£617 RAISED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 101, 26 October 1934, Page 5

£617 RAISED

COMMUNITY SINGING

A RECORD SEASON

The hist comnru3\ity sing of the season was held at the Town Hall last night, several hundred happy people of all ages joining in the proceedings with gusto. A record total of £617 has been collected for the Mayor's Belief Fund during the 193-1 season.- About £80 was received from last evening's audience for admission, for art union tickets, song books, for bids at auction, for special request items, and by way of contributions to the copper trail. The chairman of the committee announced that more than 2000 letters of appreciation had been received from listeners in from all parts' of New Zealand. The Mayor and Mayoress (Mr. and Mrs. T. C. A. Hislop) were present prior to the singing. Mr. Hislop expressed thanks to all who had assisted tho cause, and said he was pleased to announce that the record of receipts had been broken iind the amount estimated to bo received exceeded.

There was no doubting the merry mood of the audience. Upon the arrival of a police sergeant, to superintend the drawing of the prizes for the raffle, little "Sunny Jim," who was to make tho draw, appeared to wonder what it was all about, and the crowd greetetd him with calls and whistles. All commenced to sing and later whistle "The Policeman's Holiday." "Sunny Jim" then drew the four winning raffle tickets as follows: —First prize, Mrs. \V. Hooper, 41 Beatty Street, Foil ding; second prize, E. Osborne, 23 Daniell Street, Wellington; third prize, Mrs. Scott, Yule Street, Wellington; fourth prize, Miss Hughes, Hastings.

During the evening items were contributed by Mr. Frank Crowther's Novelty- Orchestra, Mrs. Wilfred Andrews (songs), Miss Iris Mason (solos at the grand organ), Mi's. Mercer (Maori songs), and Mr. H. F. Wood. The community singing was led breezily by Mr. Owen Pritchard and Mr. Will Mason.