MEMORIES OF OTHER DAYS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 122, 21 May 1909, Page 7

MEMORIES OF OTHER DAYS.

SOME REMINISCENCES

One of Wellington's most venerable citizens, Mr Janies M'Dowell, writing ,to the editor of The Post in reference to the death of Mr D. M. Luckie, gives sonic memories, of the picturesque life on the West Coast of the South Island, and in Nelson in the' sixties. He mentions that the death of Mr Luckie leaves only two suvivors (the writer and Mr Greenfield, S.M.) of the Nelson Provincial Council of the middle sixties. "How often," he says, describing his friendship with Mr Luckie,'"we have talked over many things with whicliN we were familiar. On my part I related tales of the early goldfields and of the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Nelson where we as councillors figlired on the Reception Committee, and to the Duke of Edinburgh's ball at the Provincial Buildings where the two. dukes were so gracious to the ladies of Nelson."

"Mr Luckie," continues the chronicler,, "was elected to represent Nelson. Mr James M'Dowell to represent Westport, and Mr Robert Caldwell Reid to represent the mining district adjoining. Mr Reid owned the Westport Times, and later the West Coast Times, Hokitika, and before his decease the New Zealand News.. . . / '■'■■ - "It will please many who know nothing of the strenuous life and pleasures of those days of yore," concludes Mr M'Dowell, "to relate the great dpen-air levee held by Sir George Grey, the then Governor, in Tainui Street, at the Maw her a Quay end, in 1865. At that early date of a one-year-old town there were no Town Halls or. public' bodies except the Hospital Trustees, who had to perform all public functions. The writer was one of that body. It was decided that all those presented to the Governor must wear coats on presentation, and at the banquet to his Excellency also. At that period the full holiday dress of the digger was knee-boots or watertights, Bedford cord trousers, a thick cloth jumper, a Spanish sash at 255, a plush hat at 20s. Coats were not worn with that costume. Mr W. H. Revell, S.M., and Count Hoppoli, the hospital doctor, and the Hospital Trustees were everything by turns; Two sides were formed—the Governor, Mr Revell, and Mr Gilbert King (bank manager) at the top,., the rest? of the trustees at both sides, Mr Kissling (bank manager) and the writer at the bottom, as "aides" or runnersup. Mr Revell and the writer were tall men, over six feet, the two bank managers rather short men and very slight. The coat difficulty was got over by each of us lending a coat for universal presentation use. There were no cards, so the name was told to us. Vv re sang out and passed the debutant along with all despatch, Mr Revell and Mr King presented him, and he had •to hurry back with the coat for the next comer. Expedition was everything, and so frequently tlie two tall men's coats got on the five.foot men, and the the two thin, slight bankers' coats at times were forced on fine' stalwart diggers fit for the Life Guards, to the intense amusement of the admiring crowd. The dais on which Sir George Grey stood was a flat box ofv long rubber American/boots."