 1 May 1931, Page 8

OBITUARY.

W. S. GODFREY Mr Wilfrid Stuart Godfrey, of the firm of Messrs Godfrey and Franklin, public accountants, died at his residence, 42, St James Street, Avonside, yesterday. The late Mr Godfrey, who was sixty years of age, was well known in business and rowing circles in Canterbury. Mr Godfrey was a son of Mr Charles E. Godfrey, and came from England to New Zealand with his parents fiftyfive years ago. After leaving the Christchurch Boys’ High School, where he was one of the original pupils, he was employed by Messrs Gardiner and Pickering, general merchants. Thence he went into the service of the Colonial Bank, and later spent several years in survey work in the North Island. The country was all virgin, and, among other works, Mr Godfrey helped in the laying-out of the town of Raetihi. On his return to Christchurch he joined the land and estate agency business of the late Mr Colthurst Palairet, subsequently acquiring the business in partnership with the late Mr Eric Taylor. For the last thirty-one years he carried on the business on his own account as a public accountant and estate agent, being auditor for many public companies. The firm of recent years has been under the name of Messrs Godfrey and Franklin. Mr Godfrey was a member of the Canterbury Club and of the Federal Club. Mr Godfrey served for many years on the vestry of Holy Trinity Church, Avonside. . He took an active part in outdoor sport, especially shooting and fishing. His chief interest in amateur sport was in rowing, and he held various offices in the Canterbury Rowing Club, of xvhich he was a vice-presi-dent and a life member. Taking an interest in general rowing matters in Canterbury, he was a vice-president of the Canterbury Rowing Association and an umpire at recent Christchurch regattas. He married Alice Mary Palairet, elder daughter of the late Mr Colthurst Palairet, in 1900. He leaves a widow and three sons and a daughter. The sons are Messrs Stuart P. Godfrey, who had been in partnership with his father for the last eight 3 r ears, H. B. Godfrey and F. C. Godfrey.