Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 11 October 1905, page 7


DEATH OF MR. MARS BUCKLEY

Among the obituary notices this morning

will be seen with great regret, the name

of Mr. Mars Buckley, whose death, in his 80th year, took place on Monday night, at his residence Beaulieu, Toorak. He was ap-

parently enjoying his usual health when he came to the city on business in the morn-

ing, and until half-past 9 o'clock in the evening, when he retired to his room for the night; but about an hour later he re-marked to Mrs. Buckley that he felt ill, and raising himself in bed for a moment, he fell back and expired, the cause of death being

heart failure. The news was received with painful surprise yesterday by those who had either seen or spoken to Mr. Buckley on the previous day, and by his many friends. Born at Mallow, County Cork, Mr. Buckley with his wife and one child, arrived at Melbourne in 1851, and in 1852, in conjunction with Mr. C. J. Nunn, he established the business in Bourke-street now carried on as Buckley and Nunn Limited. The original "shop" was a wooden building, 9ft. by 30ft., on a portion of the site of the present premises, for which they paid the owner (Mr. Staugh-ton) a yearly rent of £250. The business grew, and in 1862 the firm occupied premises

for which "a rental of £3,000 a year was paid, and which they continued until they purchased the land, giving £25,000 for about 27ft. by 80ft." Later still, with the exten-

sion of the business, the buildings occupied

162ft. frontage to Bourke-street, by a depth of about 380ft. to Post-office-place. In 1891, on the death of his first and only partner, Mr. Buckley sold the business as a going concern to Mr. Robert Reid, who disposed

of it in London in 1892, the purchase money being £300,000. Mr. Buckley, during his 54 years' continuous residence in Melbourne, never took an active part in political or civic life. He was simply a business man, and as such for nearly forty years was largely en-

grossed in his own affairs. In the mercan-tile world he was regarded as a man of

shrewd common sense, undoubted integrity, and fair and just in all his dealings. Mrs. Buckley has survived her husband, and the members of the family are Miss Mary Buck-ley (now in England), Mr. Gerald Buckley, of Narapumelap Station, Wickliffe; Mr. Godfrey Buckley (now in England), Captain Percy Neville Buckley, Commonwealth En-

gineer Corps; and Mr. Charles Mars Buck-ley (now in England). The funeral will take

place at the Boroondara Cemetery to-mor-row afternoon.