NEW POSITION ACCEPTED

Southland Times, Issue 24241, 26 September 1940, Page 5

NEW POSITION ACCEPTED

POPULAR POSTMASTER BIDDEN FAREWELL

MR E. A. PANKHURST TO LEAVE WYNDHAM

After serving for nine years and ahalf as postmaster at Wyndham, Mr E. A. Pankhurst has accepted a similar position at Carterton, and with his wife and family leaves for his’new position in the North Island next Friday. A large and representative gathering assembled in the Masonic Hall at Wyndham to bid them farewell.

The meeting was presided over by Mr Lance Harper, chairman of the Wyndham Town Board, who expressed pleasure at the large attendance from practically all parts of the district. It would convey “to the guests, he said, some idea of the high esteem in which they were held. During his residence in the district Mr Pankhurst had taken a keen and live interest in its welfare, and was always ready to encourage anything that was for the advancement of the postal and telephone facilities of the district, besides taking a most active part in various sporting activities of the town. Mrs Pankhurst, because of her willingness to help in times of sickness was looked upon as the town’s second doctor, and her services as a nurse would be greatly missed. As a mark of the esteem in which they were held Mr Harper asked Mr Pankhurst to accept a cheque with a fountain pen for his son Edward. On behalf of the members of the fourth grade football team, James Young presented Gordon Pankhurst with a wallet, and expressed regret at his impending departure. Mr S. Rice, speaking on behalf of the Wyndham Golf Club, said he would like to testify to the tactful and patient manner in which Mr Pankhurst had carried out his duties at the post office, which had made him, he thought, one of the best public servants Wyndham had ever had. As a member of the golf club Mr Pankhurst had proved one of their low handicap men, thus proving that he could make a success of his sport as well as his work. To be a good golfer one had to be a good man as well, said Mr Rice, and Carterton was lucky to get a man of Mr Pankhurst’s calibre. On behalf of the club Mr Rice asked Mr Pankhurst to accept the following trophies won by him during the golfing season: Mr W. Irvine’s trophy for run-ner-up in the A grade championship, the captain’s trophy for the best four medal rounds and a trophy as one of the winners of the monthly medal rounds.

On behalf of the Wyndham Angling Club, Mr J. E. Mitchell said Mr Pankhurst had proved himself a good sport as an angler. There was good fishing where he was going, and the speaker hoped Mr Pankhurst would secure his share of the big ones. On behalf of the club he asked him to accept a cheque. RETURNED SOLDIERS’ TRIBUTE Mr Arthur Rae spoke for the Returned Soldiers’ Association and said the guests held a unique position in the Returned F jldiers’ Association in that they were both members, Mrs Pankhurst having recently been made a member for the great part she had played in the last war as a member of the nursing staff, and during which she had probably seen more service than die average “digger.” The Wyndham branch, he said, was sorry to lose two such valued members.

Mrs R. McLellan, on behalf of the Wyndham Plunket Society, paid a tribute to the good work of Mrs Pankhurst on the committee, and asked her to accept a gift from the nembers.

Other speakers were Messrs H. Hunter, D. Hunter, F. Diack, E. S. Macfarlane, P. Campbell and A. C. Bulling, all of whom paid a tribute to the tact and consideration of Mr Pankhurst.

Mr Pankhrust, who was greeted with musical honours, said he felt highly honoured at the many things which had been said about him, his wife and two sons that evening, and also at the gifts given them. When he came to Wyndham he realized he had a hard row to hoe, as in the late Mr P. de la Mare he was following a man among millions, but when he saw the crowd that was present that evening, he felt that he must have met with a certain amount of success in his work. The Wyndham post office today was handling 14,000 separate accounting transactions, had 50 different Government departments housed in the post office, and had 280 subscribers on the telephone exchange. He had to thank his staff, he said, for then - loyalty, which had made for the smooth running of the daily routine of work. '

He was very sorry' to be leaving the town, he said, as he and his wife and family had had a wonderful time while in Wyndham, and had made good friends. He thanked the speakers for their tributes and gifts, especially those presented to his wife and sons. Before the presentation a short concert programme was submitted. Songs were sung by Mesdames W. Milne and L. Harley, Misses J. Stewart and S. Campbell, Messrs E. S. Macfarlane and . . N. A. Macpherson, dances by Beverly McNaughton and Margaret Bain, a violin solo by Mr D. Hunter, and humorous recitations by Miss D. Weir. The accompaniments were played by Mr E. S. Macfarlane, Mrs Macfarlane, Miss M. Campbell and the Rev. Dr I. W. Fraser.