THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY.

Auckland Star, 4 September 1939, Page 11

THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY.

OLD THAMES GIRLS.

ENJOYABLE PARTY,

A large crowd of members and friends of the .Old Thames Girls' Association were present at the function held' in the Lewis Eadv Hall on Saturday night to celebrate the thirteenth birthday of the association. Spring flowers decorated the tables and the stage was attractively arranged with bowls of arum lilies, daffodils and Iceland poppies. The guests were welcomed by the president, Mrs. Alfred Oldham, and the chair was taken by Mrs. .T. B. Paterson. Mr. Paterson paid a tribute to Mrs. Oldham, who has been president of the club since its inception. Mrs. Oldham's presidential address was read by Mr. Paterson. Special mention was made of Mrs. N. Walker, the accompanist, Mrs. Dawson and her committee who helped with the afternoon tea, Mrs. E. G. McMiken, the secretary, and Miss Shaw, the assistant secretary. A special feature of the afternoon was the cutting of the birthday cake. The ceremony was performed by Mrs. S. Cooke and Mrs. Elizabeth Johns, who are 86 and 89 years old respectively. Members stood in silence as a tribute to the memory of Mrs. M. Roberts, a member of the association, whose death occurred recently. A short address on a visit to Thames in his youth was given by Mr. Paterson, after which a varied programme was presented. Duets were sung by Mrs. G. V. Threadgold and Miss Betty Brooke and by Mr. and Mrs. H. McLennan, solos by Mrs. J. C. Keller, poems and sketches by Mrs. Helen Griffiths, recitations by Miss Dunham, and cornet solos by Mr. Dalton.