The Social Round

Southland Times, Issue 24152, 14 June 1940, Page 7

The Social Round

The lady editor will be pleased to receive for publication tn "The Social Round" each day items of social or personal news. Such items should be sent in promptly and should be fully authenticated. Engagement notices must bear the signatures of both parties. Correspondence is invited on any matters affecting, or of interest to, women.

Mrs J. Grant, Bayswater, Otautau, ; s the guest of Mrs Ivo Carr, Dunedin. Miss Constance Chaplin, Duke street, left yesterday for Levin, North Island, where she will be the guest of Mrs W. L. Park.

Mrs D. A. McDonald, Grey street, entertained at a five o’clock party on Tuesday in honour of Mr and Mrs A. E. W. McDonald.

Miss A. M. Murphy, Crinan. street, left by the express this morning for Wellington, where she has accepted a position.

Miss June Carswell, Gladstone Terrace, will leave at the end of the month for Christchurch, where she will begin her training at the Public Hospital. Mr and Mrs A. E. W. McDonald, Duke street, will leave today to spend the week-end in Dunedin, before Mr McDonald joins the Royal New Zealand Air Force at Wigram. The Bay Road Patriotic Sub-Com-mittee held a successful dance in All Saint’s Hall on Tuesday night in aid of the Navy Princess, Miss Phillipa Hodge. The hall was decorated with flags and ferns, and the orchestra was formed by residents of the Bay Road district. It was not widely known in the Dominion that in musical circles in London New Zealand was considered a birthplace of future great singers, said Miss Phyllis Torpy, of Hamilton, during an interview on her return at the week-end from England, where she has been studying dramatic art. Beauty cf voice was felt to be a characteristic of New Zealanders, and was put down partly to the climate. On the other hand the New Zealand accent was very much disliked, a certain hardness in vowel sounds being extremely obvious when contrasted with the softer English speech.

Chorus girls in London have been mourning the death of their “Fairy Godmother,” states a London exchange. She was Mrs Edward Compton, mother of Fay Compton, the actress, and Compton Mackenzie, the novelist. But she

was “mother” to hundreds of chorus girls as well. For the past 25 years she had been associated with the Theatre Girls’ Club in Greek street, Soho, which she founded and ran for young actresses down on their luck. She died at the club on Saturday, May 4, aged 87. “She was a wonderful woman,” a member said. “She was everybody’s friend. Hundreds of girls owe their happiness to her. She worked untiringly for them, and if they were not doing well on the stage she would get them jobs in another profession of their own choosing.” Mrs Compton was well known as Virginia Bateman, the actress. She got her first part when she was 15, played with Irving in “The Bells,” and was Tree’s leading lady.