RIVERSDALE.

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 31, 17 November 1900, Page 10

RIVERSDALE.

Instead of nice sunny days we are now getting cold hail showers and wind, which is causing great havoc amongst the fruit trees, and also frost, which is very injurious to early potatoes. However, the farmers had nearly all their crops in before the bad spell set in. They are now busy preparing the ground for turnips, so I hope the weather will improve, and not be giving us a taste of winter when we should have summer. Our annual school concert came off in the drill hall on the 9bh inst., and was, as usual with all the school concerts here, a great success. We were treated to a kinderspiel and farce. The children, under Miss King’s tuition, were very carefully trained in their different parts, and were a great credit to her. The different characters were taken by the following children, who all sustained their parts very well. Of the adults, Miss Smaill as Sister Ann, took charge of the children on the stage, and also joined in the choruses, and Miss Wallace made a splendid Mother Hubbard, only betraying her identity when singing her solo, which was very well rendered. Miss Maggie Kelleher, as Mistress Mary, did her part very well, with a hoe in her hand and her basket of flowers ; and so did Master John McDonald as Humpty Dumpty, Master Archie McDonald as Boy Blue, Master Helm Hume and Miss Edith Hall as

Jack and Jill respectively. Miss Sophie Gee as Red Riding Hood, sang her solo very sweetly. Little Master Jack Bennett, as Little Jacky Horner, deserves a special word of praise for the singing of his solo, which was well rendered for such a little fellow. Miss Mary Smaill, as Bo Peep, with her shepherd’s crook, also acted her part nicely. The chief feature of the programme was the bell exercise by several of the younger children, which was very well executed and heartily encored. The second part of the programme opened with the farce entitled ‘ Betsy Baker,’ in which the parts were taken by Miss King and Miss Rose, and Messrs Baylis and Wakelin, in each of which they sustained their parts well. Mr Gee thanked the audience for their attendance, and said, though they could not elscb a school committee this year, the Board having to appoint two commissioners (Messrs Smaill and Gee) still the parents always patronised the school concerts well, which is an undoubted fact. A dance followed, which was a great success. Good music was supplied by local players—Miss Smaill and Misa Jones (piano), Messrs Ferris, Jones, and Kelleher (violins), Mr D. Ro:»s made an efficient M. 0., and thus ended a very successful concert.