Page 2 Advertisements Column 3

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 137, 18 March 1940, Page 2

Centennial Souvenir Extracts Inspiration from the past and proud confidence in the future—these are the thoughts which to-day should be uppermost in our minds. In common with all the people of the Dominion, we the citizens of Whakatane are combining to celebrate in our own way, and within the scope of our own interests, the anniversary which marks A HUNDRED YEARS of glorious progress. The past with its trials, sacrifices and disappointments has been superceded by the triumphs and the amazing prosperity of the latter years which have pavCd the way to nationhood and earned for our land the title of "God's Own Country!" The story of our own town and district is identical the advancement of the Dominion as a whole. Hundreds in Whakatane can remember the days when with barely a third of the present population, the town and its amenities bore little prospect of the transformation which has since taken place. * Visitors who knew old Whakatane have difficulty in recognising the modern, well-set-out, attractive centre it is to-day. Backed by the potential wealth of the fertile Rangitaiki Plains, and favoured with the strong bond of goodwill which has always linked town and country interests, our future, I feel, is assured. In spite of the troubles which encompass the Empire t~day, it is right that Ave should pause in the midst of our occupations and reflect on the progress of the past with appreciation and gratitude. B. S. BARRY, March 16, 1940. Mayor of Whakatane.