N.P. SAVAGE CLUB.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1922, Page 6

N.P. SAVAGE CLUB.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual general meeting of the New Plymouth Savage Club was held at the Workers’ Social Hall on Saturday last. In the unavoidable absence of the Chief Savage (Col. C. H. Weston) Savage Robertshaw presided. He expressed his satisfaction at the large attendance of members, as it augured well for the 1922 koreros, which will commence next month. The annual report stated:— Brother Savages, —Seven koreros were held during the winter. All were well attended, and the programmer submitted for your entertainment were excellent. We have now sufficient proof that there is in New Plymouth the necessary talent to justify the continuance of’ the club and to ensure it at successful future. We have a membership of 130, and there is every indication that it will increase during the coming season. Rangitira Claude Weston sat in authority over the hapu, and presided at three of the koreros, his addresses to the savages affording a great deal of enjoyment. During the year we welcomed many visitors to our hapu. Savage A. W. Newton, of the Wellington tribe, made a special visit to New Plymouth to be present at our first korero, and gave us some valuable advice on th? aims and conduct of a Savage Club, and we are greatly indebted to him for the assistance he has given the council and the interest taken in our club. At our final korero we had the very great honor and pleasure of entertaining His . Excellency Viscount Jellicoe, and we believe that our club in no small way assisted in making his* visit to New Plymouth a very pleasant one. He expressed his appreciation of the entertainment given him. and stated that he had met many tribes | in New Zealand, but he thought the i company of the New Plymouth tribe was as good as any he had met. At two koreros we entertained our wahines and they appeared to greatly enjoy themselves. We desire to express our i thanks to those members who contributed items for our entertainment, espeIcially to Savage Renaud for the work and time he devoted to the orchestra, las well as to the orchestra themselves, and to Savage H. Morey for presiding at the piano. Every savage knows that the work of the hon. hekeretari. Savage C. H. Wyatt, has been invaluable. In the endeavor to provide suitable accommodation for the club, your council has been forcibly impressed by the absence and need of a suitable concert hall or opera house in New Plymouth, and have on more than one occasion considered ‘ whether or not the club could start the “ball rolling” to provide the necessary ways and means to erect such a building jn the town. All the prominent artists, opera companies, etc., pass by New Plymouth for the sole reason that they cannot obtain suitable premises to perform in. The clu'b should be fairly representative of the opinion -of the community in this matter, and your council would welcome any ideas and suggestions with a view to initiating a movement to fill this long-felt want. Finally we would impress upon members that the coming season will decide whether or not the club remains an established institution in New Plymouth, and request that every member, by attendance and assistance with the programmes, make this year more successful than the last. We have already made arrangements for a choir of 20-30 voices, of which .Savage Renaud has been unanimously appointed conductor. Should this prove successful, it is believed that ours will be the only Savage dub in New Zealand with a large choir. The Auckland and Wellington Savage Clubs have, intimated that they will make official visits to our hapu this year. We hope the dub will enjoy a successful year and a prosperous future, and conclude this report with the words spoken by His Excellency when he was our guest: “You can’t have too much of a good thing. Savages create good feeling, not only amongst members of the tribe, but also amongst the whole community, and good feeling makes cheerful, faces.”

The financial statement showed that the first season’s koreros had left a debit balance of under £3. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The following were elected for the 1922 koreros; Chief Savage, R. W. D. Robertson; vice-presidents. Meeera. H. C. Collier, C. H. Weston, F. E. Wilson and C. H. Burgess; council, Messrs. Robertshaw, McDiarmid. Wynyard, Weir, McQuade, Pearn, A. B. McDonald and D. H. Thomson; hon. secretary, C. H. Wyatt; hon. treasurer, C. Webster; hon. auditor, H. Bailey.

Special reference was made to the great assistance rendered to the club by Savage Renaud, as leader of the orchestra, etc., and to the indefatigable manner in which the hon. secretary (Savage Wyatt) had looked after the club’s welfare. It was decided to place on record the club’s appreciation of their work.

The need for a theatre or concert hall in New Plymouth was discussed, and it was decided that the council of the dub should look into the question and report to a further meeting. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.