BLIND BOYS’ BAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 519, 23 November 1928, Page 16

BLIND BOYS’ BAND

CIVIC RECEPTION AT WELLINGTON TRIBUTE APPRECIATED (Special to THE SUN) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Boys’ Band from the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, which left Auckland on a tour of New Zealand some time ag'o, recefved a magnificent welcome in Wellington. The brightness and happiness of the boys has made a deep impression on die people of the capital city. On Wednesday the members of the band and those who are travelling with it were accorded .a civic reception by the Mayor and citizens of Wellington and the City Council Chamber was acked to capacity. The M- -or,. Mr. G. A. Troup, said that it was a great privilege to extend to the visitors a welcome to the City of Wellington. He was particularly glad to se* them all so Mr. Clutha Mackenzie, director of the institute, said that when they left Auckland they did not anticipate the nonour of a civic reception, which he took as a tribute to the fine work done by the institute during its 38 years of life, and the splendid way in which it had developed the latent capacities of the blind. When he had made the -ppeai on behalf of Sir Arthur Pearson’s fund for the blind, which resulted in the collection of some £3,000, he had received hearty co-operation from the Red Cross Society and Rotary Club. In the case of Sir Arthur Pearson’s effort the work was mainly devoted to the training of the blind, but that in itself did not establish them in life—there was still the objective to establish the blind in the occupations taught them. The thanks of the blind community were due to the local Red Cross Society, which had acted in an advisory capacity to the institute and, as a permanent association, helpful to every blind person in the province. He wished to express the an- -jon . the trustees to the local Red Cross Society as a whole, and to Captain Galloway (secretary) in particular. Among thos® present were two of the original pupus of the institute. One was the Rev. Ernest Chitty. who had never seen, and there were few who led the active, useful life he did. He was in charge of a suburban church it Auckland, was a tutor at St. John’s College, was organ-master at the institute, and coached many in French, -atin and Greek. He worked about 15 hours a day. The other was Mr Robert Miller, who was known to most people in New Zealand through going round collecting for the institute, which resulted in the collection of about £3,000 a year. At the first concert given by the band in Wellington the items played on the organ by Mr. Chitty were greatly appreciated. The whole programme was received with enthusiasm.