PERSONAL ITEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 April 1926, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mr P. Coyle, president of the Nw Zealand Licensed . Victuallers ’ Council?' will arrive in Hawera on Thursday evening to attend a conference of the retail trade for South Taranaki.

A private -cable message received at Gisborne from Sydney announces the death,, ms - a result of a railway accident, of Jtohn R.. DeOosta, a member of a well known Gisborne family, who had repi-esented an Australian, firm at Bombay few- fourteen yeans. He recently retired and took-up his iesidenco at Sydney.—P’resis Assn.

/Word has just,been received by the local secretary of the Trinity College Board (London) that the examiners for New Zealand will be Mr R. Chamberlain, Mus. Bae. (North Island) and Dr J. E. Borland, F.R.C.O. (South Island). Mr Chamberlain lias had a distinguished career in xhusie and is known as a composer, conductor, lecturer and recitalist.

Last night a number of friends of Mr Charles Ferguson invited him to an evening in the rooms behind the Golden Minim, and made a presentation of a handsome travelling trunk inscribed with his initials. Mr B. L. Joll presided. The presentation was made in a very happy speech .by Mr R. Linton, who, on behalf of Mr Ferguson’s many friends, expressed the heartiest good wishes of all for his future welfare and success. Mr Ferguson briefly replied, thanking all for their kindly thoughtfulness and reciprocated all their good wishes. His health was drunk with enthusiasm. Several other toasts were honoured and musical and elocutionary items wer'e given by members of the company. Writing to a friend in Hawera, Mr Walter Fennell gives a very interesting sketch of some of the- work in music he is doing in London. His letter is dated March 23, and lie tells of his selection to sing the best bass parts in “The Passion,” a work performed on Good, Friday. He says he has beeuV allotted one. of the leading parts itjjr a performance which was expected to be one of the biggest events of the year, for it would be the first time the great Passion work had been given in its entirety in London. There was to be a choir of over 200 and an orchestra of 100, and the whole performance was under the conductorsliip of Sir HenryWood. It would "be Mr Fennell’s first appearanee in Queen’s Hall, and he was naturally looking forward very keenly to the performance.