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THE LATE MR THEODORE
HACK.
A COLONIST OF 62 YEARS.
Public and religious life in this State will
be the poorer by the death of Mr. Theodore
Hack, which took place on Saturday at his
residence, in Miller-street, North Unley.
He was born on November 17, 1840, at
Echunga, near Mount Barker, and was the
fifth son of Mr. John Barton Hack, who
arrived in Port Adelaide by the ship Isa-
bella from Tasmania with a considerable
number of sheep and cattle in February,
1837. three months after Sir John Hind-
marsh had proclaimed South Australia a
British province. The elder Mr. Hack,
whose father was a banker in Chichester,
and whose mother, herself an authoress, was
a sister of Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet
and friend of Charles Lamb, was very close-
ly associated with the early life of this com-
munity. The vessel in which he arrived
was commanded by Captain John Hart,
(afterwards Premier on several occasions),
with whom he was associated in whaling
operations at Encounter Bay. Mr. Hack
also took up the first special surveys under
the Government-those at Little Para and
Echunga-and he was one of the committee
appointed to name the streets of Adelaide,
in which he purchased 64 acres at the ori-
ginal Government sale. . He would have be-
come one of the wealthiest men in Austra-
lia had he retained this property, but he
was involved in the financial crisis in 1842
by the dishonoring of the drafts drawn by
Colonel George Gawler, K.H., the second
Governor, on the Imperial Government, and
had to part with his estates. Mr. Hack
died at the Semaphore on October 4, 1884,
at the age of 79 years, his wife, whom he
married in 1829, having predeceased him.
She was a daughter of Mr. William
Watson, of Hardshaw, in Lancashire. It
is a sad coincidence that the son of this
worthy pioneer should have died on the eve
of Proclamation Day. Mr. Theodore Hack
was educated at Mr. John L. Young's
school on North-terrace, where the Right
Hon. C. C. Kingston, and many other per-
sonages now holding prominent positions,
were also pupils. After spending some time
in the bush on the Coorong, Mr. Hack re-
turned to Adelaide in the early sixties, and
entered the Civil service as landing officer
at the Semaphore, whence he went to Port
Willunga as harbormaster. Afterwards he
became corresponding clerk in the Engi
neer-in-Chief's Department, and railway
storekeeper. In the seventies Mr. Hack
left the Civil service, and entered into the
timber trade at Port Adelaide in partner-
ship with Mr. Robin. The whole of their
immense stock was destroyed by fire in
1884, and two years later Mr. Hack estab-
lished himself in Adelaide as a valuator and
architect.
Mr. Hack took a deep interest in public
affairs, and was always ready to place his
services at the disposal oí his fellow
citizens. For several years he was a mem-
ber of the Port Adelaide Council, and for
two years he fulled the office of mayor of
that important municipality. He also had
the distinction of being the first mayor of
the Semaphore. At the Jubilee Exhibition
in 1887, Mr. Hack was appointed a juror,
and from 1S90 to 1893 he sat in Parliament
as one of the representatives for Gumer-
acha. As a member of the Central Roads
Board and of the Fire Brigades' Board,
he devoted much attention to the perfor-
mance of his duties. Mr. Hack belonged
to the Methodist Church, and he threw
himself earnestly into the work of the de-
nomination. For 30 years he was a
zealous local preacher, and his col-
leagues recognised his ability and
power by appointing him president of the
Local Teachers' Association. His religious
energy found further scope in his connec-
tion with the Australasian General Metho-
dist Conference, the local Methodist Con-
ference, as well as with several standing
committees of the Conference. The govern-
ing body of Prince Alfred College also bene-
fited by Mr. Hack's grasp of affairs anti
practical wisdom.. Among the various phil-
anthropic efforts that had Mr. Hack's ac-
tive support may be mentioned the Prison-
ers' Aid Society. As chairman and trea-
surer of the executive committee of this in-
stitution he did much to promote the suc-
cess of a movement that is full of hope and
promise. A reference to the work done by
Mr. Hack would be incomplete without
mention of the influence he exercised in
regard to the operations of the Chamber of
Manufactures. He constantly advocated the
establishment and development of colonial
industries, and took a prominent part in
two inter-State Conferences on the subject
of the proposed Federal tariff, held in Ade-
laide and Melbourne.
The late Mr. Hack was twice married,
and he leaves a widow and eight children.
Of the five sons, two are in Adelaide, two
in the West, and one in the United States.
Mr. Hack had six brothers, one of whom is
Mr. Bedford Hack, manager of the Sewage
Farm. Mr. Hack's death was due to Bright's
disease, from which he had suffered for a
long time.
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