Frank Edwin Lark (1887 – 21 March 1946) was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a col ...

from 9 March 1936 to 8 March 1943; and 9 March 1943 to 21 March 1946. He was appointed by the First Labour Government.

Biography

Early life

He was originally from Plymouth, England, and joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

as a naval rating on HMS ''Encounter''. He then left the service and went to northern

Wairoa Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west o ...

in 1932 and later moved to

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby re ...

. He joined the Railway Department but left it about 1920 to go farming at

Matamata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which tak ...

Political career

While in Matamata, he took a keen interest in school and local government affairs, became a member of the school committee, and the chairman and also a member of the Matamata Town Board. He was an energetic worker on behalf of the unemployed. He was elected a member of the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...

in 1935, but declined to stand for re-election three years later. He was a member of the Auckland Transport Board, serving as deputy chairman for a period. In 1935 Lark was appointed to the Legislative Council.

Death

Lark died on 21 March 1946 and his ashes were buried at

Waikumete Cemetery Waikumete Cemetery, originally Waikomiti Cemetery, is New Zealand's largest cemetery. It occupies a site of 108 hectares in Glen Eden, Auckland, and also contains a crematorium in the south-west corner of the cemetery. History Waikumete Cemetery ...

. He was survived by his wife May, two sons and one daughter.

References

''These notes were sourced from a eulogy from an Auckland newspaper published 21 March 1946.'' 1887 births 1946 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Labour Party MLCs People from Matamata English emigrants to New Zealand Auckland City Councillors Burials at Waikumete Cemetery 20th-century Royal Navy personnel Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon Royal Navy personnel of World War I {{NewZealand-politician-stub