LAKE WANAKA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 33

LAKE WANAKA.

October 1 — The weather glass has been unusually low lately, and some severe wca+hei was expected, but only a few showeis of ram cam» and a blizzard on Thmsday, which was unusually severe in some parts ot the district, while in other pails it was a mild hailstorm. The glass is slo*.vly using again, but the weather is very bleak and cold. The grass is a veiy bright green, and the crops aie coming away well. I expect thsit the whole of the sowmg will be now completed.

BalJ. — The annual ball m aid of the local school funds was lately held in Mr Sachtler' s Lyceum Hall m Pembroke. The attendance was very large, and everything went off without a hitch. The financial result was very satisfactory, the profits being about £19. The refreshments were abundant and good. The proginmrne was varied, a:id some new talent was added to it,^ considerably increasing its attractiveness. JVfr S. M. Cornelius, the chairman, mtioduced Mr G. A. Cormack, manager of the boring iocls party, with his violin, and Mrs A. G-. Thomson o.a the piano, who gave the overture " "Washington Post. Sixteen school bo 7», cliesssd in imifoim, lepre&ciitiiig the rose, thistle, shamrock, and fern, appropriately sang " Soldiers of the Queen." Mr Ernest Breniner sang " A hundred fathoms deep," and as an enooie gave " Off to Philadelphia in the morning. ' Afteiwards he gave 'me battle of Stirling Bridge." Mi&s Smith (the manse) sang " Geneveie, ' and subsequently "The carnival." Mr Robertson, from The Forks, sang " Bid lne to lo^e " ; M> A. G-. Thomson,

Sous of ths Ernphe " and the comic &ong

" T'm a dude." The school children, sang an action song and six of the girl& gave " Winnie Bell"; a little toddler ot fh-e years uittle Jimmy Teinwleton), gave a capital tendering, la his clear, childish treble, of the sons; '" The little streamlet,' to his teacher's accompaniment ; Mr HobeitEon then gave " The King's Own " and "The Highlaiidrum's toast"; Mr Thomson, " Tha a mat stir win tew? slier " (m character) and " I'm selling up the 'a/ppy 'ome " ; Mr Cormack closed the programme with an item on the violin. After a biief interval, the farce " Aiea Belle ' was staged, end, although it appeared 13 years ago, it csune. up again as fresh as pamt. The characters were: Mrs Croker, Mrs Andrew M'Dotigall ; Penelope, Kiss I. Thomson ; Walker Clialker, Mr Win. Miller; Tosser, Mr H. Sachtler; Pitcher, Mr A. G. Thomson. The ball which follov.-cd was a gre-it success, and dancing wis kept up till after daylight. Mr R J. Halliday wss M.C., while Mr R. Miller supplied the music (violin). Sickness. — I rpgret to say that the^Rev. J. Smith's illness still coTiknues to confine him to his bed. My last paragraph stated that he was convalescent, but a lelapse took place. Dr M'Brearty, from Arrow, "was telephoned for, but he had sundry seveie cases, with patients hovering between life and death, and tint's was unable to come. Dr Morris, of Cioniwell, was then telephoned for, but he had had the misfortune to be thrown off his horse on to his head, and w?s himseli an invalid, in Hyde, from Clyde, being m attendance on him. Afterwards, however, Dx M'Breaifcy managed to corns over. — Mrs ilridman, "who has been sojourning in Melbourne for a co/isiderable period, was stricken down there v/ith a severe illness. Alter convalescence hod sat in, and she was able to travel, she came home to Mount. Barker, and finds the clear, bracing, cool air of Otago of much benefit, especially after the enervating climate of Victoria. On the Move. — Some of our young men have lately been leaving us. Mr Ealf Halliday, a native of the district, and Mr Haiold Sachtler, of the Commexcial and Pembroke, lately left for South Africa; while young Willie Allan and Johnnie M'Bride have left for the North Island to work in a flaxmill.