OARSMEN GATHER

Southland Times, Issue 20665, 22 April 1929, Page 7

OARSMEN GATHER

AWARUA CLUB CELEBRATES,

END-OF-SEASON SMOKE CONCERT.

Oarsmen to the number of fifty odd gathered in Radio Hall, Bluff, on Saturday evening for the wind-up of the the season’s activities of the Awarua Boating Club, the celebrating taking the form of the conventional smoke concert. The president, Mr A. E. Budd, sat at the head of the table. When plates had been pushed aside with a sigh of satisfaction, for oysters figured largely on the menu, Mr Budd welcomed the visitors and proceeded to congratulate the club crews on their outstanding successes at the four Southland regattas. The season had, he said, been the most successful for three years. Mr W. B. Dixon proposed the toast of the “Southland Rowing Association” stressing the need for a strong governing body to control what he described as the cleanest of sports. Mr George McChesney, the club’s representative on the association, replied. "Kindred Clubs” was done justice to byMr F. W. Macdonald and the trend of his remarks was that had the Bluff Club not been up against such strong opposition as had been met at the regattas the members would have been lax in training. All the clubs met each other’s crews on the most friendly terms and had been worthy opponents over a number of years. Messrs A. Hamilton (Invercargill) and Mclntyre (Invercargill Railway) responded. The principal toast, that of the "Awarua Boating Club” was left to Mr C. W. Tonkinson, who commented on the club’s continued success over a number of years. This he attributed to able coaches and consistent training. Messrs W. Burtenshaw and H. Tall delighted the gathering by the brevity of their replies. “Kindred Sports,-” proposed by Mr P. McQuarrie, was replied to by Messrs J. Silvester (boxing), W. B. Dixon (bowls), F. W. Macdonald (football), C. W. Tonkinson (swimming), and J. Ford (cricket). After an interval, during which the president presented certificates to the members of winning crews, Mr Cecil Dixon proposed the toast of the “Bluff Regatta Committee.” Replying Mr F. W. Macdonald said that over the past two years the committee had made wonderful progress. The programme for its annual meeting had been considerably extended and concomitant with this had come a general increase in prize money which made the regatta one of the best, if not the best, in the Dominion. Mr P. McQuarrie, who was also called on, said that in spite of heavy expenditure the club was still £lOO in pocket. With a profit of say £5O on the next meeting, the committee would be in a position prepared to meet a bad day when the attendances would fall off.

Items were given between toasts by Messrs J. Moss, A. E. Budd, C. Dixon and A. Metzger.