Obituaries Australia

A guard of honour from the Canberra branch of the Ex Navalmen's Association and the Canberra Division of the Australian Journalists’ Association will be present at the funeral this afternoon of the late Mr. Norman V. Kearsley, of the Canberra office- of the Argus (Melbourne) newspaper.

He was formerly Canberra correspondent of the Brisbane Telegraph and had several public and sporting interests.

Mr. Kearsley, who was 53, collapsed at his home on Saturday morning. He suffered from heart trouble, and a recent attack of bronchitis accelerated his death.

Mr. Kearsley, who had lived in Canberra for the past ten years with his wife, daughter and two sons at Forrest, was a well known and respected member of the Canberra community. He was a native of Perth and a former interstate National Football player. He served in the Far East with the Royal Australian Navy in the 1914-18 war.

Mr. Kearsley was president of the Canberra branch of the Ex-Navalmen's Association, and a dogged fighter for the rights of ex-servicemen. He was a member of the High Council of Ex-Servicemen's Organisations, and a member of the Housing Advisory Committee.

He was also a former president of the Canberra Division of the Australian Journalists' Association and the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery.

He held many offices in the A.J.A. during his lifetime of service extending over 30 years.

TRIBUTE BY MR. MENZIES
The Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies) said yesterday that he had learned with real personal sorrow of Mr. Kearsley's death.

"Not only I but all other political people in Canberra had a very great respect for his character, his uprightness and his reliability," he said.

"We extend our very deep sympathy to his widow and family."

The, president of, the Canberra Division of the Australian Journalists' Association and also president of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Mr. S. Stephens said, "Journalists throughout Australia will hear of the news of the death of Norman Kearsley, with a deep feeling of sorrow. During the half a lifetime he devoted to journalism he worked in most States of the Commonwealth in addition to Canberra."

"He gave not only sterling service to the A.J.A. but to the newspapers which employed him."

"He devoted the same energy to community of affairs of Canberra as he did to his work as a zealous journalist."

The president of the Canberra National Football League, Mr. G. V. Mahoney, who is also a vice president of the Barton sub branch of the R.S.L., said, "We learned with regret of the death of Norman Kearsley. He was a great fighter for ex-servicemen and at the same time a grand sportsman. He did good work in an unobtrusive way for the national game in Canberra and could always be relied upon in an emergency."

The funeral service will be held in the Church of St. John the Baptist at 3 p.m. today. At the conclusion of the service the funeral will move to the old returned servicemen's portion of the Canberra Public Cemetery.