GOLDEN RAIN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 714, 14 December 1933, Page 2

GOLDEN RAIN

FOUR THOUSAND FLUTTERS DOWN FROM THE GALLERIES. FOR INFANTS' HOSPITAL. London, November 3. Hundreds of Treasury riotes fluttered and turned like autumn ieaves as they fell iri a long, heavy shower from the tiers of hoxes at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, early this morning. The golderi rairi' was the response of dancers at the tenth Infants' Hospital ball to an S.O.S. appeal for the hospital made by Sir Gomer Berry, who is ch'airman of the executive committee of management. The gross profits of the evening-, including the shower of notes, amounted to more than £4000. iWlhen the downpour had nearly ended, six of the gentlemen present searched among the boXes with long butterfly nets to gather any notes that still tremhled on the brink of falling. Sir Gomer was iriterrupted while making his appeal hy a messenger boy who ran in and gave him a telegram. This proved to be from the Princess Royal, who is president of the hospital, and was as follows. "As president of the Infants' Hospital I know how important to its work is the success of to-nights function. A few months ago I saw the inauguration of the out-patients' department, and I look forward with keen interest to being present again early next year when the completed new building is opened. "In view of the urgent need for this wide extension of the services of the hospital I earnestly hope the ball will be a greater success than ever before." In his speech Sir Gomer Berry said this was the tenth ball in :aid of the Infants' Hospital, and the sixth to be ' held in the Royal Opera House. Iri the last twelve months £120,000 had ' been spent in the hospital, which was . now the finest infants' hospital in the world. Dancing by the 1200 people present had begun long before this and continued for many hours. At midnight there was a cabaret performance given by the Palladium Girls, the Honey Family, the Four Jokers, Paul and Nino Ghezzi, and Ladd Grace and Charlotte. Added gaiety was caused by the distrihution of many prizes to the buyers of "lucky number" fans. The ball was orgianised by Mrs. Leslie Gamage, who has already raised more than £30,000 at previous ' iballs in aid of the Infants' Hospital. The Opei'a House was beautifully decorated with roses and yellow chry'santhemums.