ANZACS HONORED

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5480, 27 April 1917, Page 2

ANZACS HONORED

BY MAYOR AND BOROUGH COUNCILLORS AN ENJOYABLE EVENING Miss Payne’s Aroha ” reception room, at her dining and Bupper establishment, was crowded to its fall capacity on Wednesday evening, when His Worship the Mayor and Councillors (retiring anl newlyelected) entertained some two dozen or more Te Aroha distrist returned soldiers, including a good representation of real Anzacs. His Worship the Mayor presided, aud the supper tables were bounteously laden with appetising viands and liquid refreshments. The large room was appropriately draped in bunting, aud presonted quite a festive appearance. His Worship said the Anzacs had written their name large on the scroll of fame ; they had done their duty nobly and had stayed on active service till they could do no more. The Empire was proud of them, and the citizens of Te Aroha would always be glad to help alt returned soldiers. He hoped the inaugural gathering would be the forerunner of very many more similar functions, and when a third anniversary came round he hoped there would be so many returned men gathered together in Te Aroha that the Theatre Royal would have to be engaged to entertain them. If any returned boys had not been invited he hoped they would recognise it as an oversight due to the very short notice. After the toast of “ Tho King ” had been fittingly honored and Mr F. W. Firkin had sang “ England Calls For Men," Mr Stanley proposed “ The Anzacs and Returned Soldiers,’’ the following responding, —Sergt. McEwen, Corp. Neabor: Private Larney (President of the Kereone Soldier Settlers’Association), and a trooper of the Wellington Mounted Rifles. The toast was drunk with musical honors, Mr J. Haibidge officiating at the piano. Trumpeter Alan Wild then sang “ Mother Machree,” Private Bolton following with Scotch storiettes gem of the evening, “ Scotty " quite bringing down the house, Cr. J. D. Morison, proposing the toaßt “ Our Boys at the Front,,’ said the term “ our boys ” was not regarded in its parochial sense, but as it applied to the whole of the Empire and the allied nations. The war was a just one, being a fight for liberty. The visit to Britain of the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward h d resulted in several irapro remen's in the care of New Zealand sold era, and he felt their knowledge end sympathy wou'd be \e"y useful to the Domini an on thiir r turn. The toast was lespo'ided to by Cr. J. M. Bell, also Pvt FieldeD, au Englishman who remaiked that he had 27 near ralatives in the fi roes’ (Applause); Pvt Bolton, who, as a Scotsman, had been proud to fight with New Zea’aiders, and by Pvt. Kiely, an Irishman, who wanted nothing better than to fight alongside suoh doughty comrades as the New Zealanders. Pvt. H. McQueen then sang “ Queen, of the Earth."

The next toast, “ Doctors, Nurses, and Chaplains," was entrusted to Mr Clothier, who referred to the ,‘good work of Surgeons Savage, A. A. MartinJ and oar own Dr. Gordon,” also to the present {day prototypes of Florence Nightingale, “ the lady with the lamp ”in the Crimean War. Mr Clothier also mentioned Chaplains Grant and Luxford, remarking that while such rterling characters as they went to the war the soldiers would have chaplains who were-in sympathy with them and had a wide understanding of their fellow men. Cr, Rayner respondel, lauding the wonderful achievements of the surgeons, nurses, aud chaplains in the greatest war in history. Pvt. Bolton also added a few words in praise of the Y.M.C A. aud the Salvation Army, ■laying these two bodies were looked on by the boys as “ God.sends."

Mr F. Wild contributed an amus ing account, in verse, of *' How David Killed Goliath."

Mr F. M. Strange proposed “The Empire and Her Allies," asserting tbit all the allies were fighting for liberty, truth, and justice. He detailed in passing, the good work for the cause that had been done by Japan, Russia, Serbia, Italy, France, “ poor little martyred Belgium," and more reoently the United States of America, who was a power to be reckoned with in defeating the machinations of the Hun. Private Noel Gardiner sang “There’s a Long Long Trail,” the chorus being taken up enthusiastically by all present. The toast “ The Mayor and Councillors,” was proposed in a happy little speech by Sergt. Harkin, and responded to by Messrs Stanley, Maokie, Bell, Morison, Brown (who mentioned that he was soldiering 55 to 60 years ago), Rayner, Coulter, Alley, Arthur and Cornish. The toast “Our Fallen Heroes,” was hcnored in silence. Mr F. W. Firkin contributed another song, “To Have and to Hold,” following which the toast “ Our Hostess, Miss Payne,” was honored, the Press and the musical accompanist were thanked by acclamation, and the gathering terminated with the singing of “ Auld Lang Syne.”