PIKOWAI MAKES WHOOPEE ON GUY FAWKES NIGHT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 20, 15 November 1948, Page 5

PIKOWAI MAKES WHOOPEE ON GUY FAWKES NIGHT

(By “Hill Billy”) Any excuse for a party is our motto at Pikowai, so on November 5 we sure let ourselves go. A truce was agreed upon, all a ‘feudin’ and a ‘fightin’ was cancelled for the day and by the size of the gathering at the Henderson Ranch in the Herepuni Valley, it would appear that Prof. Petersen’s “Quick Milk-non-Strip Advice” had been followed for once. Representatives from far and wide were there, the’ B. S. Whithams from the hill country, the Olivers from out-back and the Metropolis of Matata supplying the Naumann, McGill, Gardner and Masters’ families. Whakatane sent us the Selwyn Hirsts and Keith Hannahs. The show got away to a fine start, the bonfire, which was suppliedmainly by the C. E. Conn Clan and aided by a pint of kerosene soon kept a team of wood heavers busy. Skyrockets, pin wheels, whizbangs and Roman candles quickly gave the appearance of London in the Blitz but although there were one or two near misses no serious casualties occurred, 'j Before the last crackers had given their final splutter the ladies of Pikowai had' turned on supper and believe me they excelled themselves! Using the back of a truck as a table they plied us with such delicacies as stuffed eggs, pikelets, cold chicken, strawberry sponge, shortcake and sandwiches. After supper the proceedings were officially ended with the singing of Auld Lang Syne, but the crowd wasn’t finished, one of our leading Bush Baritones started the community, singing to be followed by ‘UJkelele Ike” Perana assisted by Billy Reichardt our boy soprano in several popular turies.

The fire died down and as the crowd gradually drifted away everyone agreed that it-had been a grand night and that we ought to do it more often—so if that cow doesn’t get better we’ll probably have a barbe cue in the near future.