DUCK DINNER

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LVI, Issue 40, 21 May 1935, Page 3

DUCK DINNER

LARGE ATTENDANCE PRESENT.

MOST ENJOYABLE TIME SPENT.

The annual duck dinner of the Ellesmere Gun Club was held in the Lakeside Hall on Saturday evening. It was up to the high standard of previous years, and the large number present to enjoy the hospitality of the club spent a very pleasant time. Every place at the four long tables was occupied; in fact, additional accommodation had to be provided, so large was the attendance. The fare provided was, as usual, excellent, especially the duck, and there were liberal supplies for all. The entertainment which followed was firstclass, Colonel Murphy including among his party many well-known vocalists from Christchurch, and the quality of the concert was excellent. Indeed, it was the opinion of many who attended that it was the best concert provided for many years. The party heralded* its appearance by singing three or four new verses of it 3 now famous duck song and its popular chorus, and the local allusions were fully appreciated. Song, story and mirth were dispensed with a generous hand by the performers and every item received a welldeserved encore. Those who contributed to the programme were Messrs J. Cocks, R. Allison, D. McGill, Dan McKivett, T. Campbell, C. Hindle, F. Eller and Wilkinson. The accompanist was Mr R. Lake. The audience included many visiting shooters and others interested in the sport, and members of the club spared no effort to see that their guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Mr W. J. Patterson, president of the club, occupied the chair.

THE TOAST LIST.

After the toast to the King had

been honoured with due ceremony, y'Mr F. Alexander proposed the toast ot^the Gun Clubs of Canterbury and the Rod and Gun Club. He referred to the spirits of comradeship and sportsmanship which were strongly manifested amongst gun clubs. These were flourishing despite the lean times. As evidence of this, he referred to the New Zealand championships which were conducted the

Methven and Ellesmere Clubs on the

latter's ground last year. There had been other clubs which said that the

two. district clubs could not carry out.the meeting, but. they had saov/n them in a decided way that they could. The Rod and Gun Club had been set up primarily to watca the interest's of sportsmen generally, and it had secured representation on the council of the Acclimatisation Society, where he hoped it would be able to do some good.

Mr A. E. Wilson, Methven, responding, said that it was very pleasing for Methven Club members to come to Ellesmere at any time, but more especially to a function like this one. He referred to the high degree of sportsmanship and cooperation which existed between the two clubs.

Mr A. N.- Turner, of the Christchurch Club, in replying, referred to the necessity for all clubs co-oper-ating to ensure the continued success of the sport. At Christchurch they were always pleased to see and welcome visitors from other clubs.

Mr C. D. Wheeler, speaking on behalf of the Waihora Rod and Gun Club, said that it came into being, not merely to conduct shoots, but to look after the interests of sportsmen. There was a tendency now to keep Lake Ellesmere at a lower level, and the club was endeavouring to see that sportsmen's access to the lake was preserved and their rights protected over the land between the old and new levels of the lake. The club concerned itself in all other matters of interest to sportsmen, whether shooters or anglers, and it also conducted one or two shoots each year for social purposes. He believed the Ellesmere Club and the Waihora Club were unique in that one held a duck dinner and the other a crayfish supper. The club, through its representation on the Acclimatisation Society council, endeavoured to do its best for sportsmen, and he hoped that all sportsmen would honour the conditions imposed through the council for the control of the sport. Those who did not were not worthy of the name of sportsmen. Even though the duck season was short, there were enough swans to shoot and the ducks should be left alone after the season closed.

WORK OF PARLIAMENT

Mr G. W. R. Osborne proposed the toast of the Parliament of New Zealand. He said that Parliament had been represented by some illustrious members at the Gun Club's dinners from time to time, and the present

representatives o± the districts, Mr H. S. S. Kyle and Mr J. Connolly, were welcome visitors. Parliament had been passing through hard times during the last few years, like the rest of the people of the Dominion. It had adopted difficult legislation to deal with the conditions, and he hoped that those laws would be responsible for putting the country back in the sound financial condition it was hoped to reach.

