PROMINENT HAWERA MAN’S DEATH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 301, 21 December 1945, Page 4

PROMINENT HAWERA MAN’S DEATH

MR. C. S. TONKS, FORMERLY OF MANUTAHI

Prominent throughout Taranaki and well known in other parts of the Dominion for his sporting interests, M. Sidney Channing Tonks, of Dives Avenue, Hawera, and of Manutahi, died in the Hobson Street private hospital. Wellington, on Wednesday afternoon, aged 60 years. He had been in indifferent health for the past two months and left last week for Wellington to undergo specialist treatment. Born'in Hawera in 1885, deceased was the eldest son of the late Mr. Arthur Sidney Tonks, who in 1882 joined the late Sir Robert Nolan in the conduct of the Hawera partnership business of Nolan, Tonks and Co., auctioneers and stock and station agents.

Deceased was educated at the Hawera primary and Wanganui Collegiate School and took a course in scientific faming at Lincoln Agr.cultural College, Canterbury. He took up farming at Manutahi and there married Miss Lily Mabel Hamilton, daughter of the late Mr. R. B. Hamilton, who was among the first white settlers in the district and took part in the defence of the pakeha community against the Maori uprisings in the troublous days of early colonisation. Mr. Tonks won recognition as a breeder of Southdown sheep. As a dairyman and a supplier of the Manutahi Dairy Company, he was elected a director in 1909 and for the past 29 years had served the board and the shareholders as chairman, representing the company on various provinical organisations. He was a director of the Patea Freezing Co., Ltd., for many years and a director of the Farmers’ Mutual Fire Insurance Co. with headquarters at Eltham. Mr. Tonks’ principal interest apart from farming activities was in horse racing, as the owner of several very fair performers which won for him a measure of distinction on the track. From his active participation in the sport he also interested himself in club administration as a member of the Egmont Racing Clun, of which his father was a vice-president and his uncle, the late Sir Robert Nolan, was president for many years. He becaqje a member of the committee and a steward in 1922 and was elected president in 1934, a position he held at the time of his death after a noteworthy record of service in a period of considerable progress and prosperity, in spite of the intervention of the war years. He was elected to the Taranaki District Committee of the New Zealand Racing Conference in 1927. he was a member of the Conference for two years and only this year became a member of the conference Dominion executive. When the Automobile Association (South Taranaki) was revived in 1921, after being in recess during World War 1, Mr. Tonks was elected a member of the committee and in 1925 became vice-president. He hold office as president in 1929 and 1930, since when he had been continuously a member of the general committee. He was a member and a past, president. of the Egmont. Agricultural and Pastoral Association, of which his father Lad been president before him; he was a one-time player and a past president of the Hawera Golf Club, and for a period of some 10 years was president of the Hawera Club. Ho is survived by h s widow and one daughter, Mrs. C. Crowther, of Wellington. The funeral takes place at Hawera this afternoon.