GIFTS FOR ORPHANS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20131, 17 December 1928, Page 13

GIFTS FOR ORPHANS.

FATHER CHRISTMAS BUSY.

SHOP ASSISTANTS' ACTION.

£BOO RAISED DURING YEAR. The immense self-imposed task of distributing Christmas toys to the orphan children of Auckland, who number about 850, was commenced on Saturday by 40 representatives of the city shop assistants. The distribution will occupy four more evenings this week before it is completed. The purchase of toys involved an expenditure of £4OO out of the £BOO which represents the net proceeds of the charity dances organiaed by the shop assistants during the past nine months. The remaining £4OO has already been divided between various deserving charities in the Auckland district.

Each orphanage is visited by a party of shop assistants headed by Santa Claus, arrayed ir the red robes and flowing white beard of the fairy books, and the distribution of toys is accompanied by a prodigious amount of head-patting, fondling and paternal advice. The presence with Father Christmas on Saturday of Mrs. Christmas, looking a charming picture in white curls and a crimson costume, was unexpected to children schooled in folk lore, but her motherly ways and engaging smile quickly broke down all barriers of reserve. The news of the marriage of Father Christmas in the Polar regions ia now being widely noised abroad.' Children Choose Their Gifts.

The smooth, unhindered way in which the first day's distribution wa3 carried out on Saturday is very largely due to the enthusiasm and unflagging energy of Miss L. Purcell, honorary secretary of the Shop Assistants' Christmas Gift • Fund Committea, who undertook the unenviable task of visiting every orphanage in the city and outer suburban area to offer a choice of gifts to each orphan. la this way she took note of the individual wishes of 850 children, who were thus enabled to receive the toys they fancied most. Beautiful sleeping dolls, meccano sets, boxes of tools, clockwork motor-cars, fire engines and motor-boats, footballs, watches, boxes of stationery and manicure sets were given, according to the choice of the recipients, whose manifestations of delight gladdened the hearts of the onlookers and rewarded their generous efforts. No young faces beamed more brightly than those of four tiny orphan sisters at the Leslie Presbyterian Orphanage at Meadowbank, Remuera. Shyly they held hands for protection as Father Christmas approached to interview them, their awed faces melting into smiles a few moments later when the presents were opened. They even managed a nervous "Thank you, sir!" before the benevolent old gentleman moved on to bestow his insatiable generosity elsewhere. One little girl, aged five, greeted the appearance of her doll with a cry of "Rosemary!" a name she had chosen for it weeks in advance, and crooned the name softly to it in a corner of tho garden where the sunlight was best reflected in the doll's blue eyes. Efforts of Three Boys. At Royal Oak the good Samaritans were joined by Masters Walter and Marcus Turley, whose joint efforts in canvassing the district augmented the Christmas Gift Fund by £5 3s 6d. During the last four years these boys, together with a smaller brother, have collected £35 for this cause. The boys of the Presbyterian Home in Moun> Smart Road staged a royal wel come to the party. Before the distribu tion of presents under the trees in tho garden they sang choruses for the visitors and a sextet of "nigger boys," with blackened faces, harmonised several plantation songs. At the Buckland Road Methodist Home an even more joyous wel come awaited the visitors, Santa Claus being greeted with a shower of coloured streamers.

This evening the shop assistants will visit the two orphanages at Takapuna. to-morrow evening they will go to St. Mary's Homes and the Convent at Otahuhu, and St. Mary's at Howick, while on Wednesday the Karitane Hospital, the Methodist Epworth and Wesley Homes, the Anglican Children's Home in Richmond Road and the Salvation Army Orphanage in Clifton Road, Ponsonbv, will be visited. Next Saturday a visit will be paid to the Manurewa Children's Home and the Anglican Orphan Home at Papatoetoe. ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREAT. CONCERT AT THE INFIRMARY. What must constitute a record was established on Saturday when Mrs. Lonsdale Pritt, of Remuera, organised the 32nd successive annual Christmas tea for inmates of the Auckland Infirmary. Mrs. Pritt's benevolent action is looked forward to with the keenest delight by the aged people. "The boys and girls of the old brigade," as Archbishop Averill, who was present, happily called them, assembled in the spacious dining and concert hall and enjoyed their tea to the accompaniment of songs, piano items and recitations provided by a concert party- organised by Mrs. Tolhurst. After tea Mrs. Pritt's assistants distributed bags of sweets given by Mrs. Alfred Nathan. Mr. Robert Foster, one of the patients, thanked Mrs. Pritt and the party for their kindness. Extending good wishes to the patients on behalf of the visitors Archbishop Averill said they all hoped that they would live to enjoy a good many more teas. Referring to the serious illness of the King, Archbishop Averill said there were none who wished for his recovery more than they. (Applause.) His Majesty's work for the Empire and the great burden he had shouldered, more especially during the war years, were referred to and Archbishop Averill said they all prayed he would be spared to carry on his good work. , . The conceit programme comprised piano duets by Mrs. M. Wilcox and Mr. D. W. Christie, recitations by Mrs. R. Stratton, and Ronga by Misses Winifred Averill and M. Atkinson and Messrs. Karl Atkinson and J. Watson Cumming.

OUTING FOR ORPHANS. DRIVE ROUND SUBURBS. A number of orphans from the Richmond Road Home were taken for an outing by members of the Sports MotorCycle Club on Saturday afternoon. The party met. at the City Mission in Albert Street at two o'clock and proceeded to the home, where 27 children were taken in a number of motor-cars and cycles with sidfiCsrSt The party first drove to Kohimarama, where a stop was made, the children being given a run on the beach. Ice cream was provided and then the children were driven across to St. Heliers. The drive was continued back toward the city, the partv branching off the main road across through Mount Wellington to Panmure. The return to the home wan made through Ellerslie. The children were out for over two hours and had a most enjoyable'excursion. .