KING GEORGE V.

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 54, Issue 3894, 26 April 1937, Page 8

KING GEORGE V.

THE MEMORIAL FUND. SIR HARRY LAUDER’S MOVING APPEAL. A moving appeal foir contributions to the King George the Fifth National Memorial Fund was made by the eminent Scottish comedian, Sir Harry Lauder, at a public meeting at Taupo. When Sir Harry learnt of the meeting, he threw himself into the cause, and even drew up the wording of the posters which were circulated to call the meeting. He also contributed £5 towards the fund. “I want you thoroughly to understand first and foremost that the money that is gathered for this Fund is for use in New Zealand,” said Sir Harry. “It is not going anywhere but in the country it is collected in, and it will be made good use of for young lads and lassies. And there is nothing more beautiful than to go into, a boys’ camp or a girls’ camp and see how they are enjoying themselves.

“I was the means of starting in England, not in Scotland, the ‘White Heather Fund.’ I called it the ‘White Heather Fund’ so they would know there is something Scotch connected with it, and I was elected as their Honourable Vice President of the Fund. It commenced in a very, very small way and now to-day, we take to the camps 150,000 boys and girls. It only goes to show what an effort will do and now a great effort is being put beffore you. New Zealand has never failed in anything it has taken in hand, and I feel sure that the men and women of Neiw Zealand will put their backs into this scheme. It is good, it is for a noble cause. Instead of building a marble or a bronze monument to the late King George, the money is going to be put into something very useful, making camps for boys and girls. “It is a very wonderful thing for a young man to walk along in the country or at the seaside and see boys and girls enjoying themselves and having a great time. We need a camp within the country and we need a camp at the seaside, because there are boys and girls in the country who have never seen the sea, and beys and girls at the seaside who have never been far into the country, so vice versa is the. quality that we reouire there. What should we say about the children? You know what I used to sing 40 years ago:—

“Treat them with kindness, Don’t cause them pain, Don’t let passion master you, Be lenient with the cane. Children will be children, And remember tho’ they’re wild, That you cannot put an old head On the shoulders of a child. (Applause.)

“You often hear elderly men say ‘what wild boys they are and what wild girls they are:’ better to see them wild and kicking about and enjoying themselves than lying on a sick bed.

“The last time I met the King was at Balmoral Castle. I was commanded by the King to; entertain his guests and the tenantry on the estate of Balmoral. The last time I spoke with the King was then. He sent forme after the entertainment that night and he thanked me for entertaining his guests. “ ‘Come in, Sir Harry,’ he Said, ‘this is the Queen and I—just our two selves. We want to thank you for the wonderful entertainment you have given us to-night.’ I said ‘I observed your Majesty was very much interested, especially when I sang “I love a Lassie.” He was then located in Scotland, and I had not got through hajf of the first chorus when he glanced at Queen Mary and I saw him slip his hand over her lap a.nd he rubbed her hand while I Sang.” (Sir Harry then sang the song for his Taupo audience).

“I remember another time I was playing in the Palace Theatre in Loncon and I got a wire, to say that Their Majesties would occupy the Royal Box that night—that is if they paid for admission. I never have any deadheads coming in to see me.” Interjection from audience: “How about to-night Sir Harry?” Sir Harry: ‘Well, if they did not pay coming in they will have to pay going out. “After the entertainment the King generously sent round to my drpss-ing-room door to say that His Majesty and the Queen would be very pleased to see me, they were waiting for me in their waiting-rccm. I hurriedly dressed, put a towel round my neck and put on my dressing-gown. I was there in less than a minute. The King said ‘Well, I just want to say how much we have again enjoyed the entertainment, and we wanted to thank you for it because the last time we met you was when the show was on in Buckingham Palace.’ That was the day I was knighted. He said ‘We didn’t have any time to chinwag on that day.’ He was a great man; he was a great nobleman was the King, sincere and always thinking about his country; his country and his Dominions. He had as much love and resipect for the Dominions as he had for those around him in Buckingham Palace, London. A great nobleman. “An appeal for youngsters has always appealed to me, because when that appeal is made to me I go back to the days when I was 11 years of age, when my father died and left my mother with 7 children, and I was II years of age. I had to go and get a job at 11 years: cif age and I was glad to get work to help my mother. 1 got 2s Id a week and she got 6s from the Parish for the other 6 who could not work, Is a, week for each child. I was poor enough to begin with; I had a heart. As Robert Burns would say. ‘I had a heart above it al!’; and I have been working ever since. This is the first trip I have ever had for a holiday in my life and that is why I enjoy it sc. much. I worked in the mill from 6 to 9, 10 to 2. and 3 to 6 for 2s Id per week. I had a heart above it all and got through. “What are you going to do for these: children? You people who are residential here, get together and collar everybody wlio comes near the district, the same as you have collared me. Make them s'tump up and help. If we all help erne another, and not grouse so much at each other and about each other, we would be all better situated than we are to-day. (Applause.) In other words if we all pulled together we would win the tug-orwar. If two sets of men are

playing at tug-o-war, it is a great thing they do in Scotland at the Highland Gatherings where there are twelve men a side. If one man even slips, he loses the game for the other eleven. Even if the front or back man slips with a pause in this mighty rope, they will lose. We won’t lose if we all pull together, and the King George the Fifth Memorial Fund will mount up and mount up. For every pound after the £25,000 is gathered, the country is going to put a pound to it. It is going to- subsidise every pound after that, so it is worth fighting for, worth sacrificing for, and we won’t get anything worthwhile unless we sacrifice for it.

“So this is my last night in Taupb. I will be away to-morrow morning; I will be up with the bellbird to-mor-row and I will go home and sit by my fireside in Scotland and say to my niece— 'Greta, listen to the bellbind.’ I ca.n carry its note away with me all that distance because I love them so much. I love the bush, I love everything about New Zealand: I believe if I could have come to New Zealand when I was a young man I wculd never have gone home to Scotland again, but I am tied so much in Scotland that. I eanna’ leave the old place yet, so that all 1 have to say to you now is:—

“ ‘I am going away, but I would like to stay longer with you, So goodbye till we meet again.’ ”