Obituaries Australia

One by one the "old identities" of Tasmania are passing away, and their ranks are being reduced very rapidly. On Saturday, Alderman [Alexander Mackenzie] Nicol expired at his residence in Brisbane-street, after an illness extending over some time. His demise will doubtless be a surprise to many of his friends, for although he has suffered for several weeks from the complaint which has at last carried him off, yet hopes were held out that he would be spared for some time. Deceased was a native of Edinburgh, and came out to this colony about forty years ago. During the whole of that period, with the exception of a short time spent in Victoria, he has resided in Hobart Town, and been connected with the building trade. About three years ago, he was elected to fill an aldermanic chair, at the City Council, and was assiduous in his duties in that position, and from his experience as a builder and contractor, was a valuable member of that body. Few men in the community were better known and more respected than was Alderman Nicol. Though his public career is embraced in the years he has been a member of the Corporation, his name is intimately associated with the erection of several of our public buildings. As a private citizen, he had earned the esteem of a large circle of friends; and we are sure the news of his death will be regretted by many in the city who have been acquainted with him for a number of years. There can be little doubt that Alderman Nicol's death was accelerated by his too zealous discharge of his duties as a member of the Corporation at the time of the recent floods. On that occasion, he exposed himself to a degree beyond his strength, and having, in his anxiety to do good, persisted, regardless of the wet, he caught a cold, from the effects of which he never recovered. Deceased was sixty-five years of age, and leaves a family of three sons and five daughters.