THE COSTER BALL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 446, 11 December 1930, Page 8

THE COSTER BALL

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR SAVELOYS AND COFFEE SUPPEB. Fun! There was never such fun as in the Drill Hall last night, when everybody pantomimed in coster clothes and played make believe. The whole of the evening was marked by a wholeheartedness that was as commendable as it was enjoyable. The costumes and the posters were judged by Mesdames Pierce and Neame and Mr Jenkins, and specialty dancing was also an excellent feature of the evening. Miss Swann’s pupils gave an excellent concerted number, as did also Miss Broadhead and her pupils. Miss Wright and Miss Mahoney gave a dramatic apache dance in a darkened room.

The piece-de-force of the evening, however, occurred when the big doors of the Drill Ball opened and a horse harnessed to a milk float full of costers was driven on to the dance floor illuminated only by a spot-light.

The entrants for the poster competition were the Power Board, Sparring’s, Southern Cross Biscuits, Vacuum Oil Co., the Dominion newspaper, Kayser Hosiery, Queen Anne Chocolates, Eat More Fruit, Black and White Whisky, Wanganui River Services, Kcrnohan’s, and Bell’s Whisky. The judges made the following awards: —(1) Kcrnohan’s; (2) “East More Fruit”; (3) Power

Board and the Dominion bracketed together. The awards for the costumes were:—Lady: Miss Missen; gentleman, Mr Sperring; lady and gentleman together: Mr and Airs Woollams. Character there was in plenty and it was not kept to the garb only. Many proved themselves adept at maintaining the role throughout the night with wonderful mimicry and droll antics. One lady sold lavender and offered a nip from a bottle with a time-old invitation to “Have a drop of gin old dear.” Another pedalled guru and told one person that the difference between his chewing gum and a cow chewing the cud was the intelligent look on the cow’s face. Over in a corner of the Drill Hall was an old-time coffee stall, the famous kerb-stone hotels of the London cabby, the nightprowler and the reveller. Stalls were arranged alongside one wall and wfires appropriate to the occasion were offered for sale. In the supper-room hot saveloys, “savs” in costerdom (not “hot dogs,” for that is Yankee), and pies were served with coflee. The table illuminations- -candles in bottles —added a really primitive touch to the scene. The hall was free from decora tions save fur a conspicuous line of washing hanging under the balcony. The washing, however, was yet to be — ahem. And so the fun sped on. proving that it does not need fine clothes to make merry hearts. Last night the Drill Hall compared with Wonderland in the Mile End Road in many ways, and not the least was the unalloyed freedom of people bent on enjoying themselves and achieving their objective. The Coster Ball was fortunate also in having excellent dance music. It is seldom that so large a number of musicians is available for a dance, but the members of the Queen Alexandra Band ■were as generous in their attendance as they were excellent in their perform-

ance. . . i The following were m Coster and Pcarlie dress: Air and Mrs Howard 1 aul Miss Colman, Miss Howie. Mr and Mrs Snorting. Dr. Earle and Airs Earle; Dr. and Airs A. H- Wall and Miss Wall, Mr and Airs W. Stewart. Aliss Cowper, Mr Sims. Dr. Wilson and Mrs Wilson, Mr and Airs G. Paul, Mr and Airs Roddy, Air and Mrs C. Ross, Aliss B- Alontoomerv. Mrs D- J. Beard. Airs F. Searle, Miss Zeislcr. Mr N. Meuli, Miss Izard, Aliss J. Broad. Miss Bennetts, Mr W. Gordon. Air K. Armstrong, Air G. Axes, Air and Airs J- Millward. Mr ID. Stewart. Dr. A. Wilson and Mrs Wilson, Air F. O. Bridgman, Air S. Paterson. Mr and Mrs J. Nixon, Aliss J. Christie. Aliss AL Jackson, Miss I. Howie, Aliss Mitchell, Airs Crabb, Air and Airs J. Alillward, Aliss H. Rogers., Air and Airs Seal. Miss Hoye, Mrs Scannell, Air A. Tilley, Aliss N. Russell, Mr and Airs Hornby, Aliss D. Polson, Aliss AL McDonald. Mr and Airs PO’Neill, Miss D. Drew. Mr Rogers. Miss N. Cowper. Air Sims. Air and Mrs Keesing, Aliss C. Jackson, Air Nicol (Palmerston North), Air Blyth and Miss MBlyth. Air H. Wall, Air C. Swan. Mr Haggitt, Mrs V. Williams, Air Austen, ’Afr and Mrs W’oollams. Air and Mrs J. Goss. Airs G. Currie, Miss Afargaret Currie. Aliss Cullinane. Air R. Clay. Air and Airs Reg. Lawrence. Mr and Mrs Aferewether, Aliss Nancy Grace, Afiss K. Lewis, Air Aforgan Duncan, Mr L. Deem. Dr. Helen Deem, Aliss AL Latham. Air and Mrs Hewatt. Air Seely, Air Alaule, Air and Mrs A. Batra k. Air M. Alitehell (Auckland), Mr J. Newsome (Auckland), Airs R. Reid. Miss S- Richardson, Air C. Sinel (Auckland) Miss M. Stringfellow. Mr J. Foster, Air F. Swan, Afr and Airs Cuthbertson, Mr and Mrs R- Hatrick, Aliss Cohen. Mr L. Cohen, Mr G. Aicßcth, Afiss Hatrick, Air and Mrs E. Forlong, Afr and Airs F. Turnbull. Air and Airs H. Hartland, Mr J. Ambrose, Aliss E. Wright, Afr P. Stewart, Aliss Missen (2), Air D. Mclvor. Captain Maxwell, Afr F. Boyd. Afiss E. Wilkinson, Afiss ZBlair.

Wearers of poster costumes were Miss Avison, representing Southern Cross biscuits; Miss Aloore (Sperring s Gift Poster); Afiss Gwen Bamber (Electric Globe), representing the, Power Board; Mrs Osborne (Bell’s Whisky); Aliss Af. Fisher (Queen Anne Chocolates); Miss R. Hoar (Kayser); Mr Foster (Black and White Whisky); Aliss H. Crysell; Mr Derrick Osborne, Mr Osborne and Keith Lund (Kcrnohan’s Golden Cross Teas); Aliss L. Grieve (Swau Pens); Miss J. Blyth and Afr O. Burford (Wanganui River Services); Miss Grover (Dominion); Aliss Facer and Miss Easton (the First Poster) Eat More Fruit; Aliss Sharrc’ek (Afobiloil). Among those in evening dress were: Airs Hatrick senr., Airs E. Anderson and Miss Anderson; Aliss Brettargh, Afrs Pierce, Mr and Airs Neame, Aliss D. Bourne, M r Hayward, Captain Haigh, Mr Oscar Garden, Mrs P. Lewis, Mrs 8. Cunningham, Miss Marshall, Mr Holness (Wellington), Airs S. Moffett, Mrs Bridges, Aliss Morton Jones, Mrs Franklin, Mrs Bates, Air and Airs Craig, Mr Izard, Mrs S. Smith, Airs Vaughan McDonald, Mrs Christie, Airs D. Quince.

The committee were: Alesdames A. Hatrick, T. L. Sperring, A. Wilson, D. Wilson, Af. Earle, Osborne, Orton, Currie, Cooper, H. Robertson, F. Hutchinson, Izard, Messrs Bridgman, Nancarrow, Hassell, Captain Maxwell. A “Coster” dance was given by Aliss Lucie Broadhead and pupils, a ballet dance by Afiss Swan’s pupils and an Apache dance by Afiss Wright and partner. Stallholders were as follow:—Coffee and pie cart stall: Mrs A. E. Cowper and Mrs L. Taylor, Mrs Currie,

Mrs Earle and Mrs Wilson. Squeaker, balloon and match stall: Mrs T. L. Sperring and Airs Robertson. Oranges and peanut stall: Mrs A. Hatrick and Airs F. Hutchinson. Tee cream stall: Mrs Orton and Mrs Wilson.