Oddfellowship.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 162, 13 June 1901, Page 3

Oddfellowship.

RECEPTION TO BRETHREN RE TURNED FROM bOuill

AFRICA,

There was a large attendance of brethren on Tuesday evening to welcome Bros. Ward, Goldstone, Smith and Butcher, vho have returned from /active service in South Africa, Bro. Watts, P.N.G., presided. C.R. Bro, Wills and Bro. W. Miller represented the Foresters’ Lodge, and Bros. J. O’Brien and C. <l. Goldstone the Waimate Hibernian Society. The first toast was “The King and Manchester Unity.” _ Song, Bro. B. J. Smitn. “Ju.t Break the News to Mother. In proposing the toast of the evening, “Our Brethren from the front, the chairman heartily welcomed them back. They did not need him to make an elaborate speech and tell them bow well they did their duty ; they knew that Oddfellows did that under all circumstances. He had to extend a hearty welcome back to the returned brethren. . ~ The toast was drunk enthusiastically with musical honours and cheers. Soviet Bro. F* Wilco* Fpmet-Sevgeaufcßro. Wavd thanked fie brethren for the hepr-y welcome civeu them. If they had bad such a spread in South Africa as was m front of them they would not have wanted to come home. Trooper Bro. J • Smithjn respond! ng, g ive a sketch of the fight at Noougedrcht, when be with others was taken prisoner. Only nineteen of their coinnany were able to fire, and 200 Boeis were after them with three guns. Then they were taken from bemud and- compelled, to surrender. Ihey had not a ghost of a chance to retire, for they would have been shot down. An instance of Boer generosity occurred inst as they were captured, when one of the Boers took out Trooper Peiersen’s watch, and was threatened hv a Boer officer, who said, “ Take all Government property, but leave the men’s things alone.” They were we treated bv General Botha, who himself sent them along rations. They were taken to Middlebmg and put in a barbed wire enclosure. Hero three of them almost immediately started to di" a tunnel to get outside the enclosure. At about fifteen feet the candle would not burn, so they dug an air hole, and, as luck would have it, u came up near the sentry’s path, but he never noticed it. They got through a’joul sixty feet avid lhevinifl.de a ci l ve, j so that they could not be fired on. I Two men got out, but the tnud was -captured, and the speaker, who was next,- was unable to get out. Ine Boers came down in hundreds to see the tunnel, and lhoug.it it an extremely clever piece of work to do it under the sentry’s nose. It wasi three weeks before they were released, and they then could hear the guns of their own men. As thtey went out the Boei general rode up with bis body guard and addressed them. He said, “You .are all soldiers of the Queen, and I hone the war will shortly be all over And we will be shaking bauds. He then directed them to go through a certain pass and not leave the track. They gave him three cheers and started off. It appeared that the Boers wished them to go through the pass so as to stop the British guns while they retired, but a British officer came up and took them by a side path. They •were treated very well, anti eventually they got to Pretoria. Corporal W. Butcher, by request, gave a description of the fignt at Rbenoster Kop. After several clays of s-iipin" on each side they were on the march at 5 a.m. on the 20th November. Both contingents were fired on a id tried to retire, but the fire was 100 lieavv and they bad to stay all da.y. Bub Smith, of the Second, was shot en-ly in the morning, as were SurgeonCaptain Godfrey and Captain Craws iaw. These could not be taken away, f )i’ the Boers picked off the Red Cross bearers as they came up. The Boers occupied a patch of rocks in force, and the contingents kept them back till 9.g0 p.m. Had the Boers held ont till next morning they would have killed half the British, for the ammunition was almost done. But they “ voetzaked ” during the night. Next day llie New Zealanders fell into an ambush, and would have suffered heavily but for an opportune thunderstorm, which enabled them to reheat. They were around Rbenoster Kop (ill Christmas, when they came by Rusteubu.rg to help keep Be Wet from the bush veldt, but they were not able to do this. „ Toast, “ The Army and Navy, responded to by Lieutenant Jackson and Sergeant Mines. Song, Bro. W. J. Wills, “Home. Boys, Home.” , „ P.G. Bro. Shackleton proposed the toast of “ Sislei Lodges.” Bro. Hutchison, in responding for Dunedin Hand and Heart Lodge, expressed great pleasure at the toast, and felt more pleasure at being present at the welcome to the returned brethren. _ . ' Bro, Dockrill, of Loyal Lodge, Timaru, also expressed great pleasure at the reception of the visiting brethren.

Eecitation, Bro. Porter. “The Ladies,” proposed by P.U. Bro. Evans and responded to by Bros. Dockrlll and B. Presland. Eecitation, Bro. Hutchison. The next toast was that of “ Sister Lodges of Wftimate,” coupled with the names o! Vice-president Bro. O’Brien (Hibernians) and Bros. Miller and Wills (Foresters). Bro. Wills thanked them heartily, on behalf of Court Foresters Pride, for coupling bis name with the toast. The utmost good feeling prevailed between the two lodges, a most desirable state of things. Bro. O’Brien, on behalf of the Hibernian Society, thanked the Oddfellows for their kind reception, and hoped that his lodge would soon be able to return the compliment. Bro. W. Miller (Foresters) expressed his pleasure at their reception, and hoped such cordial relations would long continue. Eecitation, Bro; Miller, Song, “It’s a great big shame, Trooper E. Goldstone. _ _ In- response to enquiries, Bro. E. Smith told some amusing yarns about the times they hod at the front, the way they snatched tip half-cooked damper on an alarm, atld about the time he was “crummy.” The food they had in the prisons was enough t mealie" flour (Indian corn ground) to do a week with careful management, meat for about three meals—all for the week. Many a time on the march he had jumped off bis horse to get a piece of biscuit off the ground before the others got it. They were Very weak with want of food, though looking well* To .look kt them now,

ole would think they were in goo< form, but they could not stand i Couple of days’ work. It was the trij over that set them up. When lie wp down with fever he wa-s exceeding!; well treated. Ho got on well, but ha< a relapse, only recovering in time u take the boat at the Cape. At Sydney they had a good time and missed thi boat, came on to New Zealand ano had a further time. They were here now, and thanked the Lodge for a very kind reception. The toast of “ The Press ” wa ■. then proposed, and responded to by Pro. Kilgour and Mr G. A. Wilson. The last toast was that of “ The sick and distressed of our Order,” proposed by Bro. Sullivan and coupled with the name of Bro. Butcher.

Song, Bro. J. Mines, “They’re waiting there for me.” Bro. Butcher, in respondinr, expressed the sorrow of the Lodge on hearing of the sickness of Bros. Smith and Goldstone and its joy at knowing they were not so bad as expected. He hoped they would remember the welcome they had received-

The gathering broke up with the singing of “ Anld Lang Syne” at lI.SO.