WAITOHI RIFLES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 189, 11 August 1908, Page 5

WAITOHI RIFLES.

4 On Friday evening at the Foresters' ; Hall the Waitohi Rifles held a most successful social reunion and smoke i concert. The tables were arranged in j the shape of a horseshoe, and the Pic- j ton Orchestra, under Conductor Bush, j i discoursed sweet music, during supper, j There-were present; as guests the j Deputy-Mayor and Councillors, anum- \ her or old Volunteers and leading citizens. Altogether there was an as-, | semblage of about a hundred people, j jMr Stanleigh-Warra, an accomplished; musician, was at the piano, and ai splendid musical programme was rendered. . ' ; ' \ Captain Robinson presided, and he i was supported by Lieut. T Colonel Joyce, \ | Surgeon-Captain Redman, Captain- j 1 Chaplain Smith, Lieuts. Lloyd, Me- j Intosh and Clinch, Sergt.-Major Ccl-; clough, and Councillors Philpotts, Rid- '. dell, Smith, Fredericks, Simmonds, ' and Town Clerk Blizzard. Apologies for absence were read from his Worship the Mayor (Mr Maitland), Capt. l Kenny, Capt. McKellar (s.s. Kaikoura), and Messrs , Chambers and Greensill. j After the usual loyal toasts had! been duly honored, v the compa-ny '■. settled "down to social intercourse in a hearty manner. i Surgeon-Captain; Redman' proposed "The, Army, Navy and Reserve : Forces:" He said- that although;.re-; f erred to in thFee separate terms they ! we^e-one great and glorious- wikAe t?p '= maintain the supremacy of the great British Empire" He referred in: eulogistic terms to the cadet move-! ment in' New Zealand. We were just j on the eve of the. visit of the Ameri- ! can Fleet to our shores. The Ameri- j cans should be treated as our brothers. { They had sprung from the same good I Old stock which peopled our colony, ! We should be proud to greet them al- ' ways as brothers. He hoped we should j never meet them* as enemies. (Ap- ' plausej). ...... .:•■-.■■■ Lieut.-Colonel Joyce, in an interesting speech, responded. He gave ah account of the. work of the Council of I Defence. It had already done inuch'f to bring our defence force up-to-date, j and it was prepared to do .more. ~ Ad-' dressing the Waitohi Rifles, he urged the non-commissioned officers and men to attend the week's course of training under the Staff Sergeant-Major, and learn ail they could' about the science of defence. "Back us up/ 3 he said, "and the Council of Defence will! back you up." He was glad they had ) such a capable officer as Captain Robinson to help them along. (Ap- ! plause). It was intended to send a ; Maxim gun to Marlborough shortly to give practice in field work. Each man should make it a personal matter to bring the company up to its maximum strength. He thanked the company for the opportunity of being present. Staff Sergt.-Major Golclough also responded. He hoped that he would soon know the Waitohis better, and that they would be good friends. Mr Seymour Fell, in his usual happy style, proposed "The Mayor and Councillors- of Picton.'' The ■■ toast was re- ; spondfed to by Councillors Philpotts, Riddell, Siminonds, . Smith. and Fredericks. "' Councillor Philpotts, who was at one time captain of the old. Picton Rangers, made a particularly telling speech. . He was there not as a i Councillor, but '..as-an old Volunteer, and to show his sympathy with the Volunteer movement. He recounted many witty anecdotes of the old days of volunteering, and his remarks were greeted ' with applause. Captain Robinson's health was proposed.by Lieut.-Colonel Joyce, who made eulogistic references to that officer, and said the Waitohis were fortunate to have him to command the Company. They must back his efforts up. Captain Robinson made an appropriate response, and expressed the hope that when they liext met the corps would be up to maximum strength. It was the duty of every man to qualify himself to defend his home.; The other toasts honored were • — "Trade and Commerce," Mr R. McArtney (Blenheim); Mr J. K. Jeffries. The Local Corps, Past and Present Members" MfT. W. Le Cocq; Lieut. Clinch, Sergts. Blizzard and Smith (past), Lieuts. Lloyd and Mclntosh (present). q "The Ladies," CaptainChaplam Smith; Corps. Lane, Batty Madsen and Mr G. Blizzard. "The Press," Mr G. J. Riddell: Mr H. C Madsen. ! All the speeches were witty, interesting and instructive, and were in- : terspersed with a choice programme of vocal and instrumental items, every one of which was encored. Songs were by Messrs Hutton, Riddell, Engall, Haughey, Philpotts; and^ I redencks Sergts. McCormick and Jennings. Messrs Riddell and Hutton gave an exceptionally fine rendering of the duet "Excelsior." .Color-Sergt. Parfitt, Sergts. Jennings, Godfrey, McCormick, and Corp .Lane deserve special mention for the splendid way they attended to the ws"£ s of tne guests of the evening The singing of the National Anthem cfise a TGry pleasant e^ning to a j ' ==