OTOROHANGA NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1895, 1 December 1923, Page 6

OTOROHANGA NEWS.

(Our Special Correspondent.) REV. J. D. McFARLANE. The many friends of the Rev. J. D. McFarlane will be pleased to know that he is now a fully ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church, and will be in charge of this parish for an indefinite period. EXPRESS TR AINS. The local Chamber of Commerce has been advised by the traffic manager of the N.Z.R. that the WellingtonAuckland expresses will stop at this station during the coming holiday period. ATHLETIC SPORTS. The Mangarongo Athletic Sports Club will hold their annual sports meeting at Mangarongo on the 25th December. For the principal events, which will be advertised shortly, the sum of £BS will be allocated, whilst there will be numerous smaller prizes offered for boys’ and girls’ events, on. the ground. METHODIST CHURCH. The above new building is now completely finished inside and out, and the work reflects credit upon the buildr er, Mr Richard Bell. The church occupies a commanding position on the corner of Turongo Street, and will be formally opened on Sunday morning, when the Rev. Dennis will officiate at the services in the morning and evening. SOCIAL. A dance will be held in the Municipal Hall on Monday evening, 3rd December, with the object of raising funds for further improvements to the new domain grounds, which it is proposed to use for forthcoming sports meetings this season if the grounds can be prepared in time. PERSONAL. Mr William Cassey, who lias recently retired from the railway department, has removed from Wellington to this town, where he has bought a house property with the intention of permanently residing here. Miss Cassey will also take up her residence with her brother here. Miss Ada McCready has departed for Wellington, where she proposes spending an extended holiday with friends. Miss A. Henderson, who has been staying with her brother, Mr Wm. Henderson, for some time has returned to her Onehunga home. WEATHER CONDITIONS. The weather has been extremely warm and sultry during the past few days. Prior to this, the temperature has been very favourable to the farming community, varying from 86 in the shade down to almost freezing point. On Thursday the temperature showed 76 degrees of heat in the shade. Rain lias fallen on nine days during November, the gross fall (to date) being 2.44 inches. OBITUARY. The many friends here of the late Mrs Catherine McPhee will regret to hear of her death, which occurred at Stratford on Saturday evening, at the ripe age of 84 years. The deceased was lovingly known as “Granny” by her numerous friends, to whom she had become endeared by her kindly and sympathetic nature. Born in Ireland, she came to the Dominion when a child, and lived a great part of her long life in the backwoods of Taranaki, inland from Stratford, where she was engaged with her husband in bush pioneering activities, and suffered the usual hardships and isolation of those who blaze the trail in the hinterlands. She is survived by a grown-up family of seven, 50 grandchildren, and 1 nine great-grandchildren. Mr Frank McPhee and Mr A. S. McPhee, of this district, are two of her sons. The funeral took place at Stratford on Sunday, when several Otorolianga residents were present at the last obsequies to the deceased lady.