VANITY FAIR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 34, 10 February 1937, Page 2

VANITY FAIR

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL ! Mrs F. F. Stapleton, Wanganui I East, is holidaying in Hamilton. I Miss Laird, Victoria Avenue, is spending two weeks visiting friends i at Hawera. | Mrs J. Leslie Lambert, who was the guest of Mrs J. S. Howie, St. John’s ! Hill, has returned to Hunterville. | Mr and Mrs Harold F. Low, Marlton, who were week-end visitors to Wanganui, were the guests of Mr and Mrs J. S. Howie, St. John’s Hill. * • • • Mrs W. H. Rooke and her daughter, of Aramoho, have taken a cottage at Castlecliff for a month and have as their guests Miss Moss ard Miss Lily Adams. • ♦ ♦ • Miss M. Newcombe, accompanied by Mrs Merewether, left yesterday for Napier on a holiday visit and to attend the wedding of Miss Newcombe’s niece, Miss Valerie Hill, which will take place next week.

Mrs B. J. Taylor is a Wanganui visitor to Waverley. » ♦ • • Miss Hiorns, Wanganui East, is visiting New Plymouth. Mr and Mrs M. Carrigan were Feilding visitors to Wanganui yesterday. • • • • Miss M. Wills has returned to Wanganui after a holiday spent in Wellington. * * * • Miss A. Marshall arrived from New Plymouth yesterday on a visit to Wanganui. Mrs A. L. Humphries, who has been visiting Wanganui, has returned to New Plymouth. ♦ * • • Mrs Wallace Strachan, of Okoia, left on Monday for Auckland on a visit to her mother. » • * • Misses Betty McCarty and Ruby Harris, of Patea, have returned from a sojourn at Tauranga. 4Mr and Mrs E. F. Everett, jnr., and Mrs A. H. McLean motored to Wellington to farewell Mrs Everett and party. ♦ ♦ ♦ * Among the Wanganui-ites off to England for the Coronation is Miss S. Baker,* of Wangaehu, who will leave early next month by the Wanganella for Sydney, where she will join the Esperance Bay.' Miss Baker will be accompanied by Miss Easton, of Wellington, and they will spend six months touring England. Miss Alice Wood, Wanganui, is returning by the Rotorua from an extended tour of England and the Continent. Mrs G. E. Reid and Miss Sadie Wood intend going to Wellington at the week-end to meet their sister, and on March 4 Miss Sadie Wood takes her departure from Wanganui on the first stages of her trip to England.

A woman who meets men on an equal footing in the almost exclusively masculine world of finance, who has met with acceptance rather than opposition, astonishment rather than prejudice—that is Miss Gordon Holmes, joint managing-director of her own financial house in London, director of several companies, and financial adviser to two Continental banks. In her rather old-fashioned London office, elbows on her desk, half-hidden behind a huge dictaphone, she said: “I have never found any prejudice against me on the part of men. But then, of course, I came in during the war, when men were only too glad for women to take over.” Prejudice against women in the city still bars them from membership of the London Stock Exchange, as it still bars them from the church. “A curious partnership of God and mammon,” said Miss Holmes with a smile.

Mrs Hugh Robinson, better known in New Zealand as Alison Grant, a New Zealand writer of verse and prose, is at present in Sydney with her husband and small son, John. For the past year she has been a contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Sun and the Sydney Mall, in which also appeared a clever pencil portrait. Miss Violet Vanbrugh (Mrs Bourchier), the eminent English actress recently visiting Australia. Under the name of John Muir, Mrs Robinson has done several outstanding posters, principally for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and has made novel use of her art in the designing of modern floors to be reproduced in rubber. Her radio talks on Spain and England contain names and many men and women of letters, such as Edith Sitwell, Lord Dunsany, James Stephens, the late A. E., W. 8., Yeats, Walter