Obituaries Australia

Joseph Laurie, n.d.

photo supplied by Mark Rogers

News came to hand on Thursday that Mr. J. [Joseph] Laurie, J. P., died at his residence, Laurieton, early that morning. He has been an invalid for over five years, during which he was devotedly nursed by his wife, who was hardly ever away from his side. No particulars are to hand.

The deceased was one of the pioneers in the timber industry at Laurieton, starting a mill there, in conjunction with his two brothers, some 29 years ago. He was a man of men in business and was the first one to develop the export business, sending a trial shipment home at his own expense. Laurieton named after him, is a different place to-day to what it was when he first came to it — then it was a wilderness, or rather a dense forest, hacked up by swamps; to-day it is a thriving place. The deceased was a man of sterling character, whose word was his bond, and although his later years were spent as an invalid, yet those who knew him at his best will remember him as such. For him it was a happy release from helplessness.

The funeral was timed for 4 p.m. to- day.