FAREWELL AND PRESENTATION TO MR C. J. RONALDSON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 34

FAREWELL AND PRESENTATION TO MR C. J. RONALDSON.

At noon on the 24th a very large number of prominent business men and clients of the National Bank met in the Chamber of Commerce Hall to l> ; c! farewell lo Mr C .T Ronaldecn, accountant in the National Pi-ank. who has been promoted to the position of manager of the bank's Invercargill branch. Mr Theomin occupied the chair, and said that on Friday last a somewhat similar Catherine had met to bid aclieu to Mr J. Sinclair Thomson, the bank's manager, -iv'io wa« leaving for England, and now they had regretfully to say farewell to Mr P.ondldson. who was an equally popu'.Pi' member of the board's staff. Many of those present had lenov, n Mr Ronaldson for year*, and some had known him almo6t from boyhood. He hinwlf remembered their guest as junior teller in the local branch of tho bank, and now he was to bo manager of the important Invercargill '.ranch of thp firm's business. — (Applause.) lie would call upon Mr Fel<=, as an old client of the bank and one who had known Mr UonalrUon intimately to make a presentation to that g-enflrman.— (Applause.) Mr XV. YoU that while they con"■ratitlatfd Mr Ronald'on on hi= promotion, tliov could not help cxi)i-es c iii£c r^errct that rhov wore losincc one whom thov had Known so lourr and t=c well. Mr Honald- '</.'.= raider hrd been mailed 'bv sincerity. -i"in!icitv. nvA hard voi-k combined with nn lUK.-'t-piitaf'oi' 5 liir.'llv mannc*. — (Aji-!>l-ui--p ) Op)v \v-i week Mr Sinclair Thoimou had r^ ma iked that he found Mr Ronald-on a>i able cnn«cicntiiiii« colleague. He had picture in hahding Mi- Ronald-

son a puree of sovereigns as a mark, pti lie esteem* he might' say affection, mi, which he was held by those present, ancK could assure him that never- had " a prfi-' . sentation • been so wall and heartily sufrscribed to. Messrs Peter' Barr, A. S. Adams, Georg© Ritchie (N.M. and A. Company), and James Brown added their testimony to the esteem! in which Mj Bonaldson was held in business circles. \ ,~. -. The 'Chairman said that what had struck him particularly about, Mr Ronaldeon waa the fact that though he was essentially a busy man he was never too busy to see anyone. He asked those present to drink long life and good health an-d a. very 6ue» , cessful- career to Mr Ronaldson. The toasfe was heartily drunk with musical honours. Mr Ronaldson on rising :to reply, was greeted with applause. The occasion, he said, was one which might easily embarass any banker, as he was not accustomed to meet all his clients at once".— (Laughter.) He was pleased to have won- their golden opinions. He arrived in Dunedin 33 years ago. when he came up the- old channel on the other side of the harbour, the Victoria Channel not having been conceived.. Since then the city had practically been rebuilt, and J>unedin ha-d gone ahead in_ arts and sciences (as the Art, Gallery arid other structures would prove) as well- as 1 business.. , In Mr Thomson's and his own,, successors (Messrs M'lntosh and Martin), he felt sure the bank's customer would hay«. two officers who knew, all their _ require** ments. — (Applause.) . ' .