News Paper 24 August 1927

Happy in the knowledge of a well spent life, John Harris of Havelock North yesterday went peacefully to his rest.  Born at Calstock, Cornwall in 1857, the son of the late Joseph Harris, he was brought to New Zealand, a child in arms, by his parents who landed in Auckland in 1859 from the ship Harwood.

Leaving school at the age of 14 years he worked on a farm in the extreme north of Auckland, and afterwards spent a short period of his boyhood mining the Thames.

At the age of 16years he came to Hastings, then proceeded to Wanganui.  In 1878 he settled in Woodville where he resided until 8 years ago, when retiring from the farm work he came to live in Havelock North.

At Woodville in 1888 he took up the management of the late Hon J.D. Ormond’s Woodville Estate, which he conducted in conjunction with two farms of his own.

He was a member of the Woodville Jockey Club, The Woodville Domain Board, The Woodville A & P Society, and the Pahiatua Licensing committee.  He was the first or one of the first Chairmen of the Woodville County Council.

On coming to Hawkes Bay he was elected a member of the HB Hospital Board and became chairman of the ‘Old Peoples’ Home at Parke Island.  In the good work of caring for the sick and aged, he threw the remaining years of his life with a devotion which made him an outstanding figure, loved and admired by his acquaintances, especially those who were associated with him in his work, and above all the old people at the Home, who his death have lost their greatest friend.

As his worth had been recognised during his residence in Hawkes Bay, so it has been all through his life, and the old residents of Woodville will have the remembrance of him as a kindly comrade, a man of the strictest integrity and a nature’s gentleman.

He was married twice, his first wife who predeceasing him by about 30 years, gave issue of four sons and four daughters, one son Alick was killed during the war, one daughter, the late Mrs E Ebbett, of Hastings died a few years ago.

Surviving him are his widow, three sons, Messrs John Harris (Hastings), Alfred and Percy Harris (Woodville), and three daughters Mrs Wakeford, and Mrs Walthers Wanganui to whom with Mr John Harris, his brother, the deepest sympathy in their bereavement is extended by a large circle of friends.

The late Mr Harris was a member of the Masonic Order and interment with Masonic rites will be in the Havelock North Cemetery at 2 o’clock tomorrow (Thursday).