HAWERA CITIZENS' BAND.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 23 May 1923, Page 8

HAWERA CITIZENS' BAND.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the above . was held in the bandroom, Albion . \ street, on Monday night. There were' < present some 20 members, Mr. W. Ccok t J acting as chairman. j 1 The balance-sheet presented by the ( treasurer (Mr. J. G. Osborne) and the , annual report read by the secretary ' (Mr. B. Jrlenson) were unanimousiy ( \ adopted. The secretary's report was as follows: In submitting this report for the past year the committee would like to state that on the whole we have had . a fairly successful year financially. As j the books will show, a. few months ago we were rather heavily in debt, while now we have been successful in ful- j filling most of our obligations. In this connection our sincere thanks are due J to Mrs. Foster, who has twice given us ' her valuable time and talents in run- ' ning euchre parties solely for our benefit the revenue derived from which came at a time when it was somewhat urgently needed. We recommend that th© band should apply their energies to putting on these euchre parties at suitable intervals,' for not only are they greatly appreciated by the public, but also they are a reliable source of income. While we have lost^many of our players during the year, it is gratifying to nota that those remaining are endeavouring to their fullest extent to fill the gaps in the ranks, both by additional application to practice and by ! introducing new members or prospec- ' tive members. We are pleased to say j that Mr. Gould has under his capable , instruction six learners, who seem to be progressing well on the various instru- ' ments provided for them. It is unfortunate for us that our town has not been a little busier during the last twelve months, as we have had numer- i ous enquiries from players in different centres asking whether there were ajiy prospects of work here at their various trades. Howevei\ as the unemployment was as pronounced here as in most other towns, we could give them no satisfaction in that direction. It is in tbi=; connection also that we have lost some of our members, who have had to seek employment elsewhere. As the bandsmen are doubtless aware, there are a few persons in the vicinity who seize every opportunity to adversely critHse the band. Like all other organisations we have faults and imperfections, but we think it would be more to the credit of our clitics did they come forward and give us a helping hand instead of standing off and pointing the finger of scorn at the band. The band entered for the New Plymouth contest, but on account of the shortage of players the scheme had to be dropped. It was unfortunate I that this was so, the contest being so easily'within reach and there being so few bands competing. The result of the Stratford quickstep contest is still fresh in our memories. However, though we met our Waterloo, we did not lose anything by it, fares being paid by the Mardi Gras Committee, while the practice we put in prior to going to Stratford cannot have done other than have stood us in good stead. During the year the band have rendered eight concerts in the Park, and have played on each occasion for the races, A. and P. Show, and at tho skating rink; also on one occasion at the Waingongoro beach. In addition we have assisted the Plunket Society and the Boy Scouts, while we have played at the Anzac memorial service and twice at the Public Hospital. On the latter occasion a collection was taken up to provide Christmas comforts for the inmates of the hospital. On the night of Sunday, August 27, the band, assisted by Mrs. H ; L. McGregor, gave a conceit in the Opera House. A collection in aid of the Unemployed Fund resulted in some £35 being gathered. We ha,ve, therefore, done our duty in helping many worthy causes as far as it was in our power to do so. It' is pleasing to note that we now have a permanent home of our own. The shifting of the ■offices given to us by the .borough Council entailed a cost of some £50, the bulk of which was raised by a subscription list. We have here to proffer bur hearty thanks to those publicspirited ladies and gentlemen who came forward with monetary assistance, also to Mr. H. L. Spratt for his donation of the electric light fittings. Although our practice room may not look a very imposing structure to the casual passeruy, it serves our purpose very well; and we think that a coat of paint, as soon as funds will permit, would greatly enhance its beauty. During the year we have been singularly free; from bickerings, which *by nature usually exist in a group of men. True, there have been differences of opinion in many instances, but members after stating their views have always been willing to accept the majority rule. In this way we have always worked together, if not played, in perfect harmony. The election of officers was then proceeded with with the following result: Patron, Mr. L. A. Bone; president, Mr. J. R. Corrigan, M.P.; vicepresidents, Messrs. E. Dixon, Muschamp. H. H. Clement, P. ODea, R T. Bullock, H. L. Spratt, and W." Ju.'.y; conductor, Mr. E. H. Gouldsergeant, Mr. F. Arnittj bandmaster' Mr. J. J. Hulbert; secretary, Mr. B. Henson; treasurer, Mr. J. G. Osborne: librarian and custodian, Mr. J Kay assisted by Messrs. C. Martin and G-unn; drum-major, Mr. C. S. Mahoney ; general committee, Messrs. Croucher, Cook, Frank, Swan, and Foster. The conductor (Mr. Gould) then briefly addressed the meeting, saying that he would have likedi to see more present. However, with conditions such as there had been many had had to leave in order to find work, although for the same reason we had gained two members. He urged greater punctuality on the members, and hoped that they would settle down to practice to enable them to attend the Palmerston North contest. Matters pertaining to the welfare of the band, the bandroom, and finance were discussed at length, several recommendations being made to the incoming committee. Several new members of the band were also elected. After a hearty vote of thanks being passed to office-holders for the past year the meeting terminatedl