ARIA NEWS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4806, 5 July 1939, Page 2

ARIA NEWS

R.S.A. ANNUAL BALL. HIGHLIGHT OF DANCING SEASON. Once more the Aria R.S.A. annual ball proved to be the highlight of the dancing season at Aria. Other dances may have had bigger attendances, and the hall was filled on Wednesday night, but at none was there such a happy and enjoyable time spent by everyone. The floor had been specially prepared by a committee headed by Mr. C. S. Taylor, who later acted as M.C. in his usual style so satisfactory to all. Jack Hetet’s orchestra was at the top of its form from the start to the finish at 2 a.m., whilst the supper was exceptionally good. Monte Carlo waltzes were won by Major E. M. Mackersey and Mrs R. W. Moore, and by Mr. Jack Gray, president Aria R.S.A., and Mrs. J. B. Woods. At the supper interval Major Mackersey addressed the crowd and spoke of the urgent necessity for support of the defence schemes for New Zealand in whatever class men found themselves most suitable. It is hoped that before long Aria will have a platoon of its own, drilling and training in the district. To achieve this there must be a muster of 30 members. With all the young men in the district this should be an easy matter. The guests of honour of the R.S.A. at the ball were Major and Mrs. Mackersey, Staff-Sergt. and Mrs. Musgrave, six Territorials in uniform, the four local Territorials, D. Thomson, Roy Pritchard, Ewing Riddle and lan Riddle, and Mr. W. E. Cayley-Alexander, the founder of the Aria brandh R.S.A. « Messrs. J. N. Thomson and J. B. Woods were “at the receipt of custom,” whilst Messrs. Harry Davenport and E. Trice did great work as doorkeepers. The Association, as usual, is under a debt of gratitude to Mrs. E. C. Piercy and her helpers for taking charge of the refreshments and supper room, resulting in the splendid service for which her work has made Aria dances so favourably known.

FAREWELL PRESENTATION. PIONEER SETTLERS HONOURED. On Friday evening a really big crowd gathered at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. John O’Sullivan to say farewell to them and to Frank. The Kumara Road and the O’Sullivan house paddock were packed with parked cars, and the visitors overflowed from kitchen, sitting rooms and bedrooms to the gardens and verandahs. Your correspondent even found himself for a long time confined in the washhouse where he found it quite wet! The evening was spent in many amusing games in some of which the laugh was against the numerous bachelors ranging in age from Dick Stewart and Dougal McClymont downwards. After a lavish supper, Mr. Reeve-Smith, on behalf of settlers of Aria, Kaeaea, Rira, Pai’aheka and Oniao, presented Mr. O’Sullivan with a travelling rug and a case of pipes, Mrs. O’Sullivan with a large eiderdown, and Frank with a gold wristlet watch. In doing so he said that it was a task that had two distinct sides, the sadness of farewell being the greater of the two. He pointed out the value to New Zealand of the example of people like their hosts who had pioneered a district such as Aria, how they' had lived lives founded on the three Christian virtues of Faith in their God, Hope in the value of their efforts and Charity for their fellowmen. He concluded by saying that they had the great satisfaction of having undertaken a very hard job as pioneers and of sticking it out for 35 years, and now had the happy and contented mind that only., comes after putting one’s best into one’s work.

Mr. E. E. Bennett, one of the two original settlers of Aria district still with us, supported the former speaker and added numerous instances of the happy and amusing days of over 30 years ago. Both speakers offered the O’Sullivans the best wishes of the district, for their future happiness and prosperity, and good health. Mr. John O’Sullivan briefly and feelingly replied to the good wishes expressed to himself and his family and made it abundantly clear that leaving was a pretty big wrench to them all. Frank also spoke and said that even if he did not get many letters he trusted the local correspondents of the “King Country Chronicle” would do their jobs and write up local news so that he would be able to follow up the life of the district when he read his issues of that paper.

The organisation of the party was in the capable hands of Mr. and* Mrs. F. F. Adam and Mrs. Finnegan.