“Only Best Good Enough For Chief:” Opposition’s Tribute To Its Leader

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 91, 21 October 1947, Page 5

“Only Best Good Enough For Chief:” Opposition’s Tribute To Its Leader

Saturday was the birthday of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr S. G. Holand, who was Visiting Whakatane over the week-end with a group of his Parliamentary colleagues and directors of the Whakatane Paper Mills. At dinner on Saturday night, Mr W. J. Broadfoot, Senior Party Whip, presented Mr Holland with a wrist watch on behalf of all the Party members in the House. Mr Broadfoot paid a glowing tribute to the Opposition leader’s patience and tact in handling his team of 38 men.

In reply, Mr Holland expressed his appreciation of the full co-opera-tion and loyal support he had from his colleagues, and added that he would gladly retire from politics altogether if that were the price of achieving the Party’s objective of a change of Government. Mr G. H. Mackley, M.P. for Wairarapa, told the guests that he had been entrusted with the job of finding the best watch in Wellington. He had been told to proceed on the principle that “only the best was good enough for the chief”. Mr Holland, to whom the whole little ceremony was obviously a complete surprise, was visibly moved by the spontaneous mark of loyal appreciation.