RETURNED SOLDIERS' GALA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2945, 4 December 1916, Page 5

RETURNED SOLDIERS' GALA

A BRILLIANT SUCCESS GREAT CROWD AT BASIN RESERVE Tho big effort that was made last week to gather funds to put tho Returned Soldiers' Club on a firm, financial footing culminated in a grand sports gala held on the Basin Reserve on Saturday afternoon. The weather was surpassingly beautiful. All Nature seemed to be holding out the glad hand to mankind, and mankind, in its turn, held out a grateful hand to the boys who have been, and seen, and dono. The enthusiasm of the day before was capitally sustained throughout' the afternoon. There must have been about 6000 people on the Reserve at 4 p.m.,- and as there were four ladies to every man present, and as each onb of tho ladies wore summer garb, the spectacle was quite an entrancing one. Tho arrangements at the grounds were very good indeed. In the enclosure in. the south-west cornerwere a colony of marquees, where afternoon tea, flowers, sweets, and sideshows were offered to the publio for a trifle. ' Mrs. Raymond's continuous concert party had a young circus tent as a theatre, and did very well. The Government Printing Office had a wellfurnished flower stall, and a Pierrot concert party on a lorry, which burst forth into song at irregular intervals. Mrs. Boden had a sweet stall, and Mrs. Rountreo and Nurse Cole presided over the afternoon tea. Mr. Ferguson (not unknown in shipping circles) positively scintillated as the presiding genius of a "houp-Ia" gallery, and Mrs. T. M. Wilford disposed of icecreams to all who would buy. Nor did the afternoon pass off without, eclat. About 4 p.m., Sir Ernest Shackleton arrived at the Basin Reservo, and from the scorer's bos in tho grandstand was introduced to the crowd by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), who called for throe cheers for tho intrepid explorer, which were most heartily given. Sir Ernest Shackleton spoke a fow words of thanks for the kindly welcome that had been given him in Wellington. Apart from the athlotio faro provided there' were certain welcome specialties provided that kept things going nicely throughout the day. Some experts who owe allegiance to tho Y.M.C.A. gave a clever exhibition of hand-balancing; a team of juvenile Higliland lassies danced a. Scotch reel, and a squad of the No. 31 Senior Cadets (under Lieut. Rankine) gave a display of physical and rifle exercise. The N.C.O.'b of tho 25th Reinforcement indulged in bayonet lighting, venting their "hate" on a rnartialled array of well-stuffed bags of straw. Other items of interest were the singing of some of tlie native songs by tho Franco-Tahitian soldiers, who are just now in "Wellington, and the boxing display by Tim Tracy and his pupils. Running loose about tho ground wore several miniature "Chailio Chaplains," and soldiers disguised as females, and a number of both sexes in fancy dress, each doing his or her best to raise the wind for the returned soldiers. Tho sports officials, who performed thoir duties most conscientiously throughout tho afternoon, were as follow: —Director of sports, Mr. A. A. Marryatt; marshall, Mr. A. Davies; judges athletic events, Messrs. B. A. Guise, A. T. Wells, A. Davies, J. S. Harper, and G. Frost; starter, Mr. D. Leslie; timekeepers, Messrs. W. H. Pollock and W. N. Tucker; call stewards, Sergt. Lightfoot, W. Trueman, G. Gray; judge (hat-trimming and hairdressing), Miss Milsom; supervisors, Messrs. Bloxham, A. Hogg, and J. S. Harper; ,megaphonist, Mr- H. M'Keown; Highland dancing, Mr. D. Campbell; military display, Major Waite, D.5.0.; pillow fight on boom, Messrs. A. Hogg and A. J. Bloxham; blindfold military drill, Sergt.-Major Dent; tug-of-war, Capt. Munro and Mr. iJ. Doyle; secretary, Mr. G. S. Hill. The Sports Programme. The following are the results of tho various athletic events got off during the afternoon: — Soldiers' All-Fours Race.—Pte. 0. Griffith, 1; Pte. F. N. Corbett, 2. Schools' Relay Race (440 yds., four in a team).—J. Powell's team (Clydo Quay), 1; Corby's team (Newtown Marist Bros.), 2; O. Jenkins's team (Newtown Marist Bros.), 3. 100 Yards Soldiers' Race.—First heat: O. Griffith, 1; J. M. Down, 2; P. O'Sullivan, 3. Second heat: Sergt.-Major'Mark, 1; J. N.'Fiddeys, 2; Sergt. Stock, 3. Final: Sergt.-Major L. J. Mark, 1; P. O'Sullivan, 2; Sergt. Stock, 3. Time, 11 l-Sscc* Boy Scouts' Half-mile Race.—G. Lacy, 1; A. J. Ryan, 2; T. Venn, 3. Land Mine Firing Competition — Sappers Glendinirig and Wells (21st Engineers), 1; Sappers Jones and Neill (23rd Engineers), 2. Half-mile Walk for Boys—J. M'Kenzie, scr., 1; F. Andrews, 2; D. Kelly, 3. This was a splendid race, the winner falling on the tape to pass the second man. He won by a nose —a deserving win, as the boy shows all tho qualities that go to the making of a firstclass walker. Barrel Raft and Pie rßuilding — 21st Engineers, 4min. 19sec, 1; 20th Engineers', 4min. 50sec, 2. _ This was an interesting event, as' it showed a glimpse of the practical work done by the Engineers in their course of training in camp. Sack'Raco for Soldiers.—Private W. O'Sullivan (Specialty Coy., 23rd Reinforcements), 1. Boot Race.—Private Jamieson (H Coy., 23rd Reinforcements), 1; Privato J. W. Prattley (N.Z.M.1.), 2; Sapper F. Nadeu (20th Engineers), 3.' Tug-of-War.—A Team beat B Team (both from C Coy. of 23rd Reinforcements). Two returned soldiers' teams then had a' tug, and tho winners met A Team from Trentham. After a groat pull tho Trentham men won, but only had an inch advantage when tho ten minutes were up. Balloon Race.—Miss Dorothy Pike, 1. Hair-dressing Competition for Soldiers, with Lady Partners.—Miss Collins and Sergeant Morris, 1; Miss Gini and Sorgeant-Major Darby, 2; Miss D. Piko and Lance-Corporal Hntchings, 3. The winner really showed fine qualities as a perruauicr in arranging Miss Collins's (a girl) wealth of black hair. _ > .. Hat-trimming Competition.—Miss Choto and Trooper Rodgcrs, 1; Miss Valentino and Privato Paterson, 2; Miss Pike and Lanco-Corporal Hutchings, 3. The whole of the gala was brightened by the presence of tho Camp Bands, ■the Featherston Trumpet Band, tho Highland Pipe Band, and the Patriotic Society Band. The returned soldiers appreciate to tho full thn efforts mado by tho various committees on their behalf, and in connection with the commercial travellers' scheme, refer specially to Messrs. C. Rushbrook, E. Phelps, T. Inglis, and F. AV. Manton. Special thanks are also extended to the following:— Messrs. AV. Auld, C. Raymond, and J. D. Harper for creoting tents and preparing the Basin Reserve; Scoullar and Co. and the D.1.C., decorating tho Mayor's box; the Trentham and Featherston Bands; and Major Waite; also tho officers of the Bank of Australasia, who put in several hours receiving the money from tho collection-boxes. The box arrangements wero much simpli-

fied on tho present occasion, ns tho result of a system of control and checking arranged by Mr. Pritchard. Tho diamond ring sold in the Commercial Travellers' packet scheme on Friday fell .to M. Carr, and the seagrass chairs were woh>by C. Archer and.AValter Man tell. LOCAL.' —? Afcß,SffiMOpulyM —{ A Press Association telegram from London states that a Rugby team representing tho Royal Flying Corps beat the Now Zealand Postal Corps by 9 points tol6.