ROYAL EMPIRE SOCIETY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 31, 6 August 1934, Page 15

ROYAL EMPIRE SOCIETY

ANNUAL RECEPTION

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, June 28. Tho annual reception of the Royal Empire Society was, as usual, held at tlie Imperial Institute in South Kensington. It is estimated that about 2000 guests -were received by Sir Archibald Weigftll, chairman of the council, and Lady Weigall, and a number of the vice-presidents. A good proportion of the guests were New Zealanders visiting Great Britain. A groat deal of care had been taken in arranging the decorations. The main hall in which the reception took place was carpeted and beflaggod, and presented a fine sight with, the great staircase as a background with pot plants and flowers arranged at each side of the steps. The. courts and other parts, of the vast building were also made more attractive with 'carpets, furnishings, and flowers. . ■ . It was "a useful plan to announce on the programme' that fellows and guests desirous of meeting their friends from a particular Dominion or colony should foregather in the courts assigned to those particular. Dominions and colonies at. a certain ; hour. . In tho Cinema Hall there was a continuous ■exhibition of ~Eiiipi.ro films: ■ The String Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards played in the Central Court, the Empire Players' Orchestra played in the Reception Hall while the guests were arriving, and a concert was in ■ progress throughout the evening in the Johangir Hall. The main activity,'however, was centred round the Exhibition Hall, where there was dancing and supper until 12.30. Most of the artists chosen for the concert were representative of the Dominions. There was Mr. Walter Delmar, a South African vocalist; Miss Wilina Berkeley and Miss Geraldino Calca, from Australia; and Mr. Clayton Hare, from Canada. The audience was very delighted to hear Master Graham Payn, a boy soprano from South Africa. Miss Stell'a Murray ably represented New Zealand. She was in very good voice, and sang Handel's' "Where'er lon Walk" and Teresa del Eiego's ' 'Homing" Later in tlie programme she sane "The Lover's Curse" (Herbert Hughes) ancl. "The Star" (James Rogers). : ■ . - EMPIRE AND EXPLORATION. Early in the evening in the Cinema Hall tho Gold Medal of the Society, which is awarded annually on the recommendation of a committee in recognition of the best work of recent pub r lication relating to the Empire, was presented by Sir Archibald AVeigall to Brigadier-General Sir Percy Sykes, in respect to his book f'A. History of Exploration." ''..-■: .. _. ' lu the course of his reply, Sir Percy Sykes said: "What foelings of pride are evoked when we read of our gre»fc explorers—Frobisher, Hudson, and Baffin, whose names are written large in the Arctic; Cook, the founder of the British Empire in Australia and New Zealand; Mackenzie, who first reached the Pacific by land from Canada; Mungo Park, the discoverer of the Niger; Livingstone, the. greatest of all explorers in Africa; Speke, the discoverer of Victoria Nyanza; Stuart, who first crossed Australia from south' to north; Boss, Franklin, Scott, Shackleton Our explorers founded the British Empire and it is our task to maintain and develop the splendid heritage that was won for us by their heroic courage and endurance." . '