RETURNED MEN HONOURED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 55, 10 March 1944, Page 3

RETURNED MEN HONOURED

SATURDAY EVENING'S SMOKO INFORMALITY AND FELLOWSHIP AN IMPOSING TOAST LIST Something of that breezy informality -which is associated with the New Zealand' 'Diggers' or 'Kiwis' the world over,' pervaded the second complimentary 'sraoko' held in the Caledonian Hatl, last Saturday evening when men from the second furlough draft and others who have been repatriated from time to time were entertained by prominent citizens, ex-Diggers and old comrades. The evening went with a swing from the honouring of the 'Loyal Toast' to the final wind-up in the wee 'sma' hours and will once again be long remembered as a fitting tribute to thosle boys who have done their bit, and who have playedl their part in earning the wonderful reputation of the 2nd N.Z.E.F.

In extending a warm and. licarty welcome to the furlough men and also to the. convalescent, and repatriated prisoners of Avar, the Mayor, Mr B. S. ,Jsarry who presided, said that iii- only Jay in tilt fact there- were not i'.'orc of their comrades to enjoy the same welcome and entertainment. A feature of the evening were the excellent items contributed by local artists, all of •whom were it i jc~ best. The supper, the highlight of which was 'sucking pig a la mode* was calculated to appeal intensely to the average masculirie palate and Avas unanimously voted A.l. The speakers were once again of a uniformly high standard and reflected the greatest possible credit upon those proposing and responding to the toasts. The County Chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, also joined in extending a welcome to the men on leave and trusted that they would have an enjoyable time. The 2nd N.Z.E.F Stating that it Avas not his intention to indulge in superlatives. Mr lan Cow Avho proposed the. toast to the 2nd N.Z.E.F., said he would content himself by observing that the deeds of the new division had been sufficient to make the hearts of all true Ncav Zealanders glow with pride.-He- mentioned the early contingents which first left this country to serve in the Koer War and traced the lighting history of the country down to the present day.

H,esponding, Capt. H. Brabant mentioned the wonderful work ol' the U.S.A. in taking over and fostering tlie interests ol' the younger soldiers. Such an organisation was hound to become a force in the land. He concluded, by relating several amusing stories and thanking those present and the proposer of the toast for their good wishes. v ! The Merchant Navy ' The toast to the Merchant Navy Ava.s capably proposed by Mr Geo. Otlev who- said it was most fitting that .such men should be honoured at a gathering of that nature as the "history of the Empire was closely linked with the progress of the merchant service. The aims of the. Atlantic Charter were also written into the freedom of trade for which the service stood and the heroic -vvork it had performed, during the present Avar was the admiration of the world. Mr S. S. Shaplcy who responded drew attention to the fact that the original British Navy had drawn its .ships • from the old trading vessels who ventured so far and brought so much wealth to England. They •were built of oak timbers and the same stoutheartedness of their framing was to be seen in the British sailors of the merchant service to<lay. • A Graceful Tribute The toast to the ladies was proposed by Mr R. F. Smith who honoured it in polished, style, showing how tile present war had revealed the great potentialities of womanhood, hitherto regarded as the Sveaker sex.' Women were now replacing nxen in industry and commerce and jn every sphere, their unfailing cheerfulness and devotion to duty •woiii them the admiration of the "world. To the country's, war effort they had rendered magnificent service and to-day they were to be seen f'lilfiling work in every branch of the armed forces and in the making of munitions. Mr Jack Stewart responded by l)r:e(!y returning thanks. • (Continued in next column)

The Figjiting Service and tlie Nursing Sisters

Mr W. Sullivan spolte to tlic above toast mentioning the fact that the recent transfer of the N.Z. Division from the Eighth to the Fifth Army in order to strengthen the ilank was a tribute to the lighting prowess of New Zealand soldiers. He mentioned also the men of the Pacific Division who were likewise winning a high reputation for their country. With reference to the Nursing Sisters, he said that many of our repatriated men owed llieir sale recovery and return to this eo.untry to their earo and. attention. Capt. Chambers responding said he could only hope that the new soldiers would live up to the traditions of the 'Diggers.' Of the nurses he could assure the gathering that they were doing wonderful work of which the. whole of the Dominion should be proud. The Maori Battalion Mr C. F. Thomas handled his toast well, paying a high tribute to the work of the Maori soldiers in Greece, Crete and in Libya. They were still going, he said. and. nothing would stop them. He mentioned the V.C. which had been awarded to Lieut. Ngarimu and added that this was the highest honour that could be awarded the race. Capt. W. llangi im responding complimented the U.S.A. and mentioned also the Farmers' Union, who were likewise taking an interest in the rephabilitation of the Maori men. He hoped that the Pakeha community would sympathise with those Maori homes, where gaps had been made as a result of the Avar. In this common sorrow would Ik* found a row bond between the races which should assist towards accomplishing and maintaining a lasting and harmonious peace. The R.S.A. Proposing the toast to the Returned Services' Association Mr Joe Creeke said that the organisation had been born during the last war and had grown tremendously. It sought to foster the i rite rests of the returned men, their dependents, the widows and the orphans caused by war. He trusted that if would be able to carry on its high ideals for many years after the present war had ceased.

The President of the Association, Mr ,1. 11. Delves, responded stating that he hoped all the young soldiers returning from overseas would join up and regard it as a duty to do so. To think that the job was finished once the}' were discharged Avas erroneous. There was plenty more to do and hundreds of fellows to assist. He thanked the proposer warmly and added that he hoped much good would come of the activities of the Association in Whakatane in the future.

Items given during the evening were as under: Community Singling Messrs Colin Wallace (piano) and Allen Stark (piano aecord.ion); Elocutionary Tony Smith,' "Monty on Politics" and "Spotty"; Solos Mr Oscar Rice "Mother MeCvee" and "Silver Hair and Heart of Gold": Solos Mr Bridgeman "My Souvenirs" and "Rose of Tralee"; Elocution, Mr Claris "How Mr Schmidt won: his Wife.*': Solos, Lieut Don Stewart, "Tell Me To-night" and "Trees''; Pianoforte solos. Mr L. Waite.