THEN AND NOW

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 17, 21 January 1941, Page 9

THEN AND NOW

ANNIVERSARY DAY

THE HOLIDAY TOMORROW

REGATTA AND RACES

A few whaleboats, lustily propelled by crews from the overseas sailing vessels then in port, raced in view of the waterfront, with nearly all of Wellington's 2500 inhabitants from the 200 houses then built encouraging the rowers to even more strenuous efforts—that was Wellington's first Anniversary Day regatta, away back in 1841, when the city was but one year old. And ever since then Anniversary Day and regatta have been synonymous.

Tomorrow, for the 101 st time, there will be another Anniversary Day regatta, only this time, instead of manpropelled whaleboats, white-winged yachts will glide over Whanganui-a-Tara's wide expanses, and noisy craft, propelled by a motive power undreamt of when the first Anniversary Day regatta was held, will speed past the winning post. But the proviso is necessary that the weather is agreeable, and Anniversary Day has an unfortunate reputation in this respect. On January 22, 1841, the first anniversary of the landing at Petone, of the birth of the capital city and of the colony, the elements were none too kind, and the regatta had to be postponed until a day or two later/Following this precedent, Anniversary Day weather has very frequently left much to be desired from the holiday- point of view. The experi&ice of the last couple of days might lead ont to think that history is going to repeat itself tomorrow, but the official weather forecasters are more optimistic and, although they are not rash enough to make a definite promise, they hold out. hopes for an improvement by tomorrow.

j The first Anniversary Day celebrations were not without humour. The 2500 or so souls who then made up the nucleus of the future capital city were not altogether a united family: in fact, there was a distinct line of demarcation. There was a "select" and a I "popular" party, and the twain were unable to agree as to how January 22, 1841, was to be most fittingly cele-1 brated. So they agreed to differ. On I the right date the "select" party of the infant settlement held a grand ball, under cover and undeterred by the bad weather. The other section arranged it's own programme, the main feature of which was to be the regatta. This was to have included a sailing race as well as that for whaleboats, but a mishap to one of the two competitors resulted in this item being cut out. Owing to the weather, the regatta had to be postponed, but when it was held eventually the "selects"-en-joyed it just as much 'as the "populars" had enjoyed the ball given by them. TRENTHAM THE MECCA. Tomorrow, Wellington's 101 st Anniversary Day, will not see, as in 1841, practically the whole population turning out on the waterfront to watch the regatta. A goodly proportion of the 120,00b persons now comprising the capital city's population, and a fair number of the 320,000 comprising the province's population, will be watching races of another kind, races in which the favourite (sometimes) flashes past the judge's box amid a storm of cheers, or is left hopelessly becalmed in the rear of the. iield amid the groans of disappointed punters. It will be the third, and probably the most popular, day , of the Wellington Racing Club's Summer Meeting, and Trentham will be the Mecca of Turf-followers and optimists. There will be races, too, at Ashhurst. Cricket, tennis, bowls, golf, and other summer sports will be in full swing; the marine excursion to the Maryborough Sounds will,- as is usual, be patronised by .hundreds prepared to brave the perils of the Straits; every beach, bay, and popular picnic spot within reach of the restrigted petrol allowances will be crowded. Wet or fine, one may be sure that the seating capacity of the city's numerous picture theatres will be inadequate for the number seeking that kind of entertainment. And, of course, there will be a few unfortunates fated to work all through tomorrow's holiday, in ord«r that others may enjoy themselves or be provided with' the amenities of life. WHEN THE MAORI FEASTED. Anniversary Day, 1841, and Anniversary Day, 1941, may show very marked differences in the outward form of observance, but the spirit underlying the celebrations is the same. In spite of the variety of modern forms of entertainment, however, it is a moot point whether celebrants of tomorrow's Anniversary Day will really enjoy themselves any more than did the celebrants of the first Anni\ versary Day in 1841. Certainly what' is left of the Native population will not. In 1841 the whole Maori population, and they were numerous, were feasted royally at the white community's expense. Of course there was a motive in this, for it was highly essential to the young and relatively defenceless community that they should keep on the very best of terms with the Natives. Tomorrow pakeha and Maori will eat, drink, and be merry without distinction of race. But the memory of tomorrow's feastings and libations is not likely to last nearly as long as the Maoris' memory of the 1841 Anniversary Day celebrations for history has it that the quantity of kai consumed on that day was something prodigious.