THE POLLARDS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 228, 26 September 1907, Page 5

THE POLLARDS.

GENESIS OF THE LILLIPUTIANS

A REMARKABLE FAMILY

About.twenty-eight years ago there was residing in Launceston, the northern port of Tasmania, a family numbering twenty-eight- children, mostly girls. Their father had an uncle, who had been home to the Old Country for a trip, and had seen, amongst other attractions of London and th© Continent, how men made money by training juveniles to dance and sing and act in the theatres. One day the great uncle of all the children—mostly girls—said to his son: "See here, what are you going to do with ail those girls ? Why don t you train them for the stage? Mr Pollard the younger thought over it once again, but this time daylight came; and he set to work teaching his olive branches music. They were all tuneful, and took to singing like skylarks. But there was no half training about it. They had to pass a test, each and every one. That was the genesis of the Lilliputians. Years have passed, and many times the company that made such a " hit" at that time throughout Australia has been re-formed. This last time— which is the sixth resuscitation—the juveniles have mostly come out of the Sydney and Melbourne dancing schools^ having been selected for their voices and general suitability. Only eight of them are New Zealanders. Two of the orchestra played throughout the recent Exhibition with the splendid orchestra that Mr Hill conducted there. These are the violinist and the drummer. The old Pollards of Lilliputian fame are now settled in all parts of the English-speaking world, many carrying on the profession of music teaching. Several are in India, several in Canada, United States, Australia, and England. Miss May Pollard was the last to give up the stage. The writer got the whole story from the late Mr Edwin Pollard, of Nelson, a brother of the paterfamilias who first trained the juveniles. Mr Edwin Pollard himself had three children, all' clever instrumental musicians. The writer made the suggestion, upon hearing the story about four years ago, that a book, in the form of reminiscent contributions from all the old stage favourites, edited perhaps by Mr Tom Pollard, would find a ready and by no means limited sale in the colonies. The suggestion has yet to be acted upon.