ROTARY REMEMBERS AUCKLAND’S POOR

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 234, 22 December 1927, Page 11

ROTARY REMEMBERS AUCKLAND’S POOR

CHEER FOR 1,300 CHILDREN PICTRUES AND PRESENTS Over 1,300 of Auckland’s poor children will remember to-day. Their small minds will recall this Christmas with feelings_ of gratification that there is an institution in the world called “Rotary.”

It is to the Auckland Rotary Cluj), combined with the social organisations of the city, that they owe thanks for the biggest party of their year. And a royal party It was! The full I, many of them with their mothers —a few with their out-of-work fathers —were packed into the Majestic Theatre, which had been lent for the occasion, and were treated to a delightful movie show, as well as to a little Christmas box delivered personally by Santa Claus. These children were carefully selected by the officers of the Rotary Club as deserving cases, and but for this function, many of them would be without Christmas cheer altogether. In many cases theer were four, five and six from the one family. One mother turned up with the full family of nine, and told of one of the younger members of the long line asking* "Can I not have something better to wear, because I am going to the Majestic?” TRIBUTE T OMOTHERS’ CARE The first impression which the kiddies gave the observer was that of health and cleanliness. Not one carried the “grubby” appearance which is so frequently seen in a back suburban street of the larger cities: every one, in fact, was a tribute to the care and attention of the Auckland mother. And there was joy on every face. Mothers were pleased for their children; and young ones lived for the present and were pleased with themselves. When the hall was darkened prior to the screening of a series of movies, depicting the adventures of “The Frog and the Catfish,” and the kid tricks of “Big Boy,” the excitement of the little ones was intense: but later when the picture screen rose and a living Father Christmas was seen in his toy factory, just putting the finishing touches to the good things for the Yuletide stockings, the shouts from the young throats were good to hear. The midnight hour struck on the big clock on the stage, and the human heads which represented the figures on the face developed into a juvenile ballet, gailv frocked, which danced for the edification of the full theatre. Then came the distribution of the presents. Every child received a present—from babies in arms to those of the age of 12 years. The president of the club. Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, supervised the distribution, and other officers of the institution directed operations.