Mr Kyle, in his reply, said that he supposed this Parliament would go down into history as the longest in New Zealand, but he was satisfied that the electors at the' next election would express approval of the extension of the term. Members had certainly experienced strenuous times, and all had done their utmost" for the interests of the Dominion as a whole rather than for the interests of their electorates.

Mr J. Connolly said that members of Parliament had shared in the trials of the people of the Dominion and had tried to uphold the dignity and honour of Parliament. There had been a lot said in a slighting manner about the New Zealand delegations to England. He did not think that any exception could justly be taken to the Prime Minister going to England to represent the Dominion at the King's Jubilee celebrations, while Mr Coates had gone Home, to attend to most important work. When he heard people speak lightly of these representatives, he wondered what was wrong with the people of this country. These statesmen were entrusted with great responsibility, and were faced with most difficult tasks, the results of which would affect the welfare of the Dominion, and he thought that the people, instead of speaking lightly of their visits, should back them up and give them all the support they could. The ablest men available were sent to deal with these important matters, and the size of New Zealand's delegation was smaller in proportion to those from other parts of the Empire. He pointed out that this attitude of the people of New Zealand was capable of being misjudged by the English, who would conclude that the Dominion was rather indifferent, and might act accordingly.

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

The toast of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was proposed by Mr P. L. Graham, who said

that last year the society had asked for the co-operation of sportsmen in this district, and received it. Members of the council of the society had been returned unopposed, which indicated that the members of the society thought they had done their duty very well. The society had spent a good deal of time and money in research, which did not interest the shooters very much, as they wanted practical results. There had been a lot said about poaching, but he did not think that this was really very bad. To his mind the depredations of vermin were doing more harm to grey ducks than poachers, and if something could be done around the shores of the lake to exterminate weasels, stoats, rats, hawks, etc., more would be done for the protection of ducks than the suppression of a few poachers.

Mr F. Steans, president of the society, in his reply said that the society had entered upon its seventyfirst year of existence. During that time some eminent men had served on the council and had occupied the office of president, and the sportsmen of to-day owed a deep debt of gratitude to the past generations for what they had done for sport. (Further remarks made by Mr Steans are reported elsewhere in this issue).

OTHER TOASTS,

Mr J. Winchester proposed the toast of the Gun Clubs' Association. He said it was composed of a body of men who had a thorough knowledge of the sport and who had prepared a set of rules which it would be hard to improve upon.

Mr T. S. Harrison, of the Methven Club, and a vice-president of the South Island executive, replied. He said that he had been asked to stand for the Dominion presidency, but he could not see his way to do so this year, though he hoped next year, if the same opportunity came along, to stand for election. He said that he was very fond of shooting, and he had thoroughly enjoyed the sport provided that day, and congratulated the winners on their success. He asked all shooters to continue to support the Acclimatisation Society and co-operate with it in all matters for the benefit of sportsmen, whether shooters or anglers, for most shooters took out fishing licenses as well.

Mr S. H. Anderson, Methven, proposed the toast of the Ellesmere Gun

Clutw It had a great reputation for providing excellent shooting, while its duck dinners were widely known as enjoyable functions. It conducted its shoots in a manner which not only younger, but older clubs could well follow. The speaker referred to the manner in which the championships last year had been conducted by the Methven and Eliesmere Clubs and which proved' so successful and satisfactory to the competitors. This year some of the Methven boys were going to Auckland for the championships, and all would wish them success.

Responding, Mr Patterson expressed the pleasure of the Eliesmere Club at the large attendance at the dinner. The fact that there were no

vacant chairs amply repaid members for the work of preparing,- and: he mentioned that the ducks were hard to procure. The club always did its best to help shooters and to co-oper-ate with the Acclimatisation Society in all matters for the welfare of shooters. Mr W. Quigley proposed the toast of the winners of the afternoon's match, and this was responded to by Messrs S. H. Anderson (Methven), W. Winchester and E. A. Washbourne. Mr W. L. Donald proposed the toast of the visitors, the response being made by Messrs W. C. Miller, McKenna, F. Pratt and G. Franks. Other toasts included the musicians and the ladies.