Warwick Braithwaite in Home Town After 30 Years' Absence

Evening Star, Issue 26155, 17 July 1947, Page 6

Warwick Braithwaite in Home Town After 30 Years' Absence

A long-awaited pleasure, nurtured for a number of years, was realised by the eminent orchestral conductor, Mr Warwick Braithwaite, when he stepped out of a National Airways aircraft at the Taieri airport this afternoon. . Ever since he 1 - left his native land 30 years ago, he has confessed, he has had a desire to return, at least on a visit, and naturally the i ; principal centre of interest was Dunedin, where he spent his boyhood, and learned the first of the music out ,of which, he has built his highly successful career. .

A few weeks ago Mr Braithwaite wrote to the ‘ Star ’ from Australia that “it won’t be long now.” Much has happeued, however, in the succeeding weeks. After crossing the Tasman he spent some time in Rotorua, recuperating from tho strenuous and successful tour of the Australian State capitals, where he conducted the various symphony . orchestras. In New Zealand he has already spent some weeks with the newly-established National Orchestra, which he conducted in' concerts at Auckland and Wellington, and he has already conceived a high opinion of the capabilities of the players, individually and as a body To-day, as he arrived in Dunedin, lie was able to say: “At long last I’m back.” - A FULL ROUND. But all these activities fade in comparison with the full round planned for Mr Braithwaite in Dunedin. Mr Braithwaite was met by the Mayor, Mr D. C. Cameron, the president of the Dunedin Development Council, Mr M. S. Myers, broadcasting officials, and by his eldest brother, Mr Percy Braithfarnily at the airport. He immediately began a series of reunions that will not end with his .family, as he is still remembered by those friends of his boyhood who are still living in D.unedin. They recall, for instance, that in spite of his keenness for music the young Warwick was also fond of outdoor sports, and a member of the ‘ Star ’ staff remembers that they were both members of a school Soccer team and won medals together in a.match which they regarded as very important more than 30 years ago.

newing old friendships. Rehearsals for his concerts will take. a good deal of time, but they will still leave free hours to spend, with his family and to see what remains after these years of the things that fascinated him as a boy—the cable cars, for instance, for which Dunedin remains somewhat unique. 1 He wants to ride up the old route and leap off, as he used to do, before the car stopped—a feat which can generally be accomplished successfully only with regular practice. This ambition has already attracted some interest, and some of his boyhood cronies want to make the trip with him, and a long-retired gripman has a desire to pilot the car. Coming from a large family, Warwick Braithwaite has many relations in and near this city, and it is planned that there should be a family reunion at which there may be more than a score of close relations present. EXTENSIVE AIR TRAVEL. In the last few months he feels he has spent much of this time-in airhaving already travelled more than .20,000 miles by air on the present tour. It is probably only air travel that has made the trip to Australia and New Zealand possible, because his engagements in the .United Kingdom demand a return in time for the British concert season. He will spend a fortnight, in Dunedin on this visit, during which he will, conduct two concerts with the Rational Orchestra, and after giving concerts in Christchurch he will return with the orchestra to rehearse and conduct the Dunedin Choral Society’s presentation of Mendelssohn’s 1 Elijah ’ on August 27. . , , Mr Braithwaite will be accorded a civic reception to-morrow morning at 11 o’clock. ' .

Still on the right side of 50, Warwick Braithwaite is ' brimming with vitality and anxious to cram into the next fortnight as much as he possibly can in seeing the changes that have occurred in his native city and in re-