A GREETING TO THE PRINCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18585, 20 December 1934, Page 13

A GREETING TO THE PRINCE

Brilliant Scenes In Gisborne

CROWDS THRONG TO PUBLIC ASSEMBLY

Community Decorations Make Gay Picture

OF COUNTRY AND TOWNSFOLK

Children And Returned Soldiers Parade

Brilliant scenes were witnessed in Gisborne this afternoon, when town, and country folk mingled in thousands in the streets, under the gay streamers and hunting of the community decorations, to welcome to the district the first member of the English Royal Family to come this way.

The sun shone down with full summer heat upon the gay spectacle presented by Gladstone road and the route laid down for the progress of His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to the Childers road reserve,'where the official public welcome awaited him. and every circumstance seemed to combine to favor the largest assemblage yet recorded in the district. 9 .

-Me day was one of the greatest iWivity throughout the town and districts. People generally felt that Gisborne and its surrounding district was extremely fortunate to receive the Duke of Gloucester at so early a stage in his tour of New Zealand, ami they responded splendidly to the lead given them by public officials and the niernoers ol the reception committee. The development of the decorative scheme in the past few days had given rise to a swiftly mounting excitement, and there could have been few who did not feel that Gisborne had done itself credit by its preparations for the Royal visit.

conditions and aspirations of our people us will enable you to retain very happy memories of this distant outpost of the Empire. _ “In again .expressing the residents’ heartfelt and cordial appreciation of your visit and our most sineojgH good wishes, may wo hope that spur retqrn home to the land of our fathers will be attended with peace and safety while praying that the blessing and guidance of Almighty God may rest upon you. “On behalf of the residents of Poverty Day, Your Royal Highness’ most devoted servants,

STREETS THRONGED WITH •PEOPLE From shortly after midday, the assembly of the public in the business area began to assume the prop.9rtioj.ls of real congestion, for country and Coast residents, in town for the whole day, thronged the streets even when the townspeople were seeking brief relaxation in their homes. The retail establishments in town were closed, with the exception of those licensed to deal in perishable forms of merchandise, but there was a brisk business done by itinerant traders whose chief stock : in-trade consisted of Hags of various sizes. These were bought eagerly by the public,- and it seemed, as the afternoon wore on, that every child in town and a majority of the adults were supplied with the symbols oh national union.

(Signed) John Jackson, Mayor of Gisborne; Charles Matthews, chairman Cook County Council; A. A. Fraser, chairman, Waikohu County Council; J. McNeil, chairman, Uawa County CouncilD. W. Williams, chairman, Wajapu County Council; A. -E. Kemp, chairman Matakaoa County Council.”

The reply of the Duke, in acknowledgment of the above message of fealty to the Royal Family, was. expected to be a brief one, His Royal Highness’ utterances at official functions throughout his tour having been characterised by a gift for getting to the point, and reducing his speeches to reasonable brevity. Further stages in the official programme included the inspection of school-children, returned soldiers, South African Veterans, P>o\- Scouts and Girl Guides, and the Legion of Frontiersmen on parade. After the inspections were to come the presentation of leading residents of the Gisborne and Poverty Day district, with whom Prince Henry was expected to spend a, few minutes. These presentations concluded the programme of the function, His Royal Highness then retiring to his hotel after again being accorded the Royal salute by the guard of honor. OFFICIAL GUESTS Tlie list of official guests on the dais during the ceremony of welcome is as under

Information was received during the early afternoon of the Duke of Gloucester’s progress Gisborne-Wards, every fresh item of information indicating that he was maintaining his schedule of fast travel. The' journey from Napier on a day such as this ' presented no light ordeal for one unused to lengthy cartravelling cn winding hill roads, and it f'd not. have surprised many if the .1 progress had been slowed down. 0 Duke,,,<aftcr a fast '-trip from re, arrived at Gisborne at 4 p.m. and proceeded 'through tJiof cheering crowds in Gladstone • road -to the Masonic Hotel.

LONG WAIT IN THE) HEAT To those in charge of the school children, Boy Scouts, and Girl Guides, and other organised .units paraded for the reception to the Duke, the prospect of a long wait at the Childers road reserve had become rather a matter for concern, in.view of the heat of the day, and the possibility, of the sweltering conditions taking toll of the younger people. Even to the adults who waited in the reserve or on the streets for the coming of the Duke, the heat was trying, and the provision of an ambulance centre on the reserve was justified early in the afternoon by calls for assistance lor fainting women. The promptness of His Royal Highness in carrying out an arduous day’s travelling on schedule was the more appreciated for this reason by the people d Gisborne.

First Row.—Mrs. Charles Matthews, Hon. J. A. Young, the Mayor, Mr. John Jackson, the Duke of Gloucester, the acting Mayoress, Mrs. 11. E. Maude, Mr. Charles Matthews, chairman of the Cook County Council, MajorGeneral R. G. IT. Howard-Vyse, chief of staff.

Second Row.—Mr. D, W. Williams, chairman of the Waiapu County Council, and Mrs. Williams, Colonel Symon, Mr. Dickson, Mr, Malcolm Fraser, Mr. W. M. Jenkins, town clerk, and Mrs. Jenkins, Captain Howard Kerr, equerry, Captain Arthur" Curtis, private secretary, Captain J. W. Tweeclie, equerry, Captain Schreiber, Mr. A. A. Fraser, chairman of the Waikohu County Council, and Mrs. Fraser, and Mr. 11. IT. Sterling. Third Row. —Mr. A. E. Kemp, chairman of the Matakaoa County Council, and Mrs. Kemp, Mrs. K, S. Williams, Mr. C. K. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. T. Corson, Mr. J. Tombleson, chairman of the Gisborne Harbor Board, Mr. H- A. Barton, Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Bayliss, Mrs. A. EL Beer, Mr. H. -E. Maude, Mr. and Mrs. Rongowhukaata Halbert, Mr. F.‘ T. Robinson, cleric of the Cook County Council, and Mrs. Robinson. Dr. fi. G. Rice, of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, and Mis. Rice. Colonel Gambl'd!, and Mrs. Oambriil. Fourth Row. —Mr. E. L. Walton, S.M., and Mrs. Walton, Mr. A. J. Nicol, of the Wnikanae Beach Society, and Mrs. Nicol, Of. W. J. Mac Gibbon, and 1 Mrs, Mar-Gibbon, (T. <). 11. Hall, and Mrs. Rail, Cr. 11. Holmes, and Mrs. Holmes, Cr. 1). S. Thompson, and Mrs. Thompson, Cr. IT. ft. DeCosta, and Mrs. DeCosta, Cr. J. W. H. Holmes, and Mrs. Holmes, Cr. W. Cave, and Mrs. Cave, Mr. J. G. Appleton, clerk of the Waikohu County Council, and Mrs. Appleton, Mr. A. L. Temple, clerk of the Waiapu County Council, and Mrs. Temple. Fifth Row. —Mr. IT. M. Porter, Justice of the Peace Association, and Mrs. Porter, Mr. I). McNanght, clerk of the Matakaoa County Council, and Mrs. McNanght, and Mr. Whisker.

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS The programme of the Official proceedings this afternoon, was exactly as outlined in yesterday's issue of the Herald, the Mayor, Mr John Jackson, and town clerk, Mr W. M. Jenkins, awaiting" the arrival of His Royal Highness at the Masonic Hotel, where the Duke is to be quartered during his 'brief stay in Gisborne; and then preceding the official party to the reserve. The Duke followed after a few minutes, and proceeded through the gaily-decorated streets to the assembly, passing under the welcoming arch at the gates of the reserve, and between lines of mounted men, members of the

Wellington (East Ooast) Mounted A lane was kept open for the cars to a point some 50yds. from the dais, and as the Duke alighted from his car he was to be met by the Mayor and town clerk, who, after the inspection of the guard of honor, and the taking of the Royal salute, were to escort him to his place on the dais. The presentation of the loyal address was the next stage in the programme, the loyal sentiments of the people of Gisborne,and Poverty Bay being tendered to His Royal Highness as follows: — “HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, THE DUKE Of GLOUCESTER, K.G., P.C., K.T., G.C.V.O. “MAY IT PLEASE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS. % “On behalf of the residents of Gisborne and the surrounding districts we extend to you a most hearty welcome on this, your first visit to Gisborne, and desire to express to you our continued devotion and "loyalty to His Most Gracious Majesty the King. “On this the first"occasion of a visit to our district by any member of your Royal house, we trust ■ that yoiNfc-R bo favorably impressed with its beauty, fertility and resources, and may we direct Your Royal Highness' attention to the historic interest attached to our port as being the first landing place in New Zealand of the intrepid discoverer and navigator, Captain Cook, “Your observations of the country will emphasise the inappropriate nature of the nnmo of “Poverty Bay'' bestowed by the great navigator, owdng to the hostile reception, accorded him by the natives who opposed his landing. “We venture to hope that your present tour may bring you grati■SL" fieatiou, that you will enjoy the " climate, scenery and natural wonders, and that you will gain such a personal knowledge of the

FIRE ON RESERVE

DRY GRASS ALIGHT

TIMELY DISCOVERY

What might have been a serious grass (ire on the Childers road reserve was discovered just in time «it about midday to-day, .11 i The grass was particularly dry, and if left for another few minutes little could have prevented the spread of the blaze to most parts of the ground. At 12.35 p.m. employees of Messrs. Wilson and Canhnrn’s store in Disraeli street saw smoke issuing from tlie_ southeast corner of the reserve opposite the store. On investigation, they saw the dry grass ablaze and promptly took steps to beat it out. \ The flames had by that time spread to a diameter of about 10ft., and it was no easy task to quell the flames. But for this timely discovery, much damage might have beqn done. The outbreak was in u corner opposite from the grandstand and dais and the wind was blowing away from the buildings, hut a house on the other side of the fence might havo been in danger.