HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 136, 6 December 1938, Page 16

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

SATURDAY'S FAIRS

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

The grounds and schoolroom of St. Augustine's Church, Petone, presented a festive appearance on Saturday afternoon when a garden fete was held with the twofold object of assisting the Diocesan Centenary Appeal and also the Parish Assistant Clergy Fund. Lines of flags decorated the schoolroom, and a large Christmas tree, well laden with gifts, occupied the place of honour. The Bishtip of Wellington, the Rt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland, in performing the opening ceremony, congratu- j lated the parish upon the fact that by! its own endeavours it would soon have two clergy on its staff to cope with the increasing demands of its large population. He spoke of the vision behind the Diocesan Centenary Appeal and of the necessity for a sustained effort on the part of all church people if the vision was to be translated into reality. Games and competitions on the lawn attracted an enthusiastic crowd. A "model .railways exhibition" and a "hobbies" display drew a large gallery of interested spectators; Father Christmas interviewed numbers of young admirers in his magic cave; and the Petone Pipe Band enlivened the proceedings with pipe music. The stalls and stall holders were as follows: —Produce, members of St. Augustine's Croquet Club; sweets, Girl Guides' parents' committee; mystery parcels, Mothers' Union members; cool drinks and ice cream, Girls' Club members; aprons, Mrs. Bassett; needlework, Mrs. Mockridge and helpers; books, Mrs. Sherwood; flowers, Mesdames Stickles, Bennett, and Martin; tearooms, Mrs. J. C. Burns and helpers. Anglican Home "Gift Day." Gay orange tubs of hydrangeas and beds of brilliant cinerarias made bright splashes *of colour against a background of trees at the annual "gift day" of the Anglican Boys' Home, Lower Hutt, on Saturday. One of the earliest gardens to be laid out in the Hutt, it contains some exceptionally fine trees,1 the dark evergreen of the puriris, cabbage palms, and kowhais showing up in attractive contrast to the lighter green of English elms and willows. The visitors were welcomed by the Rev. H. E. K. Fry, vicar of Lower Hutt, who was accompanied by Mrs. Fry. Mrs. Fry received a bouquet of flowers. The many friends and wellwishers present spent an enjoyable hour inspecting the.modern equipment of the well-kept home and viewing the spacious gardens and lawns. An excellent programme of music from the Municipal Band, which played throughout the afternoon, was greatly appreciated, as also was a dainty afternoon tea served by a band of ladies with Mesdames H. E. Leighton and A. Tosswill in charge. Athletic sports for the boys were arranged by Mr. T. Gifford, manager of the home, and members of the Toe H fraternity. These concluded with a tug-of-war between the boys and the clergy present, the Bishop of Wellington, who came on from another function, being one of the stalwart "anchors." Members of the board and visitors present included Mr. A. S. Kempthorne. Archdeacon and Mrs. A. L. Hansell, the Rev. N. F. Robertshawe. Mrs. W. Bullock, the Rev. and Mrs. Langston, Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Cox, Mrs. H. B. Gordon, the Rev. Gordon MacKenzie, Mr. C. B. Robison, Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Hobbs, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Andrews, Miss Stuart Forbes, Mr. W. M. Barr, Mr. A." Maurice Anderson, Mrs. Johanson, Miss G. .E. Menzies (matron), the Rev. T. Fagg, 'and the Rev. H. Hurst Waiwhetu School Garden Fete. Weather conditions were unexpectedly favourable for the annual garden fete of the Waiwhetu School on Saturday afternoon, and an excellent attendance made it an outstanding success. The fair was opened by Mr. H. Combs, M.P., and the official party included the Hon. W. Nash and Mrs. Nash, Mr. W. Dyer (chairman of the Waiwhetu Home and School Associatldn), and Mrs. McDonald, Mr. C. B. Browning (principal)- and Mrs. Browning, Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Freeman, Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Cole, Mr. and Mrs. F. Forde, Mr. and Mrs. Quigley, Mrs. Maynard and Miss C. Maynard, Miss Browning, Miss C. Fraser. Miss Patterson, and Miss Hickey. The principal attraction was the "mystery stall" of 500 parcels, but all the stalls did brisk business with the gratifying result that over £73 was taken. A display of school work created considerable interest among the parents, the standard being very high. The Lower Hutt Municipal Band was in attendance, and sports for the children and an athletic display by the V.M.C.A. gymnastic club made a varied entertainment to suit all tastes. The official party was entertained to afternoon tea by Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Browning. The stalls and stall holders were as follows:—'Mystery stall," Mesdames Webb (convener), Alexander, Cooper, Trask, Morice, and Bynham; produce, Messrs. Liver and Hibbard; sweets, school staff; ice cream, Messrs. Lowe and Willoughby; darts, Messrs. Horwell and Staples; Aunt Sally, boys of the school: board game. Mr. Pegler; afternoon tea. Mesdames White and Walker. Messrs. Brian and Hogan also lent valuable assistance. Randwick School Garden Fete. The grounds of Randwick School were gay on Saturday afternoon, when a garden fete was held. The children and their parents attended in force, and good business was done at the stalls. At the opening ceremony, Mr. J. H. Dunn, chairman of the school committee, introduced the Hon. W. Nash and Mr. W. V. Dyer, chairman of the Wellington Education Board. ' Mr. Dyer complimented the organisers on the fine display. Although I the position had greatly improved for school committees during the past three years, he said, money could still be

employed profitably in muiiy ways for amenities not supplied by the Board or the Department. Randwick. had always done well in raising money for these purposes. The Hon. W. Nash referred to the help given by the superintendent of reserves in Lower Hutt (Mr. E. Hutt) in improving the grounds. Among those present were Mrs. Nash, Mrs. Dyer, Mrs. Dunn, the headmaster (Mr. H. McDonald) and Mrs. McDonald, the ex-headmaster (Mr. A. Werry) and Mrs. Werry, Mr. and Mrs. E. Hutt, Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Harland, and Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Cooper. Stalls were under the charge of the following: Ice cream, Mesdames L. Mills and H. Fairclough; novelties, Mesdames .Nichol, S. Jones, A. Douglas, and Miss M. Tyrell; produce, Mrs. A. Tait; cake, Mrs. W. Baker and Mrs. E. Paulin; tea, Mesdames G. Baker. J. H. Dunn, and F. Hall. A display of tumbling was given by boys from the V.M.C.A. The infants pleased with their drill. This was followed by Maypole dancing by the lower standards, and then the senior pupils gave a display of drill. The Lower Hutt Municipal Band supplied music.