SECOND CENTURY COMMENCED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19961, 20 November 1934, Page 7

SECOND CENTURY COMMENCED

CELEBRATIONS IN VICTORIA HISTORIC PAGEANT AT PORTLAND United Press Association —By Electric T?legraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, November 19. To-day begins the second century in the history of Victoria. Just a hundred years ago the Henty family landed at Portland from the small schooner Thistle, with their few cattle and sheep, and established the first settlement in Victoria. . The celebrations which have been proceeding for a week at Portland culminated to-day with the presentation of a pageant re-enacting the historic landing. The usual population of the town totalling 2000 was swelled to more than 20,000 for the occasion, with visitors from far and near. Many of the descendants of the Hentys were among the visitors, including Mrs Coster, from Nelson, New Zealand, who is visiting Portland with her daughter, Miss Nellie Coster, Mrs Coster is Stephen Henty.’s only surviving daughter. She and her brother, George Edward Henty, who was unable to leave Sydney on account of illness, belong to the generation which immediately followed the Henty pioneer brothers. The proceedings to-day began with a united service on the beach in the cold, grey light of dawn, Lord Huntingfield attending. The Duke of Gloucester arrived in H.M.S. Sussex from Tasmania, at 10.35 o'clock, and came ashore to witness the pageant, depicting the historic landing of the Hentys.