GOLDEN WEDDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19390, 27 July 1926, Page 10

GOLDEN WEDDING.

HON. E. W. AND MRS. ALISON. ANNIVERSARY GATHERING. NOTABLE TRIBUTES PAID. Masses ,of beautiful golden yellow flowers decorated Lorhaber, Takapuna, yesterday afternoon, when the Hon. E. W. Alison and Mrs. Alison celebrated their golden wedding. Guests to the number of 500 assembled to wish their host and hostess the very best of good wishes and a long continuation of the good health and happiness with which they have been blessed. Floral tributes in most cases accompanied the kind thoughts, and Mrs. Alison was showered with bouquets, yellow daffodils and violets being perhaps the most general choice.

On arrival the guests were received by Mr. and Mrs. Alison on the wido verandah, and they then passed indoors to view the beautiful array of presents, which included gifts from relatives and friends near and far.

Tea in the marquee was a very bright and happy gathering. The toast of "The King" was followed by other toasts with musical honours. In proposing the health of Mr. and Mrs. Alison, Mr. A. Harris, M.P. for Waitemata, paid a high tribute to the sterling qualities of the host and hostess. They were married in St. Andrew's Church, Epsom, 50 years ago, and together had weathered life's storms and shared its enjoyments, and to-dav were honoured and revered by thousands of friends. In the development and progress of the' North Shore from the earliest days Mr. Alison had shown the greatest interest, and to him the residents were deeply indebted for his active participation in all that pertained to its welfare. In the world of sport Mr. Alison was equally well known and esteemed. Mrs. Alison was a woman of infinite generosity, a courageous helpmate and a powerful inspiration. Mr. Harris read a letter from the Sisters of Mercy of the Ponsonby Convent, the Takapuna Convent, the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, in which esteem and high appreciation of Mr. and Mrs. Alison were expressed. The letter was accompanied by a gift of a Royal Worcester tea-service.

Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., also spoke in the highest terms of the fine qualities of Mr. and Mrs. Alison, and expressed to them the golden wishes of those present. Mr. Ewen Alison, the eldest son, presented his father and mother with a golden album containing photographs of them at the date of their wedding and others taken recently. The youngest grandchild, Wendy Alison, presented Mr. and Mrs. Alison with a scroll embossed in gold, bearing the names of all the grandchildren.

In thanking everybody for their very good wishes Mr. Alison expressed great pleasure in being surrounded by so many friends. All through life they had meant much to him, and for their high esteem he was deeply grateful To his wife, a loyal comrade, a woman of fine qualities and high courage, he paid the highest tribute as a worthy feelp-jnate and. sterling friend. ' Such she had been all through life. ' He* was particularly pleased, he said, to have with- him that day such old friends as Sir Henry and Lady Brett and Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, who had both celebrated their diamond weddings, and Mrs, McDwraith and Mrs. Hill, who had been present at his own wedding.

DEVONPORT FERRY GIPTS. FINE GREENSTONE INKSTAND. Mr. Alison's long association with the Devonport Steam Ferry Company was recalled at a gathering in the morning, when presentations were made on behalf of t.he directors and staff. On behalf of the. directors, Mr. W. D. Holgate presented Mr. and Mrs. Alison with a silver, tea and coffee service, while the gift from the staff, presented by the secretary, Mr. F. Mortimer, consisted of a handsome greenstone inkstand with a gold pen. The inkstand, a beautiful piece of work by Mr. W. H. Worrail, has unique associations. The base is made from the last piece of the largest slab of greenstone ever cut in New Zealand. Pieces of tha stone have been used in making presentations to three Prime Ministers', 3Sdtr. Bed-* don, Mr. Massey and Mr, Coates, as well as the Postmaster-General, the Hon. W. Nosworthy. On one side of the stand is a gold model of the old paddle ferry steamer Takapuna, which was in service when Mr. Alison was married, and on the other side is a model of the Toroa, the latest addition to the company's fleet. A suitably inscribed gold plate is placed beneath the centre well.

RECOGNITION OP SERVICES. A MEMORIAL CONTEMPLATED. A committee of North Shore residents has been formed with the object of considering ways and means of erecting a permanent memorial near the Devonport waterfront to perpetuate Mr. Alison's public services. Mr. T. Lamont, Mayor of Devonport, is chairman, and members include the mayors of the other boroughs and representatives of other public and semi-public bodies.