A NEW FRATERNITY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 472, 2 April 1909, Page 6

A NEW FRATERNITY.

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' CLUB. INAUGURAL SOCIAL. The importance of fostering the social side of volunteer work as a stimulus to recruiting and esprit-de-corps has, in the past, bqen somewhat overlooked. The provision of a new and up-to-date garrison hall in Buckle Street, with orderly rooms and lectures rooms, in place of the old, inconvenient, and dilapidated central drillshed, lias afforded better opportunies for developing this aspect of volnnteering; every company orderly room at tho Garrison Hall has been titivated up to serve the double purpose of orderly room and company social hall, where the men repair to after parade and fraternise together. There aro also three distinct collective associations in the Wellington garrison—the Garrison Officers' Club, the Garrison Signallers' Club, and the Non-Com-missioned Officers' .Club. The last-mentioned has been in a chrysalis state for some time, but last evening it emerged, in an inaugural gathering, into a fully-developed and well-or-ganised social body, having for its object the fraternising of all the non-commissioned officers of the Wellington garrison, with a community of interests, exchange of ideas, and the general well-being of the forces as a whole, as its distinctive platform. Tho gathering, which was a largo and representative one, was held in tho N.C.O. Clubroom at the Garrison Hall, a commodious and well-appointed chamber, which will shortly be enlarged by tho removal of the partition w'hic'h divides it from tho adjacent room. Among the guests of the evening were Colonel A. W. Robin, C.8., Chief of tho General Staff; Col. R. J. Collins, V.D., Financo Minister of the' Defence Council; Lieut.-Col. A. Bauchop, C.M.G., Officer Commanding the District; Lient.Colonel G. F. C. Campbell, of the Garrison Artillery Division; Lieut-Colonel W. G. Duthio, Commanding the Rifle Battalion; Hon.-Captain O'Sullivan (Defence Stores), Captain Courtney (active list, unattached). Captain Davis, V.D. (Kelburne Rifles), and Captain Corrigan (Zealnndia Rifles). Colour-Sergeant Davis (City Rides) president of the club, was in the chair. A very pleasant evening was spent, speeches, songs, and recitations being admirably interspersed. Replying to the toast of "Our Guests," Col. Robin laid particular stress on the social side of volunteering; in gatherings and unions of the sort they iiad just organised the men got to know each other, and became not only comrades in arras but personal friends. He would liko to give them a friendly word of warning. From Auckland to the Bluff there was a tendencj for members of tho forces to aspire to bo generals before they were captains; they, for their part, should bo non-commissioned officers first, and captains after, to- learn strategy alone, and concentrate the attention on tho things that mattered—tho details. It was tho little things that mattered. In gatherings of this kind all branches of tho service were brought together, and so came to rcaliso that all, and not a particular branch, wore united for tho common good, the defence of their country. Tho non-commissioned officers were entrusted with tho detail work of their companies; the officers' duty was to lead. The responsibility for tho efficiency of tho men, and tho inculcation of a proper spirit of loyalty to thoso in authority, was upon tho non-com-missioned officers. Short speeches wero also delivered by Colonol Collins, and Lieut.-Colonels Bauchop, Campboll, and Duthie. Musical and other items wero contributed by Q.M.S. Sergt. Gibson, Col.-Sergfs. Evatt and Finlayson, Scrgts. Brown, Barcham, Evatt, Gardiner, Corps. Clapsliaw and Shannon, Lce.-Corp. St.. Clair, and Messrs. Bell, Bastin, and. Cummins.