Obituaries Australia

Another of the Hawkesbury's oldest pioneers, Mr. Joseph Stubbs, passed away to the land of shades and shadows on Christmas night, at the age of 75 years, at Sackville Reach. He was a native of the Hawkesbury, and during the whole of his long life resided at or within half a mile of where he died. For the past nine months his health had been failing, but he was a man of great endurance, a big, brawny, typical Hawkesbury native. The late Joseph Stubbs was a hard-working, an honest, and a clean living man; the Stubbs family are all of good morals; and the splendid physiques of the generations now living is in a great measure due to the good moral lives of their progenitors. For the past 25 years he had been churchwarden of St. Thomas', Sackville, 20 years of which he was the Minister's warden, and was one of the mainstays of the church. He was a man of whom it could be truly said 'his end was peace, for after having spent his Christmas apparently in quiet enjoyment, he had prepared to retire to bed, and about 11 p.m. while in the attitude of prayer, the angel of death, who has no terrors for the good man, came silently to him. Those of his family who were near went to his assistance, and found that the patriarch had gone to his rest. He had reared a large family of 8 sons and 3 daughters, who are now highly respected residents of Dubbo, Sydney, Pitt Town, and Sackville Reach. The funeral, which took place on Boxing Day, was a very large one, the church being crowded by relatives and persons paying their last tribute of respect to the memory of a worthy man. The Rev. W. S. Newton, M.A., conducted the funeral service, and delivered an impressive address in the church, referring in eloquent words to the life and good work of the deceased gentleman. The remains were laid to rest in St. Thomas' Church of England Cemetery, and Mr J. W. Chandler carried out the duties of undertaker.