THE FITZROY SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 November 1921, Page 6

THE FITZROY SCHOOL.

IMPROVEMENT OF PLAYGROUNDS. FETE DAY REALISES £360. A SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION, A fete day was held at the Fitzroy School on Saturday in aid of the campaign for the playgrounds improvement fund, and the gross receipts were £360. The fete was the wind-up of a big effort which the school committee have been making, their object being to raise £5OO, and in the preliminary organisation they have had the help of a general committee of parents under the chairmanship of the Rev. J. F. Martin, with Messrs. V. George\and J. H. Wyatt as secretary and treasurer respectively. Sub-committees were set up and numerous entertainments were held with the idea of raising some funds on which to organise the fete. The result of these efforts was a total of about £2OO, of which the committee \till be enabled to carry forward £lOO to the fete fund. With moneys still to come in they are therefore within reach of the objective. The chairman of the entertainment committee was Mr. F. Duckworth, and Mr. C. Bellringer acted as secretary. A ladies’ committee under the leadership of Mesdames J. F. Martin and R. L. Parkin also assisted greatly in the organisation necessary for the fair. Throughout the fete was largely patronised, the function being held in splendid weather. Numerous wellstocked stalls, which were housed in the classrooms, did large business, and a variety of competitions was held in conjunction with the fete. A programme of music was played by the 4th Battalion Band at both the afternoon and evening sessions, and performances of drills and action songs were given by the pupils of the school, under the guidance of the headmaster (Mr. O. Johnson). At the opening ceremony the chairman of the committee (Rev. J. F. Martin) welcomed the representatives of the Education Board (Messrs. S. G Smith, M.P., P. J. H. White and R. J. Dearej, and thanked them for attending. Referring to the object of the fete he said the committee had a big scheme of improvements in view, and hoped to make the grounds almost a park. Already part of the area had been turned into a fine lawn, and he intimated that this was open for the use of the people of Fitzroy as a croquet or tennis lawn. In regard to the organisation it was the wish of the committee that no special name should be singled out for credit, for they had such a large body of energetic workers that it would be invidious to make distinctions.

The chairman of the Education Board (Mr. White) referred to the fact that the school did not yet have the accommodation required, and he intimated that the committee had the earnest sympathy of the board in this matter. He trusted that in the economies that must be effected in New Zealand primary. education would be the last to suffer. Mr. White expressed pleasure at the committee’s whole-hearted interest in the school, as indicated by the effort being made, and he trusted the fete would be very successful. Mr. S. G. Smith, on being called on to open the fair, also referred to the question of accommodation at Fitzroy, and he informed the gathering that in placing the representations of the committee before the Minister of Education he had pointed out the effort which was to be made by the people of the suburb. That the Hon. C. J. Parr had not forgotten this was indicated by a telegram received that day, in which he said: “Very grateful indeed to hear that Fitzroy residents are holding school fete for the purpose of raising £5OO for school purposes. Such an effort shows that the people value highly their school and are deeply interested in its welfare. Please express my appreciation and heartiest wishes for the success of the fete.” In declaring the fete open Mr. Smtih wished the committee every success.

On the motion of Messrs. F. Duckworth and R. L. Parkin, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the members of the Education Board for attending the function. In seconding the motion, Mr. Parkin, on behalf of the Ratepayers’ Association, thanked Mr. Smith for his assistance in conveying the resolutions of the association to the department. - f The v rious of the, fete were managed as follows: P|£in goods. —Mrs. Parkin. Fancy-work.—Mieses West and Simpeon. Produce and flowers.—Mesdames H. Ha|ll and J. Kibby. Meat and table delicacies. —Rev. J. F. Martin. Dolls. —Miss Andrews. Babies’ clothes. —Mrs. Cunningham. Ice-cream and soft drinks. —Mesdames Jenkins and McDougall. Sweets. —Mrs. Day. Afternoon tea.—Mrs. Wyatt. Hoop-la. —Messrs. C. Sadler and A. T. Wilson. Fishpond and bran tub. —Mrs. Duckworth. Mileage guessing competition. —Mr. Capon. Cocoanut shy.—-Mr. Goldsworthy. Kaiser Bill show.—Mr. Cunningham. Shooting gallery.—Mr. Murphy. THE RAFFLES. There was a large number present in the evening, when a dance added to the attractions of the fete. The draw of the various raffles was also held and resulted: •Silk camisole, Miss Ruby Smith. Crepe-de-ehinef blouse, Mrs. Bracegirdle. Pillow shams, D. Zestraw. No. 1 cushion, Miss E. Webber. No. 2 cushion, Mrs. Austin. Cushion and runner, H. Hoffmann. Jointed doll (No. 1), Mrs. Huggard. Jointed doll (No. 2), Mrs. Skelton, Sen. Dressed celluloid doll, Mr. J. Taylor. Small dressed doll, Miss K. Knap--111 Cot and doll (No. 1), Miss Irene Foreman. Cot and doll (No. 2), L. Russell.