Obituaries Australia

Albrecht Feez, n.d.

State Library of Queensland, 14565

Mr. A. F. M. Feez received a cablegram to-day announcing the death of his father, Colonel Albrecht Feez, yesterday. The deceased, in 1858, at the time of the Canoona rush, commenced business in Rockhampton as a merchant and resided there for thirty years. He was Mayor of Rockhampton and represented Leichhardt in the Legislative Assembly for several years. In 1885 he returned to Munich, Germany, where he died. He has left two sons—Mr. A. F. M. Feez, solicitor, and Mr. A. H. H. M. Feez, barrister.

Colonel Feez was one of the founders of Rockhampton. He came here from Sydney at the time of the Canoona rush in 1858, and was for a short time engaged in the lucrative employment of currying merchandise with teams to the Eldorado. When the people who formed the rush were returning to Sydney, Colonel (then Mr. Feez) was one of those who recognised the probability of Rockhampton becoming a large and important town, and he started business as a general merchant. He built premises in Quay-lane just below Mr. W. Kasch's present workshop. When the business of the town was removed from the lanes to the front streets Mr. Feez built a store in East-street, at the rear of his Quay-lane premises, where he remained in business until he retired nearly twenty years ago, having been one of the fortunate people who bought an interest in Mount Morgan before the company was formed. Mr. Feez was one of the foremost men of Rockhampton from its very beginning. He was a member of the first committees elected by ballot for the School of Arts in 1862, and he never lost interest in that institution. He was for some years a member of the Municipal Council, and was Mayor of the town in 1879. He was also an officer of Volunteers, and in various other ways was a loyal and valued citizen, taking a deep interest in all matters that he considered to be for the progress of the town of his adoption. Colonel Feez's affable manner and remarkable musical abilities were ever in demand socially, and his services at local concerts were given freely. He possessed a fine tenor voice, and was particularly fond of patriotic songs, such as "The British Lion," which always met with rapturous applause. Colonel Feez married Miss Milford, a daughter of the late Mr. Justice Milford, of Sydney. Mrs. Feez has been dead many years. Colonel Feez was about eighty years of age. He visited Rockhampton four or five years ago, and was then hale and hearty.