WELLINGTON COLLEGE RIFLES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 190, 6 May 1908, Page 9

WELLINGTON COLLEGE RIFLES.

* 1 A SOCIAL GATHERING. The annual smoke-conccrt of tho Wellington iCollego ltifles was held at the Masonic J- Hall, Bouicott Street, last evening, and lr proved a most successful function. Captain t- C. Harcourt Turner, 0.C., presiding, and, in addition to tho mombcTS of the company, is tlioro wero included' among tho visitors e - Colonel R. J. Collins (of tho Council of Defence), tho officers of the A\ cllitigton Riflo l,! Battalion, and several non-commissioned I 1? officers. • • Tho officers present wereLieut,-Colonel & W. G. Duthie, commanding tho Battalion; ■k Surgeon-Major J. R- Purdy, New Zealand Medical Corps; Major C. D. Mackintosh, id p a y and Quarter-master; Captain F. B. Mabin, and Captain and Adjutant A. J. ? Cowles, of the Battalion Staff; Captains Jii Davis (Kclburne Rifles), Esson (City Rifles), ie Henderson (retired list), A. I A. Corrigan )t (Zealandia Rifles), and C. B. Harton (Post io and Telegraph' Rifles); 'Lieutenants Collins «• and Bolton (Post and Telegraph Rifles), i- Page and Fallowes (Zealandia - Riiles), r- Roacho (Guards), Hutchen, and Mee (College , e Rifles), Anderson (Highland Rifles), and iv Willis (Johnsonvillft R,jfles). ,e Apologies for unavoidable absence wore re[(3 ceived from Captain J.. Duthie, jun. (Guards),! Captain F. T. Moore, and Lieut. a. Merrielees (Johiisonviilo Rifles), and Lieut. n Fountain (Cvclo Corps.) ' Tho loyal toast having been duly honoured, i>, tho Chairman (Captain Turner) proposed tho 4 health of Colonel Collins. In tho course of n a brief address tho speaker referred'to tho good work'which had been done by Colonel u Collins when-in. command of the. Wellington Rifle Battalion, and said that it must havo befcn a sourco of'sincere gratification-to tho. v Colonel to witness tho excellent mustor of :•[ tho battalion .at,tho refiellt Easter eneamp.l. mcnt at Johnsonvillo,' when out of a total L strength of 530, no less than 485 wero present. As officer commanding tho battalion, I Colonel . Collins had 'kept three objects ( i steadily in view—tho establishment of an ■ ' up-to-date rifle range, a now drill hall, and a full dross uniform for tho battalion. They ' all knew that, thanks to .his energies, tho ~ Colonel had accomplished the first, of. these three. Tho second was on the evo.of.comV pletion, and their new drill hall would, they " expected, be handed ov'er next week. .As to . , the third, that also had been accomplished. Iri" his present capacity as a membor of tho New Zealand Council of Defence, they would,. k ~ ho felt siiro, continuo ! to receivo the benefit n , of the Colonel's ; tactful assistance.- . (Applause). _ ■ , )r ■ Colonel Collins, replying to the toast, said a that whon lie. left the battalion, he handed .j. tho command over _to tho right man: in Lieut.-C-olonel Duthie. Referring to tho Easter>Encampment, he said that ho had felt | s proud of his old battalion when he saw the j excellent muster. ;Hd had experienced good musters in his own time, but this surpassed k anything -ho had ever seen. What had ' pleased him nioro than anything was the cheerful spirit which .'pervaded tho wholo of _ tho battalion. ■ Tho Chairman then presented tho prizes which had been -won in tho shooting coiu- ■ : petitions held during tho season 1907-1908. The winners were as follow ' Ranfurly Challengo Cup and gold medal, T _ Pte. L. W. Ward ; College Challenge trophy, Pto. W. R. King; Lient.-Colonel Duthio's £ trophy, Pte. Meek; Officers'' trophy. Pte. (I Wollerman; Sergeants' trophy, Pte. W. R. King; CowJos's and Kerslakc's trophy, Pto. Gasauoino: Mrs. Dykes's trophy, Sorgt. Cowles; Pte. 'M'Donald's- trophy, Laneejj' Corpl. Pyc; Old Members' Challengo Belt, Pte. Wollerman; Mr. G. Nathan's trophy/ 0 Pto.,w, r; King. . : ; Refpvring-t.p the. Ranfurly Cup, the Chair- .. man .said'l'tliat this 'trophy had beeii presented by Lord'Ranfurly, as a challenge oup for sectional field firing in the Battalion by sections "of,-si:c n'on ,'each..' It was first .won ■ by tho Post and Telegraph Rifles, then twice : . by tho College ltifles, once by tho Zealandias. • ' after'two'-tic's 'With, the' College .Rifles,' arid' ' finally was )Von outriciit by tho College , Rifles. .It was new held as a perpetual challetico' trophy, lg . During tlio oveninc items were contributed jj by Messrs.. Widdop, Pnrkes, Bastin, Ballanco,: 1 0 Johnston, ..Woods, Surgeon-Major Purdy, 1 Major Mackintosh,'. Lieut. ' Meo, Ptaff-Se'r-jj geant-Jlajor Colalough, Colour-Sergeant. n Evatt, and Sergeant Gamble. g Other toasts honoured were:—"Old Mem--0 hers," " Tho Battalion ' Staff," Medical Corps," and " Fellow Corps."