Mr. Thomas Hicks Is an old settler, who has been associated with the Wakatipu district since the early sixties. He was born on the 18th of March, 1827, in Cornwall, England, where he went to school for a short time. At the age of nine he commenced work on a farm, and found employment in country pursuits for eight years, after which he had three years' experience in mining. Mr Hicks left Plymouth, England, in 1849, by the ship “David Malcolm,” for Adelaide, and continued in that city till the 19th of January, 1850. He was then attracted to the gold diggings in California, and was in San Francisco till August, 1852, when he returned to Sydney. In New South Wales he followed mining at the Turon, and also in Victoria at the Ovens and McIver diggings, till 1853, when he went to Melbourne. He then had three years' experience in gold mining, at Ballarat, which he left “dead broke,” having lost all in deep smking. Mr Hicks then found employment in bush work till 1860, and afterwards had further experience in Adelaide. In February, 1862, Mr Hicks arrived in Port Chalmers, and had various experiences of gold mining at Wetherstones, Dun-stan, Nokomai, Nevis, and Alexandra. He was successful in his operations, and removed to Arrow in December, 1862. In February, 1863, Mr Hicks settled in Queenstown, and went into the sawmilling business at the head of the Lake, at Kinloch, with six partners, under the style of J. W. Robertson and Co. They started this mill in August, 1863, and timber at that time was worth £5 per hundred feet in Queenstown; but when they were thoroughly ready to supply the market the company sold at thirty shillings per hundred. He carried on a successful business till January, 1883, when he sold out and retired to his pretty residence on the banks of Lake Wakatipu. Mr Hicks was married, in 1870, to a daughter of Mr Alexander McBride. of Lake Hayes. Mrs Hicks died in 1901.