£8324 RAISED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21671, 24 March 1945, Page 4

£8324 RAISED

PATRIOTIC APPEAL NAVY QUEEN WINS CORONATION - CEREMONY In the five weeks' patriotic queen carnival which ended last night Gisborne raised £3324, which was ,21901) short of the objective of £10,230. The position ol' the queen candidates at the close of tiie campaign was: Navy first, Army second, and Air Force third, the amounts raised toy each being £3428 IGs lOd. £2BIO 14s, and £2078 9s Bd.

With appropriate pomp and traditional ceremony, Miss June Dods was crowned queen of the carnival before a capacity audience in the Opera House last night. Loud and sustained applause greeted the announcement that the Navy has won the coveted honour, the enthusiasm of the large crowd present remaining unabated until the end of the ceremony.

A procession across the floor of the theatre preceded the actual coronation, the suites of the two unsuccessful candidates, Miss Jan Williams and Miss Meg Armstrong, leading that of the queen. Not a detail was lacking in the colourful court scene upon which the curtain rose soon after.

Striking- Stage Scene

The spectacle was one of rich and magnificent colour with the queen surrounded by her attendants and seated on the throne and the princesses nearer the footlights on either side of her. Nothing less than such a wealth of colourful robes and the dignified bearing of all taking part could have combined to produce the impressive effect of true pageantry. The proclamation by the lord high chancellor was followed by the administration of the oath and promises, the investiture of the sceptre and the sword, and the crowning, all performed toy the lord chamberlain. After the presentation of the sword by the lord high chancellor,,the queen delivered her speech from the throne. She extended greetings to her subjects and thanked them for their loyalty and co-operation, at the same time acknowledging the services and faithfulness of her retainers. The princesses were presented by the earl marshal, who thereafter bestowed the coronation honours. The latter were made effective occasions for a variety of humorous sallies and references, the audience, however, seeing nothing out of harmony with the occasion in allusions to the frontgate delivery of milk, the town’s water supply, or some of its better known amenities.

Formally announcing the result, the chairman of the zone committee, Mr. W. D. Morley, said that the town had fallen short of its goal by some £I9OO. an amount which would have to be raised in the course of the next few weeks. Hesitating to mention specific names, he expressed grateful thanks to the hundreds who had helped during the campaign, working long hours and sparing no effort to ensure the success of the campaign. He was confident, he added, that the deficit would be made up within the next few weeks. The Participants i Participants in the coronation ceremony were:—Air Force: Flower girls, Janice Angell and Judith Fenwick: page, Hamish Bain; ladies in waiting. Mrs. Joy Davidson, Misses Alma Goldsmith, Pat White, Isabel Rigney. Joan Carnegie and Jewel Greig. Army: Flower girls, Caroline Nolan and Pamela Hill; page, Richard Wauchop; ladies in waiting, Mrs. J. Roberts, Mrs. M. Kaua, Misses Elizabeth Nolan, Peggy Pitt, Phyllis Tier and Noeline Butcher. Navy: Flower girls, Prudence Field and Wendy Williams; page, Peter Williams; ladies in waiting, Misses Suzanne Field. Alison Muir, Audrey Tuke. Margaret Ross, Jocelyn Falkner and Diana Humphreys. Royal Duchesses, Peeresses of the realm: Mrs. Norma Kohn. Mrs. Jocelyn Bull, Misses June Irvine, Judith Muir, June Ball, Nancy Law, Joyce Barwick, Ray Miller, June Morley, Shirley Arthur, Alison Burnard, Prudence and Jocelyn Gregory, and Juliet Sherratt. Mistress of the robes. Miss Florence McKenzie-Smart; the lord chamberlain, Mr. H. C. Gregory; the lord high chancellor, Mr. K. A. Woodward: sceptre and orb bearer, Miss Dawn Ingram; crown bearer, Miss Dora McAneney; scroll bearer, Miss Jean Parkes; sword bearer, Miss Kathleen Newcombe; bearer of the royal orders, Miss Daphne Hogge.

Tire following were the recipients of honours: Messrs. A. H. Berwick, C. Broome, Rees Allan, M. W. Howe, I. J. Quigley and I. D. Bramwell; Mesdames H. S. M'cLernon, N. V. Crarer and D. Owtram.

Music was supplied by the Cosmopolitan Club Orchestra and the following artists contributed to a concert programme: Tairawhiti Kiwi Club. Mr. Norman Lee, the “Basheminsky Ballet,’’ Mrs. H. H. Dods, song, accompanied on the ’cello by Mr. H. O. McFarlane and at the piano by Mrs. T. W. Lighton, Misses Prudence and Jocelyn Gregory and Mr. H. C. Gregory, Miss Annette Shields. “Micky Finn and Shorty,” Mr. R. M. Sloan, Miss Betty Algie, and dancing pupils of Miss Elva Mahoney. The producer was Mrs. IT. C. Gregory, Mrs. P. Hockley was wardrobe mistress, Mr. F. Mcßreen stage manager, and Mr. J.' Crawford-Smith house manager. Make-up was under the supervision of Miss C. Oman. Mr. J. Little was the technician, and Mr. J. Livingston and staff were responsible for the stage settings. Mr. S. C. Wills and staff acted as ushers.