Synopsis
When New Zealand’s longest-serving prime minister, Richard John Seddon, suddenly took ill and died during his voyage home from a diplomatic trip to Australia, the country went into mourning. A national hero, Seddon had presided over New Zealand’s decision not to join the Australian Federation in 1901, was responsible for the institution of old-age pensions, and was a champion of miners and the native Maori people. Thousands lined the streets of Wellington for his funeral cortège on 21 June 1906. Led by a brass band playing a specially composed funeral march, the horse-drawn carriage was followed by Seddon’s family, along with various dignitaries and government officials, as it made its way through the capital to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment.