Mirrielees, Alexander James (Alick), 1878-1972 (Person)

Alexander James Mirrielees was born in Riverton on 4 June 1878.

Alick died in Tauranga on 13 August 1972, aged 94, and was buried at Tauranga Anglican Cemetery on 16 August 1972. The headstone text is: Alexander James MIRRIELEES d 13 Aug 1972 94 yrs. Violet Mary Ada wife of A. J. MIRRIELEES d 27 Jul 1928 49 yrs.

Career: Alick served a four-year apprenticeship with chemist C.F. Whitford, moving to Wellington and qualifying. He opened and ran a pharmacy in Johnsonville for seven years. Then moved to Tauranga in 1910, purchasing Woods pharmacy on The Strand.

Military: He joined Johnson Rifle Volunteers, "winning the New Zealand Service Championship Belt and the Challenge Cup several times at Trentham." Following the move to Tauranga he transferred to the 6th Hauraki Regiment, serving as a recruiting officer during World War I, he retired with the rank of Major.

Community: He was foundation member of many local organisations in Tauranga, often taking the role of President. Groups included: Deep Sea Fishing Club; Fire Board (Chair 1938-1941), Mayor Island Fishing; Tauranga Bowling Club; TaurangaChamber of Commerce; Tauranga Golf Club; Tauranga Harbour Board (Chair 1933-1944); Tauranga Rifle Club; Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club; Yacht and Powerboat Club. He was also a Justice of the Peace.

Jinty Rorke wrote about Captain Mirrielees on 12 September 1994:

Before reclamation began the tip of the Te Papa peninsula ended in a sandy bank, which curved round to the west and provided a sheltered anchorage at the base of the cliff to the north of the Mission Station. This sandbank was generally known as The Spit, and the road leading to it Spit Road. In the 1860s the imperial regiments established a practice rifle range here. It was also used by the Armed Constabulary and, later, by the Tauranga Rifle Volunteers.
The name was changed to Mirrielees Road in 1951 after Captain A.J. Mirrielees, who had been in charge of the Rifles Volunteers who practised at the butts. Mirrielees, who was a founding member of the Tauranga Harbour Board, had a chemist's shop on The Strand. He was also a commercial photographer, as were many chemists in those days, and his postcards are an important part of the Tauranga District Library's photograph collection. Mirrielees son, Ron, kept homing pigeons, in the loft of their house on Cameron Road. During the filming of "My Lady of the Caves" on Mayor Island in the 1920s his birds were used by the film crew to send messages to the mainland. This was particularly important as the leading lady had her young baby on the island with her. Fishing boats would then deliver the necessary items to Mayor Island.