Biography

Herman Rupp Lakin (1863 - 1954) was a son of Frederick and Emily Lakin [linked]. At the age of 5 years he joined the Sunday School at St. John's Church. He was there in 1868 when H.R.H. Prince Alfred paid a visit to Launceston. The Duke addressed the children from a platform erected on the site where the rectory now stands. Special medals were struck to mark the occasion and no doubt Herman received one of them.

He became a clerk at the Launceston Gas Co., later becoming secretary and then manager of the company. He married Fanny Foster, daughter of Captain Foster, river pilot on the Tamar.

His association with St. John's Church continued throughout his life, being a teacher in the Sunday School for over forty years. For some time he was treasurer of the church and a member of the first Vestry, formed in 1935. He was also an active worker and supporter of the Church Missionary Society. He was a keen cricketer and a very active member of the East Launceston Bowling Club. Herman died at the Eskleigh Home, Perth, Tasmania, on 3^rd August 1954 aged 91.
There are several memorials to the Lakin family at St. John's, and these are listed in the linked biography of Frederick Lakin, but this one specifically relates to Herman Rupp Lakin:
A.M.D.G.
IN MEMORY OF
HERMAN RUPP LAKIN 1863-1954
FOR MANY YEARS SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER
ALSO CHURCH TREASURER,
HIS BEQUEST ASSISTED IN THE RENOVATION
OF THIS ORGAN

Source

Extract from 'Engraved in Memory' by J.S.Gill. 1988