MATAURA NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 20488, 16 May 1928, Page 11

MATAURA NEWS

OBITUARY. (From Our Correspondent.) The late Mrs John McDougall who passed away at her Residence Bowmont Street, Invercargill recently was a well known and highly esteemed resident of the Mataura and Riversdale districts. The late Mrs McDougall was the eldest daughter of the late Mr. David Kay, of Dunedin, and late of Tuturau and was educated at Milton. She married at her home at Tuturau about 45, years ago, the wedding breakfast being served in the barn at “Lauderdale.” Mr and the late Mrs McDougall lived at Mataura for some time where Mr. McDougall was engaged at Gardiner’s foundry. Subsequently they removed to Riversdale where Mr. McDougall set up in business, and they remained at the Waimea Plains capital for many years and established many friends there who wiU regret to hear of Mrs McDougall’s demise. Mr. McDougall sold out his Riversdale business some 12 or 13 years ago to Mr. Joseph Green and removed to Invercargill. The late Mrs McDougall is survived by her husband, two daughters, Mesdames J. Dennie (Waikaia), Walliam Butler (Riversdale) and one son, Mr. Malcolm McDougall (Invercargill). Another son made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War. Messrs David Kay (Mataura), George Kay (Invercargill) and William Kay (Sydney), and Mesdames T. Dawson (Wairoa), Painter (Christchurch), Burke (Christchurch) are brothers and sisters of the deceased. MATAURA ANGLICANS. The annual meeting of St. Saviours Church was held on Monday, Rev. J. T. Paddison presiding over a large attendance of parishioners. The annual balance-sheet was submitted and in moving its adoption the chairman said that thanks were due to Mr. Birch, who had at a difficult time taken over the duties of treasurer and had subsequently carried out the work with general satisfaction. Several questions relative to the finances were asked and satisfactorily answered.

The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—Vestrymen to represent Mataura on the parish Vestry. Messrs J. Birch, J. Henry and W. Nixon; committee, Messrs J. Birch, J. Henry, W. Nixon, B. Brady, C. Sleeman, J. Clark, A. Murrell, W. Paulin, Mesdames J. Taylor and R. Ballock; secretary, Mr. W. Nixon; treasurer, Mr. J. Birch; church officer, Mr. George Clark.

The Rev. Paddison in commenting upon the work of the church and parish stated that they had passed through a difficult year. With the departure of the Rev. Parata, came the Rev. Bishop, who had administered the affairs of the church for a period and to whom they were grateful. The Mataura church had no choir at present, and it was most desirable that a choir should be formed as the building was in every way suitable for choral work. Mr. Brady, who had commenced a young peoples’ Bible Class had done excellent work, and to him the thanks of the parishioners was due. The inauguration of a young people’s day at church had been tested elsewhere, and proved a big success and he suggested that such a day should be a feature of the church services at Mataura. Thanks were due to the Church Committee and to the ladies* of the congregation for the fine work they had done in various branches of church work, and in particular he desired to express his thanks to Mrs Wheeler, who had donated a beautiful lace front for the altar.

Mr A. T. Newman (Gore), church warden, stated that the debt on the church had been reduced considerably in the past year or two, which was a commendable state of affairs. He knew the difficulty of collecting money, and by a system of free-will offerings which had been instituted in the Gore parish it had been found that time and labour otherwise spent in collecting was lessened. It rested with meinbers of the church, as a moral obligation to assist the funds both by freewill offerings and by contributions to missions. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair and the Benediction after which a social hour was spent in music, song and story. The ladies of the congregation provided a dainty supper.