FAREWELL TO VICAR.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4915, 14 December 1925, Page 3

FAREWELL TO VICAR.

RE V. BEAUFORT -HONOURED.

THE NGATEA FUNCTION.

The Rev. J. M. Beaufort, who has been vicar of the parish of Hauraki Plains since its constitutioin two and a-half years ago, has been appointed to take over the care of the parish of Raglan from the end of the year.

The high esteem in which .the Rev. Beaufort is held by the people of the Plains, has been demonstrated during the past week by the number of farewell functions organised and presentations made or to be made. Such a function was held at Ngatea on Saturday evening. It took the form of a dance, and during the supper interval Mr W. G. Hayward, in voicing the regret of the Ngatea people at the departure of the Rev. Beaufort, said that the work he had done on the Plains spoke for itself. He had made himself the friend of the people as well as their minister. This, friendship would last a Lifetime, Mr Hayward then presented the Rev. Beaufort with a cheque from the people of! Ngatea to mark the esteem in which he was held, and expressed the hope that the knowledge that he took with him the best wishes of the people would be some compensation at leaving.

The Rev. Charteris, Presbyterian niinister for Hauraki Plains, expressed his personal regret at the departure of his co-worker and friend, the Rev. Beaufort, who, having travelled much, was broadminded and versatile, and thus had been able to bring about the friendliest relationship between the ministers; of .the different sects and their people. The Rev. Baufort had accomplished much in the district, and had won the admiration of a very great many. His successor would have to be a very versatile man to keep up to the Rev. Beaufort’s standard.

On rising to reply the Rev. Beaufort was greeted with efieersj and the singing of “For he's a jolly good' fellow’.’’ He said he felt that the position should be the other way round—he should be making a presentation to the people of .the district for all the help they had given him while, in the district What he had done had been a great pleasure to him, as he considered no man could hold a greater position than that of a pries-t in the Church of God. He felt very grateful to .all his Ngatea friends for their expressions of good wishes and for their presentation. It would help him to furnish the vicarage at Raglan, and he hoped that when anyone from the Plains was in that district they would call on him at the vicarage.

Referring to. his work, the Rev.. Beaufort paid a tribute to Ills predecessor, the Rev. F. B. Dobson, who, though he had now reached the retiring age, had until recently had the ca re of the’ whole Paeroa district and the Hauraki Plains, a>nd had paved the way for him. The Rev. Dobson was a real saint of Almighty God. That there had been-need for dividing the district into two parishes) was demonstrated by the church statistics. ■Though there had been few marriages over 200 persons had been baptised, there had been over I'soo communicants, and over £l2OO had been, raised for church work. Without the work of the people the ' Vicar would not have been able to have accomplished one-thousandth of what had been done. In time to come the value of his work would be tested. Time woo d prove whether he had attracted people to the Master, or only to himself.

Concluding, the Vicar said that he wi/'ied to thank those , people who had written him letters of tion He felt that his work had not been in vain, and that he had done some good. He hoped to be able to visit the district again, per-, haps for the dedication festival of the Tin ua church in June. At the conclusion of the function the people joined hands round the vicar and sang ‘Auld Lang Syne.”