EARLY SETTLERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 304, 20 December 1912, Page 8

EARLY SETTLERS.

TO CELEBRATE 50TH A__nTV__3____ OF ARRIVAL. A ___TiTEE SET UP. The proposal to celebrate the Sftieth j anniversary of the arrival at Auckland jof the two ships Devonshire and Gertrude ii now assuming concrete form. Yesterday afternoon a meeting was held 'of immigrants who came out in the yes- . seis. .but. no doubt, owing to the date being very near Christmas, there was only a small attendance. Mr. Chas. Cooper, brother of Mr. Juslice Cooper, who was voted to the cba.r ■' on the motion of the secretary of the movement (Mr. H. Dunbar Johnson) expressed his pleasure at being inviLed to preside at the meeting. He stated that he did not recollect much about the voyage out. being an infant at the time, but he felt proud to belong to the ones , v.-ho came out in the early days, and to be able to assist in making the celebrations of the arrival of the Devonshire and Certrude a success. jevena.l letters from early settlers ( who i are now residing in different parts of I New Zealand' were read, expressing sym- , pathy with the proposed celebrations. | One from Mr. R. X. Smith, of the Thames, j expressed pleasure that so many of the ! passengers by the two vessels "had j ! reached the top rung of the ladder" after j . their arrival here. The writer added that j i there were not many of his shipmates . !in the Thames district, but he would I endeavour to persuade the few there ■ were to attend the celebrations. I Mr. Dunbar Johnson explained that the ; Devonshire arrived on February 7. ISC3. and the Gertrude on February 9 of the, ' same year. The question was. therefore. | ,-.n which day were the celebrations to j take placo' Mr. Justice Cooper, who was j . a passen.er by the Devonshire, had inti- . mated that his legal fixtures would only • | allow him to attend celebrations held on February 7. '■ The following committee was set up to I make the necessary arrangements, and to call a larger meeting, at which the date of the function will be fixed: — I Messrs H. Dunbar Johnson I secretary). . F. Moginie. Chas. Cooper. S. Hesketu. •j D Chalmers. Alfred V, ebb. R. >■ Smith. Wm. BlomSeld, J. R. Wiekham. ' D Fallon. Mesdames J. Ferguson and E. j Robinson, and Misses Kinemey and 1 Vmes Butcher. " I- was decided that the first meeting |of the committee be held as soon after (Christmas as possible.