CEREMONY FOR THE CHILDREN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 97, 11 May 1937, Page 4

CEREMONY FOR THE CHILDREN

Coronation Souvenirs Given to Parkvale Pupils MR CULLEN'S ADDRESS The first .of the school Coronation celebrations in Hastings was held this morning, when the Parkvale School service was conducted in the presence of Mr E. L. Cullen, M.P., members of the school committee and a number of parents, Proeeedings were of a formal nature, the principal items on the programme being an' address by Mr Cullen and the presentation of a souvenir cup and saucer, or plate, and of a piece of cake from the beantifnlly-iced Coronation cake presented by the Borough Council. Following the singing of the Nationai and the New Zeaiand Anthems, Mr J, Stickland, chairman of the school committee, explained to the children that, instead of providing them with a tea-party with the grant made by the Borough Council, the committee had decided to supplement the grant and provide each child with a tangible souvenir of the occasion. He then called upon Mr Cullen to address the children. Mr Cullen explained the significanee of the occasion, saying that the Coronation was a covenant between the people of the British Empire , and the King. He reminded the children that to-mor-row the whole of the Empire would be deeply interested in the Coronation service, for all parts of the Empire were directly represented, and the crowning ceremony was one of the most magnificent displays and pageants of the Empire. 5 He briefly outlined the order of procedure to be followed at the Coronation service at "Westminster Abbey, and paid tribute to Their Majesties, and also to Queen Mary, all three of whom, Their Majesties, as the Duke and Duchess of York; and Queen Mary as the Duchess of Cornwall, had visited New Zeaiand and were fully conversant with the life led in this part. of the Empire. The souvenirs, pieces of Coronation cake and a symbolic button, were then px'esented to the children, and later in the morning oak trees, presented by Mr N. A. Adamson, a former chairman of the school committee, were planted to commemorate the occasion. Early this afternoon similiar celebrations were conducted at the Mahora, Hastings Central, Hastings West and Convert Schools. No special service is being conducted by the Hastings High School, apart from the pupils taking part in the citizens' service at Nelson Park tomorrow morning. However, at the general assembly this morning the principal, Mr W. A. G. Penlington, addressed the pupils and emphasised that the great occasion called for a iull and emphatic expression of patriotie thought?.