A POPULAR POSTMASTER.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 February 1909, Page 1

A POPULAR POSTMASTER.

I'IiKSK.VIATIOX TO MR ( WHELAN.

(Our Own Correspondent.)

t'n Saiurdav evening last at tin (Hailstone Hotel. Keeftoii, a largo number of friends assembled to bid faicwcll hi Mr Charles Whelan. pre ,1 Io his departu re for i Jure, and al.-o :.. present to .Mrs Wheian a lokt 11 of ihe esteem in w hich they had been held during their residence in Kivftoii. The Chair was occupied bv Mr Seam iebui v. Cotiutv Chairman, while Mr W. Henderson occupied the Vice Chair. '! iie Chairman in the c 'ii rse of his remarks referred to the satisfactory manner in which .\1 r Win Inn had fulfilled the ollic-:' of J'osi Master dur-

ing the previous oighl years, and staled it would be wauling on the part of the townspeople were titcy lo allow him lo depart from their midst without expressing their appreciation of his services, and briefly referred lo the many improvements that had tak<*i\ place t+riTitT" Mr Whelan's sojoiini notably the installation of the telephone. Hi- Chairniau also alluded lo the efforts of Mr Whelan to push lorward (lie mining interests of the District, also to the valuable assi.slance In- had always been willing !'<« render al the earioiis eoiieerls, etc. lb di-eplv legn Med his departure ami , eoigial'ilal'd him -m hi , | n» Hon. and le-p d thai b don loir.', they should In ar "I his being promoted i<> l.he posiiioii of Chief Host master, lie had very real pleasure in presenting him on behalf of Mrs Whelan with a purse- of sovereigns, and concluded by wishing them all a most prosperous future. (Applause.)

Messrs Thornton, Patterson, Stevenson, Dunphy, Henderson ,-tu.l )>i'\v also spoke of ihe esteem in which Mr Whelan and family were hehl. Mr Whelan, in replying, thanked ihc Chairman for the kindly remarks spoken, alsu un behalf of his wife for Ihe presentation. JL regretted loav-ti-.-j Keefton, where he had mad.' sucli a large, number of friends, bin he would always remember the time he had spent here and conclude)] by proposing ills' loasl "Prosperity to Reefi..n" coupling the nanus of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Mr 0. ,1. Blackmorc, who suitably responded after which "Auld Lang Syne" was sung with "real fervour. On Saturday the staff in Ihe Posl and Telegraph OHioc met and present -d their chief, Mr C. Whelan, who is leaving this morning 16 lake up his appointment al Gore, with a handsomely framed enlargement of the staff with whom ho has worked so harmoniously during his chieftainship here and expressing their rc-givt at his leaving, at the same lime wishing him every success in the place t,> which he is transferred. Mrs Whelan was also Ihe reeipinnl of a Salad Howl The presentations were made l,v Mr Walseleben on behalf of the oilicials. Mr Whelan. in thanking them said he should always look back with pleasure a< the happy days he and his fninilv had spent in lieefton and also Ihe "goodfellowship (hat had always existed between himself and those who were under him.