CHILDREN'S PARTY

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 55, 29 November 1937, Page 4

CHILDREN'S PARTY

English-Speaking Union

Entertains

Innumerable gaily-coloured balloons decorated the attractive rooms of the English-Speaking Union on Saturday afternoon, when a children’s fancydress party was held.

The main club room was transformed into a huge playground, where regency ladies and gentlemen in miniature romped with tiny Victorians in poke bonnets. Dutch girls and Hawaiian maidens, cowboys, and Indians, pirates and pixies, soldiers and sailors were all mingling at this friendly party. In the intervals between such joyous games as musical flops and the anxious excitement of “Poor Sally is a-weeping,” the children were amused a little less strenuously by a Punch-and-Judy show, aud a ventriloquist. In one corner of the room was an exciting fish pond where small people could fish for presents. During the afternoon Josephine Sinel and Ngaire Gilbert presented attractive solo dances, little Pamela AValdon, in white satin and spangles, performed acrobatic dances that delighted her equally youthful audience, and Jane Gillies rcited.

Proceedings opened with a colourful grand march, during which Airs. Lowell C. Pinkerton, wife of the ConsulGeneral for bhe United States of America, Mrs. Horace Miller, and Airs. E. D. Good, had the difficult task of judging costumes. The two prizes for the most original costumes went to Neredha Fraser, as waitress, and Robert Bennett, as a butcher. The prizes for the best fancy-dresses, were won by Kya Nicholls, as an early Victorian lady, an'd Basil Alarris, in a Chinese costmme. A balloon competition was won by Jean Gordon. A party tea was served in picnic fashion, and all the important things that the very young associate with special occasions were included, from bread and ’ butter with hundreds-and-thou-sands to fruit salad and ice cream. A more conventional, but no less welcome, afternoon tea was served to the many parents present, who watched the children from comfortable chairs in the ante-room, or relaxed in the comparative" peace of the spacious hall. The hostesses, who had a very busy afternoon attending to th© wants of children and parents, were Airs. Pinkerton,- Airs. Miller and Airs. Good. Airs. Miller, the wife of a former chairman of the union, had brought a large party of American children to the gathering. A successful children’s party such a_s this one requires careful organisation and planning, and its smooth running reflected great credit on Mrs. C. AV. Charlesworth, who was in charge, and the many people who helped her. The committee included Mesdames G. H. Perry, IT. J. Rule, H. Ainslie, J. 8. Vine, Carrington, D. Cardy, J. AA’ebb, J. S. Vinsen, A. Bernard, aud Aliqs ATollie Gledhill and Aliss Dorothy Tanner.