Wellington Wrests Record From Christchurch

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 24, 21 December 1934, Page 21

Wellington Wrests Record From Christchurch

| Christmas Community Sing Attendea by More than 3000 People Y the narrow margin of £3/6/6 Wellington raised the Christchurch record for community sings for 1934. Christchurch’s highest total for one sing, according to Mr. Alan Brown, the song leader, was £189, as against £192/6/6 collected by the Smith Family as a result of its big Christmas sing in the Wellington Town Hall on Monday, December 10. The sing was probably the biggest ever held in the Dominion-certainly in Wellington-the audience numbering more than 3000. From a broadcast entertainment viewpoint the function was a complete success, the only regrettable feature being the necessity for curtailing the relay prior to the final numbers with the grand organ, "‘Land of Hope and Glory" and ‘"‘Abide With Me.’ The singing of "Land of Hope and Glory" was a thrilling climax to a wonderful evening and will long be remembered by those who heard it. Mr. Alan Brown expressed himself as delighted with the responsiveness of the Wellington audience, stating that he had been led to believe that Wellington audiences were not as a rule en-' thusiastic. In his opinion, judging from Monday evening’s audience, they were as responsive as any audiences in either New Zealand or Australia. Although the amount of £192/6/6 is regarded by the Smith Family as final, there still remain a number of telephoned promises of ‘money which, if they eventuate, will increase the margin to a very useful total.