Mr. Henry Frederick Hardy , long well known as a pioneer colonist, page 384 an architect and a Justice of the Peace, was born in Derbyshire, England, on the 11th of February, 1831. He was educated at Matlock, and brought up to the business of a grocer at Wirksworth, in his native county. On the 25th of September, 1853, he was nearly wrecked in the ship “Rajah” in a hurricane, but, after a voyage of 117 days, arrived at Port Chalmers on the 5th of October of that year. Mr. Hardy had been very fond of carpentering work from his boyhood, and found the knowledge he had gained invaluable to him in the new land to which he had come. He, however, apprenticed himself to the cabinetimaking business soon after his arrival, and afterwards helped to construct the first ship built in Dunedin, which was named the “Star of Dunedin.” In 1855 he commenced house building, and about two years later was joined by Mr. Winchester, under the style of Messrs Hardy and Winchester. His partner left the firm some years afterwards, and from that time Mr. Hardy conducted business on his own account. In 1861—at the time of the gold “rush”—he found himself the only master builder left in Dunedin; he was at that time employing sixty men. Mr. Hardy learned his business as an architect from Mr. Augustus Peopell in the early days, and practised his profession for nearly forty years in the city. Numerous buildings were erected from his plans, such as the fine mills of the Mosgiel Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd.—very large and important buildings, built of brick, concrete, iron, and glass—; also Mosgiel House, Messrs Reid and Gray's large four storey warehouse and workshop, Mr. H. E. Shacklock's range and grate factory, Mr. A. C. Broad's brush factory, Messrs Bates, Sise and Co.'s warehouse, Messrs Banks, Barron and Co.'s warehouse in Rattray Street, the offices of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and the large four storey building of the “Otago Daily Times,” in High, Dowling, and Macandrew Streets. Mr. Hardy was well known as an ecclesiastical architect, he having designed and erected numerous churches, including St. John's Anglican Church, Roslyn (together with parsonage), the Primitive Methodist Church, York Place, St. Martin's Church, North East Valley, St. Peter's Church (in brick) at Caversham, the chancel of St. John's Church at Milton (also a brick school adjoining), the bell tower of Holy Trinity Church at Port Chalmers (and the Sunday school), St. Paul's Anglican School, Stuart Street, Dunedin (in brick), and the Dunedin Catholic and Apostolie Church. In the days of the Provincial Government, Mr. Hardy was secretary and architect to the public schools committee, and in the latter capacity planned and supervised the building of many schools and masters' houses in the Otago provincial district, including amongst others large portions of the North East Valley and North Dunedin schools, part of the Port Chalmers High School and rector's house, the North Taleri, Port Chalmers, and Otakaia public schools. Some of the first dairy factories were built from Mr. Hardy's plans, notably that at Inchclutha. The Ashburton Woollen Factory was remodelled and partly rebuilt by him, also part of the Benevolent Institution, Caversham. Of private houses and doctors' residences, Mr. Hardy built many, including the residences of Dr. Lindo Fergusson and Dr. Hocken, part of Dr. Smith's, at Balelutha, and extensive alterations were made by him to the houses of Dr. De Zouche and Dr. Davis, also “Dale House” in Duke Street for Mr. Nichols, of Messrs Dalgety. Nichols and Co.; Mr. D. Haynes' residence in Smith Street, “Stuart House,” St. Clair, and “Ahaura”—the residence of Archdeacon Edwards—were also all erected under his supervision. A visitor to New Zealand was so pleased with Dr. Fergusson's house, that he retained Mr. Hardy to prepare plans and complete specifications for a fine residence on that model to be ereceted in America. Among the shops put up by him in Dunedin are Mr. Braithwaites' in Princes Street, several in George Street. Including that of Mr. Collins, those of the Bishopric Trustees, and others in Frederick street. Mr. Hardy was one of the competitors for the Colonial Mutual Buildings, and also sent in a design for the Rev. Dr. Burns' monument. He was for many years a member of the Dunedin City Council, for a long time a member of the Gas, Water, and Finance Committee, at one time chairman of the Public Works and Public Reserves Committees, and was a candidate for the mayoralty in 1897. Mr. Hardy took a keen interest in local industries, having been for many years a director of the Mosgiel Woollen Company. He was also a member of the committee of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition of 1890, and was engaged as an expert in the woodware department. He was for many years a member of the Charitable Aid and Hospital Boards, and for over ten years served on the Benevolent Institution Committee. In the days of Provincial Government, Mr. Hardy unsuccessfully contested the Dunedin seat in the House of Representatives against the late Hon. J, Paterson, who was returned by a narrow majority of only five votes. Mr, Hardy was the first lay canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, elected by the laity; and he had been a churchwarden, vestryman, commissary, secretary and treasurer to the Rural Deanery Board, member of the Diocesan Synod, and of the Diocesan Trust Board. For about twenty-five years he was a Justice of the Peace. Mr. Hardy was married in 1854 to a daughter of the late Mr. David Calder, of Caithness; this lady died in 1871, leaving four sons and a daughter. In 1872 he married Miss McCallum, teacher of the Port Chalmers Grammar School; by this marriage he had a son and a daughter. Of Mr. Hardy's sons, the eldest is an accountant in Dunedin; the second is in business on his own account as a mining engineer and surveyor, and mine owner, in Auckland; the third is an ironmonger in Melbourne; the fourth—an M.B. and M.C. of Edinburgh—is head surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, Preston, Lancashire; and the youngest is Captain F. A. Hardy, Deputy Harbourmaster, Port Chalmers, Mr. Hardy's eldest daughter is married to the manager of the Bank of New South Wales at the Thames. Mr. Hardy died suddenly on the 14th of February, 1904, at Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health.