A POPULAR OFFICER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 922, 15 September 1910, Page 6

A POPULAR OFFICER.

HIGHLANDERS': FAREWELL TO! ;-;!'. !'.\', CAPTAIN. M'DIARMID. , ■■.:*. .' ,!, ,:■'.-'lf any ;■ practical, demonstration were needed ,to ■ assure -. Captain M'Ptarinid,. Officer. Commanding the Wellington: High-: land Rifles;.'of,!the, high.,esteem in which', he'is held by. the-.corps, it, found,expression at the -farewell .'social-which, was tendered ;him,by .his "officers, non-com-missioned ; officers and men at :the. Gar-! risen Hall; last-evening./.prior to : his'.'re--' from; the command to. take up', his residence: in/tho- Taranaki..district. After a; largo and .honourable connection with' the 'Highlanders in various subor-.. dinate positions,. Captain'',.'M r Dinrmld 'three ■■years.'"''ago- succeeded to tho command! on the promotion of .Major C. D. Mackintosh, to . the.'Battalion; Staff, arid the .present'condition of tl»/muster roll of, the company, its general efficiency and espriMe-corps; are , mainly .'duo to the' high ideals which inspired his work. The function last -.'evening '-.was 'attended by the full.-strength of the!company,vwhilo the other.units of the .battalion' wci'u well represented in. the:-largo number of com-; pany officers who .'attended; Among the; visiting officers were C6lonel!R:'J. Collins, ■V.D.;' 1.5.0. (Chief Executive Officer, of, !the .Dominion'lUfle Association), Colracl :J. ,R. -Purdy'(Director .of. Medical Ser- ' vices), ' Chaplain-Major W: Shirer, and Major CD; Mackintosh, of the Battalion Staff. Headquarters were represented •',by ,Captain.J.' O'Sulliyan,.'. of the Defence Stores : '■' ~ . . ~■' Lieutenant' G. Willis, the senior subal-' tern'of.the corps, was ill the chair, and a.very' pleasant evening was spent, musical and. other items being, contributed by members of the company., '■, '-.-. During an interval in the proceedings, Mrs'.: M'Diarmid and Mrs; ; G; Willis, were ; welcomed by the corps, and after Cap-, tain and, Mrs..' M'Diarmid's health had been proposed by Colour-Sergeant M'Dohr aid, and duly honoured in the true, Highland: fashion, Lieutenant: Willis, after a neat and felicitous speech, presented Mrs. M'Diarmid with a handsome silver-backed hand-mirror, and to the captain he handed a case of pipes, and a framed photograph of, the corps as it appeared on Sunday last, when it/paraded, 68 strong, to attend divine service at St. James's Newtown. ' Captain M'Diarmid feelingly responded, wid at the close- of . his remarks the !company again toasted him with, musical honours. ■:.'..