Peter Pan’s Corner

Timaru Herald, Volume CLV, Issue 22785, 8 January 1944, Page 3

Peter Pan’s Corner

! Small Circlians and Big ones, how happy you must be : Swimming in the rivers, or splashing in the sea. > Under curling breakers, diving just for fun ; Upon the warm sandhills, lazing in the sun. > Make the most of holidays with all their fun and joy > Merry times they ought to be for every girl and boy. : Much there is that you can do in your work and play > Many opportunities to help in every way. ; Every circlian I hope, will join in summer sport ; Entering into everything as everybody ought. ■ Racing on your ponies over hill and dale i Riding on your bicycles to collect the mail. • Helping in the harvest fields, carling out the lunch, : Hoeing swedes and mangels, do not leave a bunch! ■ Oh, it is a happy time, the summer holiday. ■ Out upon the hillside with the calves and lambs at play : Looking in the bushes for the finch’s nest • Lots of other things we find in our eager quest. • Interesting things there are also in the shops Icecreams in the window where everybody slops. ; • Dolls and books and engines every sort of toys : Draw the admiration of the girls and boys. : A/i my lucky circlians, young and glad and free ; AZZ the days before you, how happy you should be. : : Youth and Summer Holidays! Oh what glorious fun, You quite forget there was a time when lessons must be done, i : So my Little People, enjoy them while you can Still don’t forget to write sometimes to your own Peter Pan ;

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS January 2: Gordon Allen Katherine Maclntyre Norman Gibson January 3: Catherine Clark Charles Fitzsimons January 4: Harold Bragg January 5: Colleen Patrick January 6: Daphne Richards Hazel Hutton January 7: May Griffiths Noel Reid Raymond Ackroyd Ray Tangey January 8: Fay Mulligan Sheila Armstrong James Agnew NOTICE BOARD Winner of Title Competition Norma Bell; “In Elizabethan Days” Other Good Titles Were “Stepping Out,” Geoffrey Hamilton. “In days of long ago,” Raelene Cross. “Going to the Ball.” Maureen Ryder. “The beginning of the Minuet,” Amy Holliday. This Week’s Competition Best description of “My garden in Summer.” Entries must be in by January 18th. WELCOME TO Ethel Maude Wakefield, 270 King Street, Temuka. Dear Peter Pan, Just a few lines to let you know I have not forgotten you altogether. I have not written to you for a long time but I always look forward to seeing your page each week. I have been going to ambulance for a year and I like it very much. I have passed two exams and I am going in for one to-night. On Monday night I went to Mrs Lyne’s recital and it was good. I will be in Std. 5 next year. We broke up from school to day. At prize-giving day at Sunday School I got a book called “The Fiddler and the Elves.” During the year our class did an interesting project on Illustrators of children’s books. We worked in twos and I did Clare Newberry. Well Peter Pan, I must close now wishing you and your circlians a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. (5 marks to Margaret Tozer, age 11) Dear Peter Pan, I hope you are well. We now have our holidays which we have so long been waiting for. Lately we have been hoeing mangels. Just now we have been using our new seasons potatoes as there are no last season’s left. The new potatoes are very sweet and tasty. Our flower gardens now look a perfect picture as we look down upon the different kinds and different coloured flowers, you would thing they were looking up especially to see us and smiling. I feel happy from head to foot when looking at the tender little faces. This morning when we were looking out our kitchen window, we saw Mate the kitten on a post trying to crawl along the netting to get a rabbit skin. He couldn’t get along the wire so sat on the post and cried. He is a big cat now. (5 marks to Lawrence Omelvena age 12) Dear Peter Pan,

Dear Peter Pan, Thank you ever so much for the merit card and G.M.C., which you forwarded to me sometime ago. Our school concert was held on the 14th December. I took part as a witch in a play called “The Test,” I also recited a poem titled “The King’s Breakfast.” After the programme was completed, supper was provided and then came the prize giving. I received four prizes, one for first in the class, a second for progress, another for first in writing out of the Hilderthorpe School, and a fourth for Dux of the school. The school picnic was held in the Oamaru Gardens on Fridays the 17th. I won 2/6 for running. Next year I hope to be attending the Waitaki Girls’ High School. Christmas is here again Peter Pan, it doesn't seem long since last Christmas does it. At present I am reading a book titled “The Abbey Girls go Back, to School.” Have you read any of the “Abbey" books Peter Pan? I have read several, I think they are charming books. I shall close now wishing you and all the circlians a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (3 marks to Tjene Robertson, age 12) Dear Peter Pan, I have been doing some pasting in a scrap book which I am going to send you soon. It is raining rather heavily just now, and I am glad because my flowers need water. Soon the garden will be -Just lovely. I hope you and all your circlians have a nice Christmas, because I know I will if my Antie and Grandad come. To-day my Mother got a lovely bunch of roses, and they were all different colours, but I liked the cream one best. If I do good work at school my teacher said I shall go into Std. 11l so I am doing everything as well as I can. My doll Anabell is worn out. She was made of rag. Robin helped with the drawings in the scrap book. Thank you for the five marks. Daddy cut his thumb with the saw. I got a big surprise to see my competition entry commended. Would you excuse this writing but my nib is a bad one. Robin and I go to the Dentist on Wednesday. I will close now with lots of love. (5 marks to SKlrley Watkins, age 8) Dear Peter Pan, Have you reecived my riddles yet, Peter Pan? I have entered for the “Title Competition.” I am very glad our school holidays have begun. My brother had two pet rabbits until a few days ago, because one of our cats called “Diana,” killed and ate one of the rabbits. We have two other cats and three kittens about six weeks old. One day next week mother is taking me to Timaru. Next year I will be in Std. 6 at school. Our school picnic was held yesterday in ideal weather in the school grounds. There was a large attendance of parents. Owing to the scarcity of suitable books there were no prizes awarded. Well I will close now. (5 marks to Amy Holliday) Dear Peter Pan, Thank you very much for the golden merit card I received last week. This year I have made a scrap book for the children in the hospitals. It is not very good, but I hope that the sick children will enjoy looking at it. We broke up on December 2 and had parents’ day two days before. On parents’ day we had to arrange flowers in a bowl or vase, and I came second in the juniors and my sister came first in the seniors. I had orange poppies and light pink coral and my sister had roses and dark pink coral which was very pretty. During the day, all the girls did folk dancing, and afterwards some girls did stick games. The boys did drill. While we were showing our parents around some pupils did experiments in the science laboratory. On Wednesday we went to the Waihaorunga school’s picnic, and we had quite an enjoyable day. During the day some went for a swim, but I did not. They had races for the school children and some games, rounders, twos and threes and dodgins. We had lots of fun playing the last game as there is a good bit of running in it. A good many grownups helped to play and that made the game more enjoyable. Last night we went to the concert, put on by the Waihaorunga school and really it was quite good. After the concert they gave the prizes. Well I must stop now wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (3 marks to Ruth Armstrong, age 14) Dear Peter Pai\ I hope you are well. I have not written to you for a long time. We had a little foal on the day of Mother’s birthday, so we call it Mary. I have a little brother now and we call him Trevor. I like him very much and we have lots of fun with him. I am in Std. II and Std. 11l room now and am enjoying it very much. I have two sisters, a big and a little one. Daddy is away shearing and there is only Mother and we children. My age is eight. (3 marks to Margaret Gould, age 8) TXpqr Ppfpv Pun AU the little’ boys and girls have been making toys out of match boxes. I made a tracter and header. I am going to have a calf for the school club. The colour of it is a little roan heifer calf. Thank you very much for the merit card. We have a cat called Smudge with a stumpy tall who has a pretty little ginger kitten. He is a bundle of mischief and gets up to all sorts of tricks. I have a beautiful lot of pansies in my garden. I have a beautiful evening primrose with a pretty yellow flower and a sweet scent. I planted some linen flax before the winter and is out in flower and some is in pod. The frosts and snow did not hurt it. A Merry Christmas to you and all the other circlians. (3 marks to BiUy McVey, age 10) Dear Peter Pan, I am so sorry I haven’t written to you before but we have been very busy shifting. It has been nice and near school for me. The others have started school too. I had a lovely birthday. I got a prayer book with my initials marked on it, autograph book with a whole lot of pictures in it, shoes, 1944 calendar. 1943 calendar, 2 needle cases, thimble, writing pad and envelopes, hat, 4 handkerchiefs, lavender bag, vase, pen, trowel and seeds. We went down to the beach yesterday and had a swim after dinner I went to a party and had two merry-go-rounds and didn’t come home till 8 o’clock. Love. (3 Marks to Brigit Unwin, aged 9i

I am just writing you a few lines to see how you are getting on. On Thursday school broke up and we have about six week’s holidays. Next year I will be in Std. 2 and my teacher will be Mr Young. This year we did woodwork and made seven things, but I only found six of mine. On Saturday I went up the creek with another boy and we never came back until six o’clock. In the morning Mr Palmer came to judge my garden and he said it was very. good. Well, that is all the news for now, wishing you and your circlians a Merry Christmas and bright New Year I must close.

(3 marks to Ivor Wood, age 11) Dear Peter Pan, .Thank you very much for the golden merit card and also the five marks which arrived safely. We fixed the roof of the hut because every year the starlings would get under the tin and make their nests, so Lawrie made a little house and fastened it on top of the hut. The starling didn’t Ike it because the hole was too small, but a pair of cheeky sparrows took it for their home and had a busy time making a nest. This morning the starling put its head in the little hole and Mrs Sparrow gave her a hard peck and she kept her head out to make sure the starling was gone. It did look funny. We can see them through the window when we are having breakfast. Well, Peter Pan, I hope you have a good time. (5 marks to Donald Omelvena, age 9) Dear Peter Pan,

Just a note to let you know how I am getting on. Well to start with I am still working in the shoe shop, but there is not much to do now as shoes are getting very scarce, only If shoes are the only things we have to worry about, we can’t grumble, what do you say Peter Pan? I have not been getting your page as regular as I used to, I have not had any for over a month, only I might get them all in a bundle. You will remember I told you in one of my letters that I was making a scrapbook, so could you please tell me what you really put in it. We are having frosty weather here just now only the snow has still to come. What do you think, I will be 15 years old on Saturday, that is the 23rd October, and Mum is making a cake for me. Well Peter Pan I think that is all the news, so I will close now.

(From Betty McLennan. Scotland* P.S. I am still writing to my three Pen-Pals in New Zealand.