MONTECILLO MILITARY HOME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18733, 11 December 1922, Page 4

MONTECILLO MILITARY HOME

GARDEN FETE. A garden fete with the object of raising funds to assist the returned men who arc patients in the Red Cross Military Convalescent Home at. Montocillo was held on Saturday afternoon and was attended by a very large number of persons. The fete was held at the home, which, from a casual inspection, is well 'equipped for the treatment of .patients. The spacious grounds presented a well-kept mid pretty appearance. r fho chief means of accumulating funds was the sale of articles made by the inmates of the home, and these bore testimony to the diligence and skill of the men during their unhappily enforced incapacity for mo.'c vigorous worlc. The articles for sale were well and attractively arranged on stands apart from the home itself, and found many ready purchasers. From this point of view the sale was entirely successful, but altogether apart from the special object of the fete the afternoon was made, a very pleasant one for the visitors. Music was provided by the First Battalion Regimental Baud, whose services were available through the kindness of the officer commanding the district. The band played a number of selections under the direction of Mr T. R. George. W. 0., and helped very considerably to brighten the proceedings. Mitsio was also supplied by Mr Don's orchestra in the billiard room. So far as ti;o light refreshments were concerned, these nad been generously provided by many sympathisers from outside tho institution, and requirements were abundantly met in this direction. The patients benefited in a direct form by receiving some proportion of the prices obtained for the articles sokl. The weather kept fine for nearly the whole of the afternoon, though rain threatened on several occasions, and a few light short showers fell, but those were not suffic-jrnt to interfere with the success of the function or the pleasure of the visitors. Amongst (hbso present were the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr J. S. Douglas) and some members of the Patriotic' Association. On I lie previous afternoon a party of vaudeville artists, by the kind permission of Mr John Homer, manager for the Me>sr« Fuller, under the leadership of Mr f.e Roi, who acted as interpreter for the New Zealand Division at Gallipoli and in France, visited the home and gave an entertainment for llio benefit, of the patients which proved cjuitp enjoyablo. the performers later spending a pleasant time at afternoon tea with the men who are, for the time peing, suffering from the results of the war, '