PERSONAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23514, 31 May 1938, Page 12

PERSONAL

Ministerial The Prime Minister (Mr M. J. Savage) has accepted an invitation to open the National Dairy Show at Palmerston North on June 14 (states a Press Association message from Wellington). The show, will be held under the auspices of the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association. The Attorney-general (Mr H. R. Mason) will lay the foundation stone of the new courthouse in Invercargill to-day, and will open a new courthouse at Ashburton on Friday. He will return to Wellington on Sunday. Mr H. W. Piper, new business supervisor, A.M.P. Society, arrived from the north on Saturday, Mr J. J. W. Pollard, director of the South Island Travel Association, is at present visiting Dunedin. Mr Justice Kennedy will travel to Invercargill to-day to attend the ceremony of laying the foundation stonei of the new courthouse there. Mr Justice O’Regan and Messrs W. Cecil Prime and A. L. Monteith left yesterday for Invercargill to conduct sittings of the Arbitration Court. Dr A. R. Falconer and Mr Ben Ellis were elected life members of the South African War Veterans’ Association at the annual meeting of the Dunedin branch last night. Mr E. M. Hake, manager of the Grand Theatre, who is returning to Wellington, will leave by the express this morning. Mr F. Archer, manager of the Civic-British Theatre, Christchurch. has arrived in Dunedin to replace Mr Hake at the Grand Theatre. The Royal Dunedin Male Choir last evening presented its golden lyre to its secretary (Mr J. G. Butler “for signal service to the choir.” It was said by Mr T. S. Searle. who proposed the award, that Mr Butler joined the choir in August. 1911, and became secretary in 1922. His service was thoroughly worthy of the award. Other members paid tributes to Mr Butler’s service and enthusiasm, and the award was made with musical honours.

The Most Rev. Thomas O’Shea, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand, left Wellington by the Awatea on a visit to Sydney. He expects to return to Wellington on June 20.

The Union Airways liner Korimako left the Taieri airport at- 8.15 yesterday morning for Christchurch. Blenheim and Palmerston North, with Misses M. Ford and C. Lear, through passengers for Auckland. The southbound liner Karoro arrived at 2.50 p.m. from the north, with Mrs E. Bowler and Mrs T. Fergus from Christchurch. Reference was made in the report presented to the annual meeting last evening of the Royal Dunedin Male Choir to the retirement from the singing ranks of the choir of Mr Walter Ibbotson, the president of the choir and a golden lyre member, after 39 years’ singing in the choir. Mr Ibbotson was a foundation member who had given yeoman service. He, with Mr A. H. Norman, of Sydney, another sing-ing-foundation member, had had the distinction of being present at the 200th concert, 52 years after the commencement of the society which they had helped to establish. The only other foundation member alive was Dr T. A. Hunter, of Upper Hutt. Mr Ibb<ptson was last evening re-elected president of the society.

A very pleasing acknowledgment of the goodwill of Mr and Mrs Fraser and the staff of Fraser’s Bakery, Kaikorai, was tendered on Saturday 'to Miss Mime Munro, who has been in the service of Mr and Mrs Fraser for the last three years, a presentation of a handsome clock, suitably inscribed, being made to Miss Munro, who is to be married shortly. Making, the presentation. Mr Fraser referred to the happy associations that have always existed between Miss Munro and other members of the staff. A tribute to the enthusiastic service given to the Royal Dunedin Male Choir by the late Mr John A. Haggitt, a vicepresident of the choir, was contained in the report presented to the annual meeting of the choir last evening. Mr Haggitt was pianist to the choir for two periods and deputy conductor for eight years, and the report stated that he had given .freely of his talent to the choir, to public institutions, and to the musical life of the city. His last work for the members was an admirable address on part-singing which was read a week before his death. The deaths of Mr R. Church, a senior vice-presi-dent, and Mr C. Russell Smith, another vice-president, were other serious losses to the choir. Both had endeared themselves to members by acts of kindness and hospitality.

Mr and Mrs Albert Charles Didley Crimp, of Green Island, who. except for a period of a few years, have resided in the same house for 55 years, celebrated their diamond wedding yesterday, with a family reunion. The recipients of a message of congratulations from his Majesty the King, Mr and Mrs Crimp were also visited last night by the Mayor of Green Island (Mr G. A. Orange). Mr Crimp arrived at Lyttelton from Plymouth by the sailing ship Stonehouse when he was 21 years of age, and after 18 months In Christchurch, came to Dunedin. He followed the occupation of a building contractor until 1918, when he retired. Soon after going to Green Island. Mr Crimp joined the South District Volunteers and served with his unit for a number of years. He was also for several years a member of the Green Island Borough Council, and held office as a deacon in the Presbyterian Church. Mrs Crimp was 15 years old when she arrived in New Zealand with her parents and family on the steamer Mongol, the first steamer to come from England to Port Chalmers. Both Mr and Mrs. Crimp are in good health although the latter’s sight is failing somewhat. There were 12 children of the marriage, 10 sons and two daughters, of whom nine sons and one daughter survive. There are 22 grandchildren and four great-grand-children.