THE ODDFELLOWS' FETE.

Evening Star, Issue 3387, 29 December 1873, Page 2

THE ODDFELLOWS' FETE.

The Dunedin Lodges of the above body celebrated t*ieir tenth anniversary on Boxing Day by a trip tp St. Leonard’s, on the Port •( 'halmers line, and about half way between Burke’s brewery and the P#£t. Their fete appeared the moat favor d attraction of the day, upwards of 4,000 people being present • in fact the pressure upon the rolling stock of the railway was so great that about liftpeu open goods trucks were fitted’ up with beuch<-t> ai,id added to the trains. Du arrivmg at the ground, 3 the usual amusements were provided, with a goo I programme of sports lor children and adults. At ahoj.it a quarter past fopr o’clock a train orought his Excellency the Governor, with Lady Fergufeson and son, and suite, and his Honor the miperintendfcjit and Hon. Mr beynolds, who were escorted by the committee of man gemeut to a tout where refreshments were provided, after partaking of wh ch Bro. F. Palmer, PALM., read the following address ; - To Ifja Excellency Sir James Ferohshon, HaliV, /AC. We tho o cors of the Otago District o r tho M. (J.1.U.0.F., pn behalf of the 14,0 M) members whom wo represent, beg most respectfully to tender to your Excellency, as the representative of Her Majesty, the assurance of our sincere loyalty to the Throne, person, and Government of our Sovereign the tjueea. V/e

desire to give expression to the warmth of feeling with which we w-elcome your Excellency and Lady Fergusson amongst us, and to offer our hearty thanks for the honor you have done us and the kindness you have shoM'ti by patronising our fete to-day. We may be pardoned for alluding to the purpose of the.-e gatherings. Having their origin in a desire to afford an opportunity for friend sand neighbors meeting together and spending this annually recurring holiday in a healthful and pleasurable manner, they have been utilised for the purpose of raising a fund which is entirely devoted to the alleviation of distress. We rejoice to be able to say that xve have now in this relief fund a sum of nearly 1/200; while we have disbursed a considerable sum in aid of the widow, the orphan, and the, fatherless, and have contributed to the charitable institutions of the Province at various times. We earnestly hope that the period of your Excellency’s government of this Colony may be marked by peace, prosperity and wise legislation, and that your Excellency and Lady Fergusson may enjoy many years of happiness, ( F. Palmer, P.G.M. Signed by nJ. Horen a ft, D.P.G.N. { Alex. Sligo, P.C.S. To which his Excellency replied : Ladies and Gentlemen—l feel very great pleasure at being amongst you on the occasion of your annual festival, and at meeting so many of the working class of this Province. I am glad that so many have taken advantage of the excellent institution with which you are connected, for I have heard and seen much of its working in the old country. Its principles are unexceptionable, and encourage the virtues of frugality and independence. It would indeed be a pity if, while reaping the benefit of the plenty you now enjoy, you did not put into practice such habits, so that in the time of distress you would have something to rely on, or with which to assist those in misfortune. The principles of union and co-operation which your institution inculcates tend to the happiness of its members and the progress and safety of the commonwealth to which you belong. _ I trust that among you who are of the working class in this new land there is a sense of the responsibility of sustaining the credit of your class and community, for the status of u country is founded quite as much upon the character of the individual members of its population as upon that of its Government. The prosperity of the working class of late years has caused an astonishing advance in their social condition, and on my last visit to the old country I rejoiced to see a very marked improvement in the position of that class there. I trust that you in this country will keep pace with them in their progress, and share in their success. However, I did not come here to make a long speech, but some topics force themselves upon our attention and require to be toucher upon. If I hesitated to come here to-day, it was only because I would have preferred meeting the friendly societies at large instead of one particular division of them; but still I am very glad to have conic, and must thank you for the kindly welcome you have accorded me. His Excellency’s speech was greeted with loud applause, three hearty cheers being given for him, three for Lady Fergusson, an i a similar compliment for the Superintendent. Then commenced the single mistake of the day : pnzes weie offered for the best recitations by girls and boys respectively, and the first little compet tor of the female sex occupied the Govei nor’s attention lor over twenty minutes by a description of the experiences of a drunkard’s wife. However, the others gave recitations of a more reasonable length, doubtless to the satisfaction of all the bearers. The list of winners in the variouscompetitions we give below, and may sa> ffiat everything passed off satisfactorily, ah the visitors being Inane by about nine o’clock after spending a pleasant day. prize takers. 100 Yards Foot Race—E. Hogg, 1 ; W. Nightingale, 2. Walking Match —J. Campbell, 1 ; Macgregor, 2. 250 Yards Race —W. Hogg, 1 ; G. \aron*. 2. Picking up Stones—W. Hutchison, 1 ; Em lie, 2. Half-mile Race —W. Burke, 1; E. Hogg, 2 Recitations—’ iris : -Lane Crowe (8 years >ld), 1 ; Agues Valentine, 2. Boys : Henry Jewitt, 1.