PARTIES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 98, 12 May 1937, Page 7

PARTIES

skiei were overcast and^K -^^■1 v&ry. light, but ehort, showeJfflH ^^^^Hrnoon, the Coronation celebxaqBt X^^Bfu&ted by the primary schob^g IHb^ss were carried out withoubMgr J^^H^dhffeted in character, the •esseiip '■^^Bp^of impressing upon the- yeaj .^^HSnon — and there can be no do^^m ^^Hfc.those in charge of the fuhet^S ^^ttiLiuccessful in aehieving t^amB the exception of ParkTMjl service took place in the n|w| .j^^K*ali the primary schools, Mah®j , J^^Rings West, Hastings Central pK Jf^^Bvent, held thedr services "in /Kai ilH^noon. In aecordance with theg® desire of the Hastings BorofiS fi^^Rneil, which had, so genertnaal 3|^Mrci(led each school with a. lajgfi ■S^^Ganation cake and the wherevTm® Sg^Mguirchase "treats" in ihe formjra ST^K^ soft drinks, eweets. and fruit; ifjjl B^Hnhittee? and school authorities inflB B^Mjf^oecasion a special OhildreSj particularly pleasing aspect of St .aelebrations was the keen inteiSK B^^Kjl&yed by the .parents, there ]&Baj I^HEgMeemhlageg rof ^parents and'^a JB| ^Bi^^^l^f-thelfichoob fcfraU/gff^Bg Ceteibrationiii^at Hastings West too& the form of & children 's tea-party in the main bdg classroom, where tables we/# laden with all the "good things ' ' thac children so dearly enjoy. The Tooiti was appropriately decorated with red, jphite and blue streamers and buntlng, and the whole of the catering afraiigemeiits were carried out by a ladies' conHnittee. The principal speaker, Mr P. H. Tomoana, was introduced by Mr L. J. Mackersey, chaarman of the school cOmmittee, and Cr S. J. McKee, former chairman of the committee, formally presented, on behalf of the Hastings Borough Couneil, the Coronation cake, which was cut by Mrs. McKee and distributed to the children by the teachers and other ladies present. Before the children filed into tho classroom there was an impressive marck-past of the children on the assembly ground, where the flag was salnted and the National. Anthem sung. In. addition, Godffey and Joan Mackersey, son and daughter of the chairman . of the committee, plantCd two shrubs in the cchool grounds to commemorate the occasion. In addressing . the children, Mr Tomoana said that if the children 'present, who were the mcn and women of the future, enjoyed reigns of Mngs and quddiha u beneficent as he himself had, they wonld be very happy. He recalled the very eariy colonisation of the Dominion and pointed out that in the days of Te Hapuku (about 1840) the Maoris were not eo friendly to the Pakehas, largely because of the trcatment meted out to the Maoris by the first white people, eome of whom had ev6n failed to respect the Maori grave- , yards. Te Jlapuku was one of the Maoris who sigued the Treaty of Waitangi, an instfument by which the Maori people gave themselves up to be subjects of the Britieh King and Queen. Te Hapuku hhd realised that the white people could look after the Maoris and in tutn he (To Hapuku) had asked the Maoris to look after the Pakehas. On one » occasion Te Hapuku had said: "Bring the Pakehas to your homes and maka them your friends." He knew the white people eould teach the Maori a great deal and that there was much to gain by friendly association. Mr Tomoana said that he felt that the motives of Te Hapuku and the Kings and Queens of England as he khew them eprang from the same religious foundation and that our new ICing and Queen were determined to rulc ovfer their Empire "upon which the sun never set" in a Christian and God-like manner. He concluded by ex prjssing the fervent hope ,that the children would enjoy, with the present -Kmg and Queen and their successors., good and peaceful times.