VALEDICTORY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10605, 11 April 1912, Page 5

VALEDICTORY

A very pleasant function took place yekt«rday.afteniQQ^,.in. the Dominion Hiall, Matsterton,' upwards, of | fifty members of the.Wairgf-apa Caledonian Society/as&ein'bled to'.bid farewell to'..Messrs U. W. Eobson and G. and H. Laing, three prominent members of the Society, who are leaving Master.ton. ' Mr McLeod, the President of the Society, presided, and on behalf of; tlhe members presented Mr Eobson | with a handsomely framed groupJ photograph of the Director© of the Stxiiety, and in making the presentation, referred (to the valuable services rendered the Society by Mr- Eobson as a Director, in which capacity he had much to do with the present prosperous condition of the Caledonian Society'. Mr McLeod concluded by arid*'Mi'§. Eobson every success in the town to>which they were proceeding. %'' s Mr Riabson .replied, and in a few \ words thanked the Society for their splendid gift, which he would always cherish as a memento of the pleasant connection he had had with the Caledonian Society and its members, whom he would always .number among his. densest friends. Ho hoped to hear o| the' Mastertcu Caledonian Society becoming 'the. fbremost of, its kind in New Zealand,' and he thought'. that'the officials who we're at preterit at the head of affairs would •ultimately attain Ahis ertd,; : v '■'.-.'. :*-.« '"''■■ The toasts, of Mr RJo'bson arid the Caledoniain Society"were"drunk with' musical Oiohours.' » ' i [ Messrs- G. and H. Laing were then' presented 'by Mr McLeod, on behalf | of the members l of die iSoeiety, with ' two very handsome travelling rugs, and by Mjr <: J. Pauling, on behalf of ■the:.Caledonian Pipe Band, with a' 'valuable gold match box each, snit-asbly.ins-cribccl. . '.••'• •••' ~.'■• Mr McLeod, in making the first presentation,. ,rQferr^d: i „i.n : highly :e*£ logistic?terms to the services render--ed the Society by the Laing 8r05.,, who must always be numbered amongst the foremost members of'the .Society. They were always willing to come forward with assistance whenever it was required, and the support they had given the Society went a long way towards its success as a Caledonian Institution.. -.He. 'briefly referred- to M*s>s<r.s Laing Bros.' usefulness' as reg'id'ento. ;in the Wairarapa, where they liad. themselves to, a good position,-'after . overcoming' niany hardships and difficulties. They' ■were-men itshe Society .should be proud j of,- and he wished? them a. pleasant trip to the Old Country, and enjoyment of a well-earned holiday. (Applause.) Mr J. H. Pauling, in making the presentation on (behalf of the Gale-! donian Pipe Band, ™ke of Messrs Laing Bros.' generosity to the Caledonian Society on different occasions, and the mementos which were being presented" went, to show that their support, to the Pipe Baud .was highly appreciated. Messrs G. K. Sykes, M.P., E. H. Waddington, and a number of others - spoke of the high esteem in which Messrs Laing Brou. were, held by a wide circle of friends. " : Messrs G. and H. Laing suitably responded, and Mr-H. Laing created a good deal of amusement'by reciting some reminiscences of their first arrival in New Zealand, and their coming to the Wairarapa. He spoke of the hardships of the bush, but would stall advise young men looking for land to go. back into the country, and not look for expensive land near the centres of civilisation. Mr G. Laing, in a few words, fhauked the members of the Society for their splendid gifts, and expressed the hope that the Caledonian Society would continue in its present prosperity until it was the foremost in New ""Zealand. The singing of "Auld Lang Syne" terminated a most pleasant gathering.