GAY SCENE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1941, Page 6

GAY SCENE

ASSEMBLY OF CHILDREN IN PARK GOVERNOR-GENERAL SPEAKS OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP. GREAT HERITAGE TO BE GUARDED. Well over two thousand children, including a good representation of Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Brownies and Cubs, besides some hundreds of adult spectators, assembled at the Masterton Park this morning to meet the GovernorGeneral and Lady Newa.ll. The children were grouped in front of the dais, which stood before the grandstand, and were flanked on either side by the Wairarapa College Pipe Band and by the Central School Bugle Band. The children of all Masterton colleges and schools were present, besides those from Fernridge, Solway, Te Ore Ore and Whatman. r The gathering was a delightfully informal one, their Excellencies mingling freely and laughing and talking with many of the children and others present. All the Scouts, Cubs, Guides and Erownies on parade formed a guard of honour. The Vice-Regal party, on their arrival at the Park at 11.45 a.m., were met by the Mayor, Mr Jordan, the latter wearing his mayoral chain, and by the Town Clerk, Mr G. T. O’Hara Smith. The leaders of the Scout and Guide movement were presented, including Mrs D. H. S. Riddiford, District Commissioner, and Mrs Alex McKenzie, Divisional Commissioner, Girl Guides, and Mr A. W. Allsop, District Scoutmaster, in the absence of Mr R. W. Barton, District Commissioner, who was unable to be present. Other Guide and Scout leaders were then presented for the inspection of the guard of honour. Scouts were present from several districts of the Wairarapa. The New Zealand National Anthem was played on the arrival of the ViceRegal party at the dais. This followed a welcome and a haka by Maori pupils of Te Ore Ore School, given realistically. Much amusement was caused when several of the Maori children advanced close to the Gover-nor-General and grimaced fiercely at him. A bouquet was presented to her Excellency by a girl from Fernridge School. The principals and headmasters of Masterton colleges and schools and the chairmen of local school committees were presented to their Excellencies. “Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys,” said Mr Jordan, “I have the honour and privilege of bringing to you today the representative of his Majesty the King in New Zealand, his Excellency the Governor-General and Lady Newall.” HIS EXCELLENCY’S ADDRESS. Sir Cyril Newall expressed his thanks to all for assembling at the Park and for having given them such a nice welcome. His Excellency thanked also the Scouts, Guides, Brownies and Cubs for making such a nice guard of honour. Wherever he went in New Zealand, he said, he always tried to see all the children, because he liked children. He had three of his own, but they were not always good. (Laughter). He always liked to see a guard of honour from the Scouts, Guides, Brownies and Cubs. He hoped that many of them who were not in the guard of honour that day were members of the Scouts and Guides and that others who were not would join the movement. The children, Sir Cyril observed, were looking bright and making up for the lack of sunshine. “You are lucky to live in Masterton, very lucky to live in New Zealand and very lucky to be citizens of the British Empire,” his Excellency continued. “You don’t get anything for nothing. I hope you will never get anything for nothing; it is bad for anyone to get anything for nothing. Because you are so lucky to live in Mastertori, in New Zealand and in the British Empire, I want you to try to grow up and become good and useful citizens of Masterton and New Zealand and the Empire. You children are still learning; you have

got a big job in front of you. The better you learn now the easier the job will be afterwards.” Sir Cyril Newall proceeded to tell the children to be truthful, to be obedient to their parents and school teachers, to be helpful to each other, to be clean in mind and body and when they went for a picnic not to leave rubbish about and spoil Masterton and spoil New Zealand and not to set fire to the bush. Some of the people who came here before the children’s time, he said, had burned too many of its trees. There were not enough trees in New Zealand now ahd he hoped they would not bum any more. He asked the children to be tidy and truthful. If they said they would do a thing, their word should be relied upon. He asked them, above all things, to be kind to each other and to be kind to animals. It all helped them to become good citizens of Masterton, of New Zealand and of the British Empire. He wanted them to be examples to everyone else in the world. By being good citizens all the advantages of living in the British Empire would remain for ever. If they were not these advantages would disappear. Like everything they loved, they must take care of it, otherwise they would lose its beauty and then lose it altogether. In taking care of Masterton, New Zealand and the British Empire, he knew of no better way of getting the best in life than of being in the Scout and Guide movement. They would be a credit to Masterton and New Zealand. After saying that he hoped to see them again, he stated, in response to an inquiry, that the schools would enjoy a half-holiday, but “that was not very generous.” The first verse of the National Anthem was sung by the assembly, followed by three rousing cheers given for their Excellencies by the children. The Vice-Regal party, accompanied by the Mayor and Mayoress, then walked among the assembled children and great was the delight of the young folk when both Sir Cyril and Lady Newall chatted freely with some of them. When the party returned to the dais, Mr Jordan announced that in addition to that afternoon the schools would have a holiday tomorrow as well.

This was greeted with cheers and other manifestations of joy and waving a cheery farewell to the-children their Excellencies made their departure.