TIMARU PORT GUARDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12114, 8 July 1903, Page 3

TIMARU PORT GUARDS.

ANXUAL PRIZE DISTRIBUTION.

A good* muster of' the Timaru Por GnaiQs paraded last- 'iight" at. the" .Uril Hall, ana Rafter the parade was over, tfo company adjourned to _ the. lecture room fo the distributioii- : of ? the' Shooting prizes la the past year. Captain Raymond pre sided, and 'Lieutenant. Kierr was also pre sent. .The . proceedings were opened bj the toast of the King, which was druni with musical honours. ; Captain liuymonc read an apology from Captain. G. E. Tho mas, who was unable to be present. H< then explained /that the company's yeai ended on .February ■ 28th, but as the capitation had not arrived till now, the meeting could not be held before. The lasl year's shooting had been very good; everj man put through his class and the company :'came out- on- top. in the voliey firing, chough not' doing so well as they usually have done; - usually the company wins about £35, but last year they only won abo ut £7 10s. ' ' J Captaiji-Raymond then proceeded, to. distribute -the prizes to ; the winners, and belore doing so he heartily congratulated Private-Pearson on his win of the a.ggrfsTate prize and the: company's belt. This a the fourth time Private Pearson has won the b&Tt, -he having won it first as runner in 1896, then in 1900, in 1902, and lastly in 1903. JPrivate Pearson's health was then proposed by Captain Raymond. Se- was sorry that Private Pearson had lot seen his way to visit Wellington at ;he last Association, meeting; he hoped 5e would be able to attend the next one, when he wis sure he would do well. ' _ Several, others in the company testified .o the excellence of Private Pearson's shootng powers; his scoring is almost phenonenal in the colony) for of a possible of 100 he had made 369, an average ot aver 16 per match. Private Pearson has also' seen a most unselfish shot at all times, •eady to assist in every possible way any jeeinners on the range. _ The toast was drunk with musical honours, and Private Peanson responded ariefly, thanking the company for their rindly remarks and the enthusiastic manler in which they had drank his health. Se said he had been and always will be •eadf to help the company as much as oossible, and though he did not intend to jarrV on his trophy shooting, yet he would ilways be ready to take his place in thp :ompany's team if they man. ~ The\rest of the prizes were then distrisute'd* as below. ;, "'-Private Foster proposed the health ot ■itt donors. of. pijzes, and said there waf 10 doubt thait the way in which -the citizens >f Timaru back up the Ybluntecrs in conlection with their shooting is the reason irhy the Timaru companies aTe so eminently, luccessiul. The fact that there_ is always t large number of valuable prizes given incourages competition among ;e*rs. and the result is good shooting, rhich is the chief thing required in the \.rmy. This toast was also musically l °Captafn Raymond, ih reply, said that 18 was sure .'that all the prizes were given, n the best spirit; shooting, was the thing o be encouraged, and he thought that as ar as this company was concerned they Tad no cause for complaint The Timaru public are very liberal in this respect .every rear they come forward with donations. Lieutenant Kerr endorsed all that Papain Raymond had said on this point; linaru was almost unique in, the way tne iublic assist their Volunteers- . , Private Pearson also replied to the -toast. A number of other toasts were proposed ind duly honoured. Several Bongs were :ontributed by members, and a pleasant trening was spent. , ':> J. ' In the first class aggregate the -.five lighest scorers were-.—Private Jearaon £9 points, company s belt and, Private A. Burford 354, £1 ss; Coloursergeant Stephen 344, 7s 6d; Private Q. Sunord 344, 7s 6d; - Sergeant G. Bur°The five leading scores in the second class tcrtrreffate were :—Private vMorgan - 66? handicap 20), total 352 £1 ssPrivate (Vaterus Seckinghatri } 339-6-345, 10s l rPrivate r forievcliffe 306 —37 —343; J. 3eSKingham 331- —9 —340. ' _ . Efficiency badges were awarded as lolows -.—Corporals Holdgate, Foster and Sing, Bugler Marshal, Privates Armstrong, Sarkley, Bond, King, Logan, Mcintosh, Morgan, Murphy, Price, Sabiston, Stokes, rhfne, Waterus. Private Dunnill was first and Private Yrmstrong second in the recruits' match. A number of money prizes and trophies irfesented by townspeople, of considerable otal value, were distributed, in addition o those above mentioned. In the firing or these, places were won by the followng members :—Private Pearson 4 firsts, ! seconds. 0 thirds, Private A. Burford !—3—3, Private Cowles 2—l—o, Private Welsh. 2—o—o, Sergeant J. Becltingham _2—l. Private G. Burford 1—1 —3, Serjeant (J. Beckingham Is-—-1 —1, Sergeant Waugh li—1 —0, Privates Morgan, Waerus, Dunnill,.- Toneyclifle ind Bond, each —l—to. Private Sabiston I : —o —3, Privates Armstrong, Ronaldson, Hill and O'Leary, lacli 1—0 —0, Private H. Smith o—2—o, Corporal Foster o—o—3.