The First Minister.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 31, 30 October 1937, Page 13

The First Minister.

The first minister to* th© new charge was the Reyf.Percy Davis, who resigned two yeais Iater, His place w'as taken by the Rev/. (now Archdeacon) M, .W, Butterfield. In the following year the question of erecting a vicarage was taken up and for this purpose two acres of land was acquired from Mr J. Jones, The provision of a water-supply was a generoue gift by Mr T. H. Lowry^ of Okawa, In .1917 the Rev. Butterfield was succeeded -by Rev. . ,jP. 'C. • Cullwick,-' rrow Canon Cullwiek, ,of : Ormondville. The next change was in 1920 when the Rev. W, T. Drake, now at Waipawa, took chargc. Three years later he was followed by the Rev. E. F. Geddis who retumed to England aboyt fouf years ago.

In 1922 the beautiful little church at Crownthorpe was built and unveiled to the memory of the late Herbert Napier Coleman, who was killed at Arras in 1917, and who was a son of one of Hawke's Bay's most worthy pioneer settlers. Steady progress was- made in th© reduction of the indebtedness incurred by the acquisi$ion of •propcrty and buildings at Puketapu, and in the winter of 1923 a stock drive returned £244. In 'Decembcr pf'tho following year Mrs T. H. Lowry, oi. Okawa, and the late Mrs D. B. Hill, of Fernhill, organised a most successful- garden • heid in the beautiful grounds'.of the latter's home, which resulted . in^-.£500 - being rajsed. This .was oue of the most outstanding functiohs of its - kind ever • held in Hawke.'s Bay.„-. ' Later. the vestry,.was able to meet its budget by direct giving on the part of the ' parishioners ; and. it was the first parish in the diocese to lodge with the Diocesan Offlce at'call a sum of money out _ of its incohie.