Dimboola Banner and Wimmera and Mallee Advertiser (Vic. : 1914 - 1918) Friday 30 March 191717484

Obituary
MR. PETER MOLLER.
By the death of Mr Peter Moller,
which took place late on Thursday
afternoon in last week, Dimboola lost
one of its oldest, most respected, and
universally esteemed pioneer farmers.
The deceased, who was 76 years of
age, was born in Holstein, and came
to Australia when 18 years old. At
that time his native land was under
Danish rule, and as he became natura
lised immediately after he landed in
this country, he had never owned alle-
giance to a German sovereign. His
loyalty to the country of his adoption,
and to its king, had always been above
question. Even at the time of the
Boer war, when there were many
British people as well as numbers of
his compatriots who were not alto
gether satisfied as to the justness of
Britain's cause, Mr Moller thought it
his duty to at least give the latter the
benefit of the doubt, his contention
being that those who sided with the
Boers were not conversant with all of
the facts which led up to the conflict.
Upon arriving in Australia, Mr Moller
decided to go in for farming, and ac
cordingly he took up some land at
Byaduk. In 1871 he married Miss W.
J. Rudolph, at Hamilton, and three
years later he came to Dimboola, where
he selected land. Later on he bought
out other selectors, and continued to
live on the land thus acquired up to
the time of his death. He was a most
thorough and hard-working farmer,
and his sound judgment and ripe ex
perience was sought after by many a
beginner, who had reason to be grate
ful for the advice so willingly tendered.
He always displayed the greatest in
terest in the local A. & P. Society, by
the members of which he was greatly
esteemed, as was proved by the fact
that he was nominated on several oc
casions for the presidency, which,
however, he invariably declined to
accept. One of the characteristics
which won him widespread respect
was his strict integrity ; his word was
ever his bond. He is survived by his
widow and seven children — five sons,  
all of whom are well-known farmers,
who have settled in the neighborhood,
and two daughters, the other daughter
(Mrs Gierke) having died some time
ago. Needless to say much sympathy
is felt for the bereaved widow, who is
in a frail state of health, and for the
family, whose names are Henry (Tar-
ranyurk), William (Dimboola), Gerard
(Tarranyurk), Alfred (Dimboola), Er
nest (Dimboola), Mrs F. Dalitz, and
Mrs H. Budde.
The funeral took place on Saturday
afternoon. Before the interment,
which was at the Dimboola cemetery,
Pastor Wentzel conducted a service at
the Lutheran Church, where he deli
vered an impressive address in both
English and German to a large con
gregation. After this service those
present followed the body to the
graveside, the long procession of
mourners and friends and neighbors
of the deceased making quite an im-
posing spectacle, The coffin was
bourne from the hearse to the grave I
by the following : Messrs F. W. Sall
mann, A. G. Lehmann, L. Ey, A. H.
Schumann, C. H. Hermann and G.
Harders. The funeral arrangements
were carried out by Messrs Martin
dale and Sons, of Dimboola.