MAKING XMAS MERRY AND BRIGHT

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 25, 28 December 1934, Page 10

MAKING XMAS MERRY AND BRIGHT

Wellington Smith Family . Doing a Great Work

(From

our Christchurch

Correspondent

T was certainly gratifying to Canterbury readers to learn that our Alan , Brown and Bert Goodland had been in-' strumental in the raising of the large sum of £192/6/6 in’ one evening in Wellington at the Christmas community Sing organised by the Smith Family. That they were only £3/6/6 ahead of the last community sing in Christchurch, held at the end~- of October, hardly .beats that town’s record when it is taken into consideration that the Town ‘Hall in Wellington holds 8300, . the Civic Theatre in Christchurch seating only 1320, with an additional : 130 for the night in question. The Smith Family is not so well known'to: South Islanders. Most. of -Wellington’s prominent men belong to the Smith Family, the Governor-General (Lord , Bledisloe), and the Right Hon. G. ‘W. Forbes: being among the number. There is no-class distinction among the Smiths, and for: three ‘years they have ‘been anonymously helping those less fortunate than . themselves. Not only at Christmas ‘time, but all: through the year "Good old Smith" is a "friend in in need," and this year special effort was needed. more than ever with . so

many of New Zealand’s relief workers who are on "gsustenance" rates of pay. The Smith Family also live in Sydney, and the introduction to Wellington was made by two: young men: in December, 1931, who realised that unless someone "got busy" many hundreds of: needy families were going to have a very lean time at Christmas. Backed by Station 2ZW, and the Wellington newspapers which were impresséd by" the enthusiasm of the first two Smiths; appeals were made to the public with results which exceeded all anticipations. In February, 1932, the Family came into formal existence at a public meeting, and was duly incorporated under the "Friendly Societies: Act." Its funds accordingly became subject to Government audit, ensuring strict control, and giving an assurance that moneys _contributed would .be applied only to the purposes for’ which they: were donated. Mr. Alan Brown speaks very. enthusiastically of the evening sing in Wellington, and with the singing, of "Oh, Oh Antonio," the ice was broken, and -a two-way proadcast between Australia and New Zealand was arranged by ‘the. New Zealand Broadcasting: Board, and Christmas greetings were sent to the Australian Smith Families by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. (Rt.. Hon. G. W. Forbes), and, responded to by. the president of the Sydney Smith Family.