James Shiner Bond

James was the eldest son of Alfred Bond and Sarah, née Shiner, born on 12 December 1858 in Beaminster.^[1] He started as an apprentice printer when he was 13.^[2] James arrived at Whanganui in 1878,^[3] working as a job printer at the Rangitikei Advocate. In 1880 he moved to Cambridge, where he was printer at the Waikato Mail.^[4]

James married Sarah Annie O’Connor on 1 May 1881 and they had 9 children,^[1] among them were:

• Alfred James, (born 1885) and Augustine (born 4 August 1890), who sailed with the 16th Waikato Regiment on 16 October 1914.^[5] Augustine was killed in the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. Alfred returned in 1918,^[6] after being wounded and gassed,^[7] and, in 1919, married Ada Ring.^[8] Patricia was one of their children.^[9] Alfred continued the family stationery business until he died on 15 April 1928.^[10] He was buried in Hamilton East Cemetery.^[5]
• Francis Cecil farmed at Rotokauri.^[11]
• Fred C, born on 5 January 1884, published a directory.^[12] He survived the war^[13] and being sunk when the Wimmera hit a mine in 1918.^[14]
• Percy was wounded in France in 1916.^[15][16]

Sarah died on 20 April 1902.^[17] James married Ellen Octavia Graham on 29 March 1905 at Ponsonby^[18] and had three more children.^[1]

In 1881 he started the Atlas Printing Company which also sold books and stationery.^[1] It was affected by a large fire in Cambridge in 1889.^[19] In July 1895 James started the Waikato Advocate, a weekly journal, which bought the masthead and property of the Waikato Times from the Bank of New Zealand in 1896.^[20] The previous owner, George Edgecumbe, was given a fortnight to give up possession. He set up a rival Waikato Argus and took the files, advertising contacts and subscriber lists, leaving James with the building, membership of the Press Association and a printing press. James began publishing the Waikato Times every evening, rather than 3 mornings a week.^[21][22] In 1898 a large fire cracked the windows of his stationery shop at the Waikato Times.^[23] In 1902 he sold the Waikato Times to Paull & Venables and was presented with a desk by his employees.^[24][25][3] From 1898 to 1919 he was the Hamilton agent for the Public Trustee Office.^[26] He retired to Remuera in 1920.^[4]

He died at Remuera on 26 November 1922^[4] and was buried at Waikumete Cemetery.^[3]

Bond Street in Hamilton East was named after him^[27] by its developer.^[28]

James joined the Duke of Cambridge Lodge on 5 April 1887.^[1] He was on Cambridge Borough Council for 9 years,^[4] including being mayor from 22 November 1892,^[29] re-elected unopposed in 1894^[30] and serving until 1895.^[4] He was elected to Hamilton Borough Council in 1900^[31] and 1901,^[32] being elected unopposed as mayor in April 1905^[33] and 1906^[34] and elected again in 1907^[35] and 1908,^[36] serving until May 1909 and again elected as a councillor in 1913.^[37] He was also on the Waikato Licensing Committee from 1894,^[38] president of the Winter Show Association,^[39] the Waikato Agricultural and Pastoral Association, chairman of Waikato Hospital Board and, when the Hamilton High School Board of Governors was first constituted in 1911, he took a seat on the Board.^[4] He was a member of the Auckland Harbour Board,^[40][41][42] on the Auckland Board of Education,^[43][44][45] chairman of directors of the Theatre Royal Company, Ltd^[4] and active in the Church of England.^[46] Shortly before he died he was elected to the Auckland Grammar School Board.^[47]