EARLY SETTLERS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17940, 7 December 1923, Page 10

EARLY SETTLERS.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION. THE MAYOR'S ADDRESS. An event, ol more than passing interest in the history of Canterbury took place last evening in ike Provincial Council Chambers, when the lirst annual meeting of the Canterbury pilgrims' Association was held. The Mayor (Mr J. A. I ! lesher 1. as president 01' the Association, occupied the chair. There were upwards of one hundred people present, the majority of whom were early pioneers of the province. The Mayor said it afforded hin\ the greatest pleasure to preside over such a gathering. The meeting was going to re-make history. It was a great pleasure to him to have on one hand Mr It. C- Bishop, and on the other the Kev. F. G, Brittan, both early pio. necrs. Last year an attempt- had been made to form the Association, and had been fairly successful. The outcome wa& tliar. the committee had been asked to go further into the formation of the Association. Since then changes had taken place, but the committee had been able to prepare ;i eet of rules for tiie formation of such an association. These rules had been approved by meeting held in the City Council Chambers, when it was decided to ask the committee to continue its work until that evening. The committee had been at work ior the meeting, and also for Anniversary lJay celebrations. The secular part of the anniversary would be held m the vJhristchuroh Gardens "U Saturday, the loth, and on the day following there would be special services held in the city. Up to the present without any special elfort being made, they had a membership of 351, witn a free enrolment. (Applause.) Subscriptions to date amounted to £127. According to the rules drawn up, membership was limited to any person who had arrived in Canterbury previous to January Ist, 1871, the children or grandchildren of such people, the husband or wife of such persons, and in addition it was suggested Mint <iil ordinary members who arrived prior to January Ist, Isol, or their descendants, should be foundation members —the most honoured membersmp of all. Provision had also been made for an associate nienibeiship, oy which people could be elected members on promising to further actively the objectp or the Association. These members would be asked to work because there was a lot of work to done. v ■

The Mayor then recapitulated, the objects with which the Association, had been formed, 'Their objects were first to promote a spirit of brotherhood jind friendship among all early (settlers, and their descendants, to perpetuate a feeling of veneration for the early pioneers, and to hold "meetings regularly for promoting social, literary, and historical'interest in the endeavours of'the pioneers. He hoped.they would be able to pen-chase st hall similar bo the one they had in Dunedin. A Voice: Why not tins oil©?. The Mayor said it was not beyond the realm of possibility- They hoped to collect all documents, books, papers and reports, illustrative of the work of the pioneers. They would also collect and place ,on renord remAnibeeiicea of Canterbury from the early settlers, mark all places of historic, interest, and gen-< erally make all endeavour to spread & knowledge of early history of the province. The Association would also have power to appoint local representatives. The Mayer then reviewed the celebrations set down for Anniversary Day. Hie 16th, it happened, fell upon a. Sunday. It was very fitting that the day fell upon the Sabbath. The committee had decided that because of nonobservance of the day upon an ordinary day of the week by workers and those engaged in shops, it would be thought fitting to hold the celebration on the afternoon prior to the 16th. The committee had decided to hold a function in the Gardens, charging one shilling for admission as permitted by the Domans Board. Children under 10 years j of age would be admitted free, arid over 10 years would be. charged sixpence. All association members would be admitted free. It was proposed t». entertain at afternoon tea in a big marque, all those early settlers who were in humble circumstances. Afterwards on the archery lawn, it was proposed to hold a march past of school children, with their guests of honour on, say, the north side of the ground. Children of primary schools about the city under their masters, and secondary school paipils as well, would thus meet, to do honour to their early pioneers. Nothing was more fitting to instill a feeling of veneration due to those who came out in the early days and suffered the privations and discomfort of early settlement. Nothing, too, would more impress the children. He hoped that such a gathering in the Gardens would grow into a matter of history. Regarding the Sunday celebrations, a special service would be held in the j Cathedral, and special places would bt set aside for members of Association. Members of local bodies had been in vited to be present, and in every case the invitation had been accepted. His Grace Archbishop Julius would be thepreacher. Seeing that the church had l>een founded in the province by the Church of England, it was fitting tlia.t the head of that church should take the service. He thought the service; would be as memorable as that held in the Cathedral at the time of the Canterbury College Jubilee. In the afternoon, the committee had arranged a voung people's service, also in the Cathedral, when Archbishop Julius would again take the service. This j service he considered wonlcl be of jnejvfc . benefit to all who heard it. In addi-t-ion to the Cathedral service, there would be an open-air service at the Cliristchurch Hospital grounds on the lines of the one held last veai. Suitable hvmns and choruses from oratorios would" be sung, and generally there would lie a fine musical afternoon At the hospital a collection would be taken up to provide toys and Christmas gifts for the children in orphanages and hospitals of the city. As to the future ot the association, tliev wanted a gow membership. They had a good start with 350 members, and he hoped that withm a year or two, the membership would reach between two and three thousand Alreadv thev had received messages from early Canterbury settlers in Westpnrt, New Plymouth and Gore, and this showed how their objects appealed to those early men who had crone further afield than their own province, but still retained their love for their native settlement. In conclusion, the Mayor rererred to the badge adopted by the Association and hoped that all members would wear it. The large attendance that evenin" 1 augured well for the future He hoped too, that thev would be able to hold their meetings in the old historic chamber in which they were holding their first annual meeting. Mr IC. M. Gresson said he heartily endorsed the Mayor's remark that the Association would play an important part in the historv of Canterbury, He wished, however, to draw attention to the rule permitting of an associate membership. In some ways the rule was too wide and in other ways too narrow. | It was too wide because m his opm- j ion thev should have no associate members at all. It was an honour to be- | long to the Association by the fact that j one was a descendant of an early pion- | ®

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eer. He did not think that anyono in Christchurch should be "able to liecome a member. He suggested that they should limit the membership to those who arrived in Canterbury before 1860 and abolish the associate membership altogether. The Mayor said that Dunedin had an associate membership. The associate member would be like the honorary member of other associations. Regarding the proposal to limit membership to descendants of those who arrived before 1860, his own parents had arrived in 1864 and he should be very sorry indeed to give up membership. Some further discussion took place on Mr (Bresson's proposals, and the feeling or the meeting was clearlv against them. No motion was framed, and the matter was allowed to drop. The following officers were ele-tod • President, The Mavor (Mr J 4 FJeslier), vice-presidents, Mr John Anderson, the Rev. F. G Brittan, Dean Harper, Mrs John Beans. Messrs' Theo. Barker R. C. Bishop, M. J. Gresson, A. D. Dobson, G. Jameson. T Phillios N. Macfarlane, L. Bowen, c' P Cox' committee Dr J. Right, Professor J.' Shelley Messrs. E. It. Webb, G. Hanmer, VV. Johnson, R. B. Owen J 11 Cumngham. C. Hastings Bridge' W S Lovell-Smith, C. Littfecot, and LB Hart. The committee will be made up to members, further noroinations being left to "the committee already appointed. The question of the final form of the Association s badge was left to the ocmmittee to decide.

This concluded the business of the meeting, and the Mayor, in a final word, expressed a hope that air members present would jom i n the celebratlon °Ai w rSary ??? and make it one of the best ever held.