SOUTH TARANAKI NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 August 1932, Page 3

SOUTH TARANAKI NEWS

OEO OLD-TIME DANCE. A PLEASING PROGRAMME. A very enjoyable evening was spent at Geo hall on Wednesday, when a concert party from Eltham paid a visit and presented musical and elocutionary items in conjunction with an old-time dance Mr. Fred Silver delighted the audience with humorous songs; Miss E. Mehrtens, the possessor of a pleasing voice, gave enjoyable renderings of "Waiata Poi” and “Somewhere a Voice is Calling”; Miss Mavis Burrows and Miss Joan Thomson contributed recitations. Mr. Dick Silver was heard in pianoforte solos. Community singing was held, the innovation proving very popular. Mr. Fred Silver led the singing and all joined in heartily? A programme of good old-time dances was thoroughly enjoyed and there were modern dances as well. The Gay , Gordon schottische and the Paul Jones waltz found favour and were repeated later on request. Jack Hooker’s orchestra played good dance music and extras were contributed by Miss E. Mehrtens, Mr. T. Davy i and Mr. Ruakere. TUG-OF-WAR AT NORMANBY. J. KENNEDY WINS LAZY STICK. There was a large attendance at the Normanby Horticultural Hall on Wednesday night,, when the first of a series of tug-of-war tournaments was held. The eight teams taking part in the contest, each with a total weight of 56 stone, were Normanby, Tippett brothers (Normanby), Manaia Road A, Manaia Road B, Manaia Fire Brigade, Lowgarth, Otakeho and Kaponga. Each gave a fine exhibition of strength. Two teams, Manaia Road A and Manaia Fire Brigade, were equal after their first pull but at their second contest Manaia Road A proved to be slightly superior. There was also a number of lazy stick pulls. J. Kennedy (Normanby) won this event, while A. Stuart (Manaia) was second. Mr. J. Russell acted as judge and the following official were in attendance: Messrs. L. Hughes (timekeeper), C. "Wharton and J. Bryant (rope stewards), J. Minhinnick and G. Dowman (call stewards), A. E. Spratt and H. Thomas (draw stewards). At the conclusion of the tournament Mr. E. T. Peach, chairman of the Normanby Town Board, presented the prizes to the winners. OLD HEBRIDEAN MUSIC. RECITAL—LECTURE AT NORMANBY. A recital of the musical works of Mrs. Kennedy Fraser was given at Normanby on Wednesday evening by Misses G. Dunn and Smith and Messrs. C. Lamb, Hawera, and Mr. A. Galloway, Normanby. Mrs. F. Bone, Hawera, played the accompaniments. In introducing his subject, “Old Hebridean Music,” Mr. Lamb said Mrs. Kennedy Fraser, though a native of Edinburgh, spent most of her life in the Hebrides Islands studying the folk songs and ballads of the natives. Assisted by her daughter and a native interpreter she wrote songs which had been handed down by word of mouth only. They were the only means these hard-work-ing islanders had of expressing their emotions. It remained for Mrs. Kennedy Fraser to put these songs paper and' to leave as a monument t® fesr life

these strange and haunting melodies —• “simple songs of a simple folk.” The songs chosen, briefly explained hy Mr. Lamb, were: “Time of the New Moon,” Mr. Galloway with a humming accompaniment; “The Pirate Song,” Mr. Lamb, a song typical of the life of the early days; “The Wild Swan” and “The Trout of the Holy Wells,” Miss Smith; stories of ancient Hedridean myths; “The Land of Heart’s Desire” and “Sleeps the Moon in the Deep Blue Sky,” Miss Dunn (very old, believed to be first sung in 1781); “The Harper” and “Dance to your Shadow,” Mr. Galloway and chorus; “The Boatman’s Song to his Boat,” Miss Dunn; “The Old Pirate Song,” Mr. Lamb (a song collected by Mrs. Kennedy Fraser from an old woman of 90 years). The programme concluded with a pianoforte solo played by Mrs. Bone. / The Rev. J. Watson expressed the appreciation of the audience apd tendered thanks to Mr. Lamb and his party. Supper was served by the ladies present and the evening concluded with a short programme of community singing.