VETERANS ENTERTAINED

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1929, Page 3

VETERANS ENTERTAINED

GATHERING ON ARMISTICE DAY. ARCHDEACON EVANS THE HOST. The annual entertainment of the Maori War veterans, with their wives and' families, by. Archdeacon < and Mrs. F. G. Evans took place at Kawaroa Park, New Plymouth, yesterday. Eight, veterans were present: Messrs. George Addam (president of the Veterans’ Association), J. W. Foreman, Henry Wood, T.. Hickman, H. Arden, William Orr, ! Alec Binnie and John Andrews. ? Mrs, Adlam, .. Mrs; Foreman arid Mrs. Hickman .attended; The following widows of veterans were present: Mrs. Charles Tunbridge, Mrs. Sam Knuekey, Mrs. R. B. Hart) Mrs. W. Collins and Mrs. W. Ben- r nett. Apologies were received from Aaron' Marsh, William Moon and T. •Veale. ■ ’ ” I: .' ‘ z In cordially welcoming the veterans, Archdeacon Evans said it was a great thing that they were able to meet' once again. He himself, had nearly “slipped his cable,” as the sailors said, but someone must have- mentioned that the ’old :' veterans had \vanted him to meet them again this year, . . /' ’■! . ' Armistice Day,, said, the archdeacon,’- ‘ - was a very suitable day for the gather- - ing. It marked the end of the horror of the last war and it was a day on which every one of them prayed that there would never be war again. It was a day set aside to celebrate peace, a peace which he hoped- would be per-. petual. , , ? ■, - . - ' On one of his visits to England he had gone with his wife.: to Liverpool to see the laying of the. foundation stone of the Liverpool cathedral. It was a very fine thing to see the laying of a good foundation. The last time ho had been in England he had gone with his wife to Liverpool to see the building • raised • On those foundations ‘ and it was one of the most glorious buildings in all England. To-day he thought the veterans'might be proud of having laid the foundations in New Zealand. They could truthfully say, with the' pioneers, that they had taken their part in laying the. foundations of one of the most glorious countries in the world; “ - During, the afternoon a. musical pro- - gramme arranged by Mrs. A. D. Keeling . was given as follows: Songs, Mesdairi’es T. M. Avery, F. H. Blundell, A. EversSwindell, J. C. Maxwell and. Mr. B. Collinge; part song, the Music Club (Mesdames J. R. Cruickshank, -J. S. Church, A. Evers-Swindell, F, H. Blundell, J. C. Maxwell,-W. Brodie and Nesbit-Smith); duet, Mesdames Nesbit-Smith and W. Brodie. , - Recitations were given by Mrs, F. G. Evans, and Mr. Adlam accompanied himself on the violin to a song which he had first heard oir Christmas Eve in 1861, when he was with his regiment in India. ■ '• Mr. Adlam in thanking, on behalf of the veterans, the archdeacon, Mrs. Evans and tho ladies for the entertainment, said there was something in these, gatherings-which put fresh life into the veterans. There was nothing the veterans enjoyed more than to come to these parties with their vice-president, the archdeacon. Unfortunately the archdeacon, had been in ill-health, but nothing had more pleased the veterans than when he came to them and-said he would be able to entertain them again. After these gatherings they thought for a time on what they had had and then, after a while they thought what would there be for next year. Nine of their number had passed away since the last gathering, said Mr. Adlam, but lie hoped the others would all be spared to meet again and enjoy an- . other good time next year. Mr. Foreman said he could do no more than emphasise what Mr. Adlam. had said. He realised that - the association of Archdeacon and Mrs. Evans with the < veterans had been a source of strength and much pleasure. Tn his position of , vice-president tlie archdeacon bestowed a dignity, a mana, on the association which otherwise it would have been very difficult for the association' to obtain. He thanked the ladies for the entertainment they had given and, in-conclusion, said how pleased the veterans were that Mr. and Mrs. Evans had been restored to health. The gathering then sang “For They Are Jolly Good Fellows” to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. He could.not say how great a pleasure it was to Mrs. Evans and himself to entertain their old friends with their wives and families, said the archdeacon in reply. He hoped it would be many years before the association passed away. He was pleased to see Sergeant Hickman and his wife present'. It was a sign that the veterans were gravitat- ! ing back to New Plymouth. He cordially endorsed the thanks to the ladies for the entertainment and expressed his , admiration for the work of the ladies in the tearooms —work given voluntarily for the park. He thanked Mr. W. H. Skinner whose interest in the veterans and the pioneers had never diminished and would, said the archdeacon, never . diminish while he lived. -Finally - he - thanked Mrs. Keeling, who had been the mainspring of the entertainment. Mr. A. A. McKinnon was director ui cerenionio?