EXHIBITS AT ST. MARY'S SHOW SET HIGH STANDARD

Chronicle (Levin), 10 September 1947, Page 4

EXHIBITS AT ST. MARY'S SHOW SET HIGH STANDARD

& Spring flowers in rich profusion transformed the interior of the Regent Hall into a blaze of colour yesterday, the occasion being the silver jubilee bulb show of St. Mary's Anglican Guild. From early afternoon until late in the evening crowds thronged-the building, and from general conversation all were: agreed that the exhibits5 this year had reached a high stage. Judges of the various elasses were unanimous in their praise of the exhibits and general effect. Entries in the various sections were lighter than in past years, but the standard of the blooms was considerably higher. In the children's sections, the numbers l of entries were particuiarly pleasing. The champion bloom of the show was Mr. R. B. Wilson's narcissi. The winn'er of this award (Mr. W. Bull's special prize)' in 1946 was Mr. E. T. Bartosh.

Added attractions were the van- 1 ous exhibits of floral art by all the i local florists and nurserymen. The exhibit which appeared to : attract most visitors was a model i of the proposed new Anglican : Church. Built by the boys of the i Levin Training Centre and later . presented to the guild, it is a perfect replica of the suggested building. Taking pride of place in the centre of the hall, it presented an ' imposing structure, Not one detail was omitted in its construction — its gardens and surrounds, made with natural grass and shrubs. Its i tall stately tower, from which there issued periodically the quiet tolling of a bell, and artistically muffled recordings of choral music from a loud speaker installed in the dimly lit building, all added to the realistic appearance of the structure. Judges and Stewards Judges and stewards in the various sections were: — Narcissi: Mr. J. C. Glover (Rongotea). Stewards: Mesdames Lynch and Hugh Walker. CUt flowers: Mr. A. J. Shailer (Palmerston North).. Stewards: Mesdames Tabor and Easton. Decorative: Mrs. W. Jacobs (Feilding). Stewards: Mesdames Smaill and Hamilton. Children's decorative: Mrs. R. W. Rvans (Levin). Stewards: Mesdames Duguid and Cartwright. Champion Exhibition The Rev. and Mrs. J. Morland's display of tapestry was adjudged the most outstanding exhibit in the show, thus winning Mrs. H. B.. Burdekin's special prize of £1. The 10s 6d special prize donated by Mr. E. T. Bartosh went to the Levin Boys' ' Training Centre for their model of the proposed new Anglican Church. When announcing these awards, the panel of judges stated that they had decided in favour of the tapestry as it was the work of one person. It was difficult otherwise to choose which of these two exhibits was the better. Points Prizes Winner of the points prize in the open class of the narcissi section was Mr. E. T. Bartosh with 38 points. Mr. H. Birley was runner-. up with seven points. In the open and amateur section Mr. E. T. Bartosh was first with 34 points, and Mr. J. Bowker second with 30 points. In the amateur class of the narcissi section first place went to Mr. R. B. Wilson with 43 points, Mr. Gould being second with 20 points. The points prize in the decora:ive section was annexed by Mrs. W. Donnelly with 26 «points. Miss jean Sorenson was second with 13 points. In the cut flowers section the points prize winner was Mrs. D. Stewart with 19 points. Mrs. Holdaway was second with 7. Opening Ceremony Before introducing Canon H. E. K. Fry, of Otaki, the chairman, Canon G. Y. Woodward, congratulated the ladies' guild on reaching the silver jubilee of its dnnual shows. He 's'ai-d he felt--" sure that the Rev. G. B. Stote-Blandy, at present in England, would be bhinking of the function in Levin, and would wish also to add his congratulations. "Today is a red letter day in the guild's history," said Canon Woodward. Recalling the early days of the guild, he said he believed that the first of its flower shows 25 years ago was'opened by the Rev. J. C. Davies. That gentleman would, however, be visiting the church this Sunday, and he would then ask him if this was correct. The secretary who helped organise the first show was Miss G. E. Kebbell, who had worked ; with untiring energy and piloted I the 'guild through many of its early shows. " This year's show was run by another energetic committee, the secretary of which was Mrs. W. O. Neas, who had tackled a tremendous task with equal energy, Canon Woodward continued. For this she was deserving'of the thanks of the parish. Congratulatkig the boys of fhe Levin Training Centre and Mr. E. J. Stanley, Canon Woodward stated that their model of the pro- 1 posed new church was a credit to them. With zeal and skill they had constructed a- model from a photograph and rough plan, which would inspire the members of the parish to a greater effort to see that the building became a reality. 1 Officially declaring the show open, Canon Fry said he had attended shows in Wellington, Hutt and Otaki and had been very { impressed with the high standard i of horticulture pertaining in those ! places. The St. Mary's guild show 1 was on a -similarly high plane. J Having originally come from Eng- i land, he considered the people in 1 New Zealand exceedingly fortunate | in possessing gardens. From his i observations there were very few people in this country who had not a garden or part of one, and it was

up to them to make the best use of them. He had noticed in ihe Press recently that the Ancient and Honou'rable Company of Gardeners in Great Britain had again sought their priviiege of maKxng the spray for the royal wedding. From what he had seen in the hall that day, St. Mary's of Levin could carry out that great priviiege equally as well. In conciusion he congracuiated ihe growfcra aria aii those connected with the show. Judges' Comments Commenting on the decorative section, the judge, Mrs. W. Jacobs, said that though the tea table vases had all been attractive, a fault she had noted was that many were too high. To achieve the ideal, she felt that one should be able to look over the flowers while conversing with someone on^the opposite side. In the case of the floadng bowls, the majority of the flowers must float. m regard to the presentation boxes the flowers need not be completely confined to the four walls'of the box. The lid could be left off, but had to be attached to the box. When preparing presentation boxes it should oe remembered that they were normally presented locally and not posted, and this gave a little more scope for display, provided they were neat and presentable enough to be handed to the recipient. Concluding, she said .that her criticisms were not meant to be destructive, but were merely a few points which might perhaps be worth remembering. He had had 34 years' experience with horticultural societies, and he would not hesitate in saying that some of the world's best blooms were being raised in this community, said Mr. Glover, judge of the narcissi section. All sorts of difficulties presented tlTemselves in the raising of show flowers, but the results being achieved were very fine and he congratulated all the exhibitors. He also praised the exhibitors of the tapestry exhibit and the model church. The following is the list of prize winners: —