EKETAHUNA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1882, 7 January 1885, Page 2

EKETAHUNA.

\ [FftOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] \ Thhovgh the liberality of the School r Committee.seconded.by the energy and : ornanizatipnal powers';of Mr and Mrs' i Shelton arid assisted byapic-nic committee , who all worked with one accord to the • furtherance of the object in view, the j first Eketahuna school troat came off on i New Years' Day, and was notwithstand-. ). ing many adverse circumstances a most i complete success. The intention of the i Works Committee was to give a pic-nic (a ; publio one) to the school children and. i theirparonts, and aU'arrarigementsJpr carrying this into effect were'.cbmpjetf : oh )■ t brakes behigharnessßd up !the i expectant little ones itb'.the, scene bfifcheir ,' pleasuresand struggles,' but there is olie .• element in the success of a pic-nic that [ admits of no control, viz,, fine weather—i and that was indeed wanting.' AtlQ a,m t the clouds in the'S.W. began to roliijup [ black and threatening, and at .10.30 i " Jupiter pluvius" had* it all his owiiway, [ and he attended to his work right dilir, gently. However, nothing daunted, the Committee,-laying thoir heads together,. • soon found ways.and mean's,'and deter- • mined that they should not be thwarted' . in their good intentions-towards the ; youngsters in their long-expectod.treat,* s'p ; it was proposed and carried (with the kind consent of Mr Jones) that his large loft should be extemporised into a rostrum, a . play-field, a dancing-saloon, a scrambling' platform; yea, even leap-frog was oxer- ■ cised therein. And, oh, for the large .' shed was the cry. A right goodly crowd ; soon assembled on the boards, and a more Bturdy blithe looking lot of younsters i could not be found in either hemisphere. One would fancy that many of Gams- ' borough's pictures had been robbed of ; their children. These deliniate rubicund., curly-headed urchins, giving promise of complete manhood,'and iiweetly pretty girls, buds of promise for the next generation, Happy the country that possesses such, to come in succession to the present working bees of the great human hive. Then the work of the day commenced, and it must have given those who had interested themselves in getting the treat into workable grooves, a real pleasure to see their labors so much appreciated, although they were unable to carry out the programme in its entirety on account of the rain. After lollies had been scrambled with a liberal hand, and a few games played, Mr Shelton, the teaoher, addressed the children in a neat and appropriate speech and distributed prizes given by. himself and Mrs Shelton to those moßt deserving. The rewards wore given, not for superior mentalattainments orcapacity but for good attendance, conduct, diligence and cleanliness, Those who werereceipients of the pretty prizes provided were as follows:—Standard V, Henry Richfield; Standard IV,'Martin Nelsen; Standard 111, Annie White and Ellen Hodder; Standard 11, Albert Andersen and Emma Murrill; Standard I, Walter Jones, Jane Anderson, and Edith Neiseji. Three oheers were then given for Mr and Mrs Shelton, in whioh all heartily joined, showing that, both had fully gained the confidonco'.of; parents and pupils, When this ;cereniony was completed, dinner was announced: as being ready, which, through the kindness -of Mr and Mrs Jones, was laid in their'large new dining room, and the youngsters were marshalled into their respective seats, and then commenced the feast Were I a professional writer, I might say the table grpane'd .under the' load'of good things, but pye'r/having heard a table groan I am unable.-to say how it effepts that groaning, anil it am.afraid it isbuVa fable:,. MostJof.p.'have seen that noted •M beautiful plden time," weJj£;one, ; wight be mctoced: .to fancy th|t. had been ran-", pkqd,- sd : were alkthe' feidiblen pros3ft'iwd'iJje energy displayed h getting;'toidfl pf them and ijiajhg Way quMti|s'fi' M ; some .did .hid* ipy quftntM|)M.owe4'how all Imjitmr*.M4'Mmr' ww.iipwvided v.ffetheflv, ■: I. ,rmsn/iWpK^:»^pMftf|>uoh and theirrSabie'' wMpr "» 'supplying all the wants of-1|» gambled erpw.d :

'thing being in order,' /everything regular," and nothing wanting. Dinner completed, ..the loft was again filled, and various games were the order of the day' At i 3.30 the rain ceased, and so opportunity was taken to commence the outside sports. The races were well contested, ■ particularly the egg and spoon race, which was ran in heats on account of the number of the competitors, and was won by a smart little fairy, Matilda Andersen. After the games, tea was provided with the same liberal hand as the dinner, and as at "Dolly Varden's" wedding feast, there were piles of buns and lumpy cakes, with cunning twists and cottage loaves, &c. Then the prizes appertaining to the sports were handed over to the various'winners, and after a telling speech from Mr Shelton, which concluded the business of the day, the children re- • tired to their >■ respective homes, highly delighted with'all they had done, seen,' and received, and''-'! am sure the day will be markedi'with a red letter for many years to come, and fondly remembered in ■the' distant futures •''.',■: ' ■'•