FIREMEN MEET SOCIALLY

Chronicle (Levin), 12 August 1946, Page 4

FIREMEN MEET SOCIALLY

Levin Brigade's Dinner and Dance A convivial evening took place on Saturday in Messrs A. L. Williams' reception rooms, when the Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade held a combined reunion dinner and dance, during which opportunity was taken to present service honours. Just over 100 members of the 'brigade, visiting firemen and guests attended, and all present spent a very happy evening. It is not often that. the brigade enters into the realm of ' organisers of social gatherings, but when it does the arrangements are thdroughly and well carried out, and of all the functions held to date this last was undoubtedly one"of the most successful. The brigade's superintendent, Mr. W. S. Salmons, presided. With him at the head table were the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Burddkin; the chairman of the Levin Fire Board, Mr. F. E. Parker, Mr. J. C. Milnes, a member of the board, Mrs. Milnes and Miss M. Milnes; the brigade deputysuperintendent, Mr. A. Mudgway; the brigade secretary, Mr. L. R. Salmons, and Miss J. Salmons; and the brigade foreman, Mr. R. Cole.' At the outset Superintendent Salmons warmly welcomed all' present, particularly the members of other brigades and the visitors, and expressed the hope that the evening which they were commencing would prove enjoyable to one and all. The gathering then did justice to the dinner provided, after which a pleasant hour was spent in the honouring of a toast list and the presentation of honours to firemen. The proceedings commenced with the Royal Toast, which was given by the Mayor and honoured with the singing of the National Anthem. "Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade" Mr. R. A. Frederikson ably proposed the toast of "The Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade." He said the brigade had been in operation for almost the last fifty years, and the list of long service men was a credit to the town. The lot of' a fireman was not an enviable one. He was expected to turn out at any hour of day or night, and the manner in which members of the Levin Brigade did turn out when there was an alarm was- outstanding. There was something which brought the members of the brigade together, and he felt that it was a sense of duty in rendering a public service. The citizens thanked them for that service, and he hoped they would have long years of success with a full measure of support. In responding, Superintendent Salmons said it was the friendship amongst fjremen which kept a brigade * .together, That feeling bf friendship was not confined only to a brigade, but was present among firemen throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion. A fireman away from his home town could visit a station anywhere, and would receive a warm welcome. In concluding, Superintendent Salmons said that one purpose of the evening's function was to welcome back to the brigade those members who had seen military service, both overseas and in New Zealand. All the brigade's members were now back with the exception of Fireman Nockels, who had proceeded from the Mediterranean theatre of the war with the New Zealand occupation forces in Japan. "Visiting Brigades" Proposing the toast of "Visiting Brigades," Fireman W. H. Bignal said that among the gathering were members of the Marton, Sil-•wer-stneaih-' and-- Shannon- Brigades, ah'd Levin was pledsed to -have Them present. ..He referred. to at demonstration, a't Levin earlier in the year at Which local brigadesmen had seen the outstanding capabilities of Superintendent G. Gray, of the Marton Brigade, in the way he had trained his men. Shortly after Marton had won the competition at a demonstration in Wairoa. Fireman Bignal said that social functions played an important part in.fostering goodwill, and for that reason Levin had very much pleasure in welcoming the visiting brigadesmen. After thanking the Levin Brigade for its invitation to attend the function, Superintendent Gray, who replied, extended congratulations to those men who would later receive honours for their length of service. It was an accepted fact that once a man had been in a

brigade he tound it very hard to leave the service. Wherever a brigadesman went in New Zealand there was a great spirit of friendship, and there was no doubt that it was„one of J;he outstanding features of the work. Presentation of Honours Mr. Parker then pvesented the honours to the following, the total length of service of each member being given: Superintendent Salmons 21 years, Deputy-Superin-tendent A. Mudgway 27, Foreman R. Gole 17, Fireman W. H. Bignal 13, Fireman L. V. Trass 19, Fireman R. D. Fowler 9, Fireman A; Ea-ston 9, Fireman W. L. Salmons 7, Fireman W. Greig 5, Fireman D. W. Stevens. 3, Fireman J. Close 3, Fireman R. Skilton 3, Fireman E. R. Mclntyre 3, Fireman N. Biemal 3, ex-Fireman M. Allan 7, ex-Fire-man B.. Metherell 5, and ex-Fire-man D. E. Clark 3. Hearty congrktulations were extended to each recipieht by Mr. Parker. He said he hoped Superintendent Salmons would see another four years of service, thus winning the gold star, and that he persoh-j ally would be present when he.

received it. Mr. Parker also made referenCe to the fact that DeputySuperintendent Mudgway had received his gold star for twentyfive years service. "The Local Bodies" The toast of "The Local Bodies" was in the capable hands of Mr. H. F. McClune. He remarked that Carlyle had once said, "Two men I honour and no third." Mr. McClune said he thought Carlyle could have made it embrace three men, because he dould have included those men and women who so selhshly gave up tlidir time and thought for the remainder of the community. Levin was fortunate in those who represented the people on their local bodies. They were imbued with the idea of advancing their town and making it a better place in which to live, and they worked hard and unselfishly towards that end. Responding, His Worship the Mayor said there was something very close between the members of fire brigades and the members of local bodies in that they were motivated by a desire to serve their fellow citizens. Their mode of service was different, but the motive was the same. Mr. Burdekin went on to say that it was not possible for local bodies- to please everybody all the time, but that was only natural. Shortly the Levin Borough Council would be proceeding with its footpath loan, and some. would be disappointed when they did not get paths. He enjbihfed. citi'zens to trust .th'eir coundil toi do it cotild 'for the.y:bv^.F; ^f'e many problems rdatln^ i8c"al bodies to-day, and it was well 1'q.r citizens to remember that if effect was not given .to their immediate' requests, their local bodies weve doing the best they could under the difficult circumstanees pertaining, some of which might not be obvious. His Worship thanked Mr. McClune for his kindly references. "The Ladies" Mr. Parker proposed the toast of "The Ladies." He said the ladies graced any gathering, and the brigade was pleased to have them present. He referred to the wives, sisters and daughters of brigadesmen, who in the past years, when many wet and soiled clothes had been brought home, always had

them clean, dry and mended when they were needed again. That was the service which the ladies gave. The response was made by Mr. J. M. Irving, who specially thanked Mr. Parker for his fine references. "The Artists and Press" "The Artists and Press" was given by Mr. Milnes. He thanked" the artists who had given splendid items between toasts, and referred to the talent which the programme had displayed. Mr. Milnes said the Press had always given generous publicity to the activities "of the board and brigade, and he hoped that the .Press of New Zealand would always remain free to report and express its views in its own way. . During .the proceedings guitar and vocal numbers were given by Mr. and Mrs. Bui, vocal duets oy the Misses Green, with Mrs. Green at the piano, and elocutionary items by Miss Bowden. , The tables were then cleared and the gathering indulged in dancing until midnight, when a yery happy function was brought to a close rwith the singing of "Auld Lang Syhe."