Mayoral Marriage Celebrated in Wanganui

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 63, 16 March 1938, Page 15

Mayoral Marriage Celebrated in Wanganui

MB. E. B. G. GILMOUE, NEW PLYMOUTH BRIDE FROM PERTH, AUSTRALIA Mr. E. R. G. Gilmour, Mayor of New Plymouth, was quietly married at St. Mary's Church, Wanganui, on Saturday morning, by the Rev. Father C. J. Outtrim, to Miss Violet Birch, of Coolup, Perth, Western Australia. The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon R. Birch. Her father is a grazier with large holdings devoted to sheep and beef cattle, and Mrs. Gilmour herself is interested in the industry, having land of her own which ,is framed in conjunction with Per father's property. Coolup is a town of about the size of Hawera, and is the centre of a rich farming district about 60 miles from Perth. Social work, particularly with the St. John Ambulance and the Red Cross,. has played a big part in Mrs. Gilmour's life. For her Red Cross work during the war she was awarded a special certificate. As part of her duties with the Order of St. John she has worked in hospital, one of the features of the Order's work in Western Australia. Widely-travelled Woman. She is a widely : travelled woman,, and apart from her several visits to New Zealand knows all of Australia intimately. She has paid visits to most portions of the East Indies and to a number of Pacific Islands. Among the most interesting of her excursions have been trips into the interior of Australia. Like her husband, Mrs. Gilmour is fond of dancing, and she shares his love of flowers. One of her first actions while in Wanganui was to pick a large bunch of flowers and send them up to the public hospital. As would be expected of a woman who spent her childhood on a large Australian run, she is an accomplished horsewoman, though of recent years she has done little riding. She is fond of the outdoors and golf is among her recreations. She is not without talent as a painter, which is ono of her principal hobbies.

Mrs. Gilmour met the Mayor when she was visiting New Plymouth a few years ago. She visited New Zealand again last year, and on her arrival by the Awatea last Monday she was met by Mr. Gilmour and arrangements were completed for their quiet wedding at Wanganui, where she spent the few days after her arrival.