KING'S COLLEGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 159, 8 July 1935, Page 9

KING'S COLLEGE.

OLD BOYS , RALLY.

REUNION AT MIDDLEMORE.

APPEAL BY ARCHBISHOP.

Old Boys of King's College recaptured much of the spirit of their echool days during tjie- week-end, when they held their annual reunion at the college at Middlemore. The various functions arranged by the executive were all well attended, a number of country members, who slept at the college on* Saturday evening, travelling long distances to be present. The opening ,of the annual general meeting held in the gymnasium on Saturday evening was marked by the ringing of the school bell, which in former years had summoned members to their studies. After the meeting had stood in silence as a mark of respect to six members—Messrs. R. Weston, J. Milne, H. G. Gilman, E. Cleave, H. G. Gillies and {A. Plugge—who had died' since the last gathering, the retiring president, the Rev. Jasper Calder, reviewed the events of the past year. Successful reunions, he said, had been held at Whangarei' arid Hamilton, and the annual ball held last Thursday had resulted in a profit of about £10. Briefly reviewing the history of the college, which had its origin in the little school founded by Bishop Selwyn at Waimate in 1842, Mr. Calder said that the old boys had an excellent heritage. He also referred to the fact that Mr. C. T. Major, for many years headmaster of the college, was now in charge ef King's Preparatory School, which-was being carried on at Remuera. Boys' Gymnasiums in City. ( , An outline of the work being done by those old boye of the- school who are conducting boys' gymnastic classes in various parte of Auckland was given by Mr. C. G. Palmer.. The work, he said, had been started seven years ago, and since then had grown enormously. Mr. Palmer made an urgent appeal for more instructors in order that the classes should be carried on with a maximum of efficiency. r The meeting extended congratulations to Mr. Calder on having received the Order of the British Empire, to Mr. T. H. C. Caughey on hie selection to tour England with the All Blacks, and to old boys who are taking a part in the public life of New Zealand. It was also decided to send greetings to Mr. Major, and to Mr. J. U. Collins, for many years first assistant master at the college, who was unable to be present at the reunion. A telegram from Dunedin conveyed good wishes from old boys living in Otago, and stated that a branch reunion was being held there to coincide with the gathering at Auckland. The election of officers resulted as follows:—President, Mr. H. Gib Dons; vicepresidents, Mr. A. B. Rainger and Mr. S. J. Hanna; immediate past-president, the Rev. Jasper Calder; committee, seniors, Messrs. B. H. Kingston, R. King, C. G. Palmer; juniors, Messrs. T. H. C. Caughey, W. S. Smith, J. D. Lewis; hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. G. H. Batger; representative at college, Mr. V. F. Maxwell; magazine editors, Messrs. A. B. Rainger and I. S. H. Palmer; hon. auditors, Messrs. C. G. Burry and C. S. Pierce. A tribute was paid by the new president to the work of Mr. C. T. Keegan, who was retiring after a number of years on the executive, including one year as president. At a supper which followed the general meeting, presentations were made to the retiring headmaster, Mr. H. K. Archdall, and Mrs. Archdall. Items were given by the Lyric Four, Messrs. Ripley, Blakeley, McElwain and Thomas, with Mr. A. Pow at the piano. The Value of Service. The preacher at the special service in the memorial chapel yesterday morning, when the lessons were read by Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Archdall, was Archbishop Averill. In his address, his Grace said that there was a lot of trouble in the world, and the world wanted public souls. Where, he asked, could those souls be trained unless it was in such schools as King's College? The ideals of public schools were against selfishness and self-centredness. After stressing the value of playing for a team rather than for self, his Grace said that schoolboys and old boys were usually extraordinarily conservative in regard to traditions, and they resented any changes. Provided traditions expressed true ideals they were always worth fighting fot, but sometimes they stood in the way of progress. If that was so they should be scrapped and new and better traditions should be built up in their place. Perhaps there was no better way in which an old boy could be loyal to his school than by carrying the traditions of that school into the wider field of life. Urging old boys not to lose their sense of duty to God and to their neighbour and to give every man his true value for what he was and not for what he had, Archbishop Averill said that the world to-day was in a serious state of unrest because the real foundations of true peace had never been laid. Those foundations would never be laid as long as the nations ignored God. In conclusion, his Grace appealed to the old boys to take a more definite lead in social services and a more definite stand for the things that really mattered in life. It was for them to set an example of ser- ' vice above self. The greatest test of greatness was service. V . Kindred Associations. At the dinner at the college yesterday, when the old'boys were the guests of the St. John's College Trust Board, the governing body of the college, representatives of the following kindred associations were present: Auckland Grammar School,. New Plymouth High School, Sacred Heart College, English Public Schools Club, Wanganui Collegiate School, Mount Albert Grammar and' Prince' Albert College.

In the afternoon, members visited St. John's College, Tamaki, and .King's School, Remuera, where they, attended a short chapel service conducted by the Rev. E. H. Strong, warden of St. John's College and a former chaplain at King's. Later they were entertained at afternoon tea by. M^'and Mrs. Major.