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A NOTABLE CITIZEN
SUDDEN DEATH OF MR.
F. A. CHAPMAN.
The death occurred on Friday of Mr.
F. A. Chapman, the well-known and highly
respected managing director of the Lion
Brewing and Malting company, Ltd. Mr.
Chapman was travelling by the 4.30 pm
Melbourne express on a holiday trip to
Victoria in company with his brother, Mr.
L. Chapman of Western Australia, when
between Belair and Mount Lofty he sud-
denly collapsed while in conversation with
a fellow passenger. He was attended by
Dr. P. Gorrie, who pronounced life ex-
tinct, ihc cause ot death is believed to
have been heart failure. Mr Chapman's
family were informed, and his sons—Dr. A.
Chapman and Mr. S. L Chapman had the
body removed to his residence at Unley
Park.
Born in Stepney in 1864, Mr. Chapman
was a son of Mr. Arthur Chapman, one
of Adelaide's best-known hotel brokers. He
was educated at Grote-street State  
School, Mr. J. L. Young's Academy
and Prince Alfred College. It was in-
tended that he sbould become a jeweller,
but he did not care for the work, and
readily accepted an offer to enter the
brewing trade. He was an energetic ap-
prentice, under the supervision of Mr. G.
Gray, at the Lion Brewery, Lower North
Adelaide, and remained with the company
all his life. There was no branch of the
trade with which he was not thoroughly
familiar. At the age of 25 he was ap-
pointed secretary of the company. During
the seven years previous to that appoint-
ment he had gained a valuable insight into
another departmeut of the business—that
concerned with the distribution of the
beverages, for when only 18 be was sent
out as a traveller, and became acquainted
with the methods of hotel management.
The work was by no means easy, but the
training proved invaluable to Mr. Chap-
man in after-life, when, as secretary
of the South Australian Associated Brewers
and the Brewes' Association. He was
able to offer sound opinions on matters
of the greatest importance to the licenced
trade—opinions based upon years of prac-
tical experience. In Mr. Citapman's early
days beer was much cheaper than it is
now. The wholesale price was 1/ a gal-
lon, and small breweries were to be found
all over the country. Most, of these have
now disappeared, having either closed
down or become merged in larger busi-
nesses. The company of which. Mr. Chap-
man was managing director now confines
itself to malting and the mauufaclure of
aerated waters and cordials, and Mr. Chap-
man's duties carried him periodically to
Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, where the
company has regular purchasers for ita
malt among the leading breweries.
Mr. Chapman had no time for illness,
for when he was not supervising the work
of the company he was serving on various
committees, or throwing his energies into
matters of an equally arduous nature. His
extensive business experience and long com-
mercial training led to his services being
in frequent demand, and on many occa-
sions he represented the brewing interest
at conferences and in Arbitration Court
cases.
He was on the directorate of the Co-
operative Bottle Company, and was for a
time chairman of the finance committee of
the Chamber of Manufacturers. For six
years he was a member cf the financial
board connected with the Church of Eng-
land Synod, but pressure of business com-
pelled him to relinquish the post. He
was also a synodsman for many years, as
weii as a lay reader of the Church of En-
land. He was a prominent Freemason.
For many years he was a member of the
board of general purposes, and frequently
went out with the Grand Lodge to assist
at the installation ceremonies. He was
also a past master in the M.U., I.O.O.F
In his younger days he was interested in
crieket and other manly sports, but his
principal pastime at late years was bowls.
He was a member of the Com-
mercial Travellers' Association, which
he joined more than 30 years ago.
The nature of his calling brought him
into contact with a host of people of all
classes, and an ability to win the con-
fidence of all with whom he had intimate
dealings was one of his outstanding
characteristics. His genial presence will
be sadly missed by a large circle of
friends in this and other States.
Mr. Chapman left a widow, two sons-—
Dr. A. Chapman (superintendent of the
Adelaide Dental Hospital) and Mr. S.
Chapman (secretary of tbe Lion Brewing
Company)— and one daughter—Miss Elma
Chapman (Unley Park). His funeral will
leave his residence, Thornber-street, Unley
Park, at 2 pm. to-day for the Payneham
Cemetery.
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