Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail (SA : 1898 - 1918), Monday 17 August 1914, page 3


DEATH OF MR. B P. GOODE.

A SPLENDID TOWNSMAN AND

COLONIST.

Another of our sturdy pioneer re-sidents passed away on Saturday morning, when Mr. Benjamin Powell Goode died at his residence in Pirie South. For over a quarter of a cen-tury the deceased gentleman was one of our best known and most influen-tial townsmen, and though he did not take the prominent part in public af-fairs that his brother (the late Mr. William Goode) yet he did much to-wards shaping the destinies of the port and in helping on progressive movements for its benefit. Mr. B. P. Goode did not often appear on a pub-lic platform but on rare occasions when some question of policy stirred him greatly he proved himself a

ready and vigorous speaker. His most notable public utterance was

made about the middle eighties, when a hot controversy raged between lo-cal Freetraders and Protectionists. Mr. Goode, a Britisher to the back-bone, ranged himself on the side of

the Freetraders, and his contribution to a debate which extended over two evenings, and which were continued long past midnight on each evening, was a very able exposition of the ec-onomic doctrine which he espoused. Mr. Goode was for many years chos-en by the ratepayers as one of their auditors. He was a member of the firm of H. A. & W. Goode until the business changed hands a few years ago, but he devoted much of his spare time to the study of medicine, which was his hobby, and he acquir-ed more than local fame by his suc-cess as a homoeopathist in the treat-ment of infantile disorders.

The deceased was one of a remark-able family of brothers, all big, large-hearted men of dominating personal-ity and John Bull-like -tenacity of purpose. He was bluff and outspok-en, and inclined to be aggressive in controversy, but at heart he was one of the kindest of men and the needy or unfortunate never appealed to him in vain. He was very fond of music. He had a powerful heavy baritone voice, and in the early days was of-ten heard at local concerts. On these occasions he usually sang patriotic songs, and old residents still remem-ber with pleasure the power and pride he used to put into ' 'The British Lion," which was a great favorite of

his. Mr. Goode was for many years

a prominent member and consistent supporter of the Methodist Church and was leader of the choir for 14 years. Mr. Goode was born at Pig-

eon House, Worcestershire, England, on July 3, 1842, and came out to Australia when 15 years of age in the ship Hope after a long and protract-ed passage. His brothers Tom, H. A., Charles, and William also arriv-ed in Australia at the same time. The deceased went as an assistant in a general store at Sheoak Log, but after a sojourn of 18 months con-tracted typhoid fever and returned to Adelaide. Upon recovering his health Mr. Goode went to Mount Barker, and afterwards to Goolwa. In 1866 he was appointed to control the branch business of Messrs. H. A. & W. Goode at Yankalilla, which es-tablishment had been purchased from Messrs. Allen and Jones, of Aldinga. Three years later the deceased be-came a member of the firm, but did not come to Port Pirie until 1880. The first buildings occupied by the firm were built under the direction of the late Mr. John Pimlott, and they comprised a bulk store on the north-ern side of the town. A few years later the firm had a large establish-ment erected in Ellen-street, near to where the' present building' now stands. He was married in 1867 to Frances, daughter of the late Mr. Edward Jones, the Haywood, Here-fordshire. He was one ol the found-ers of the Port Pirie Institute, of which he was a life member. In 1897 Mr. and Mrs. Goode paid a holiday visit to Great Britain after having been absent from the home land for nearly 40 years. A widow, five sons and three daughters survive. They are Messrs; Bert, Harold, Dr. Mat-hew (Port Pirie); Dr. Reginald (Port Lincoln), Douglas (Adelaide) and Mesdames J. B. Johnstone (Port Pirie) John Drew (Kooringa) and H. M. Jacka (Port Pirie). Three broth-ers of the deceased are living—Messrs Tom and H. A., (Hyde Park) and

Mathew (Willunga).

The funeral took place yesterday, when the remains were followed to the cemetery by a very large number of friends and relatives Mr. Giles,

of Adelaide, conducted the burial ser-vice and the pall-bearers were the

pionship Doubles Brooks and Wilding

Johnstone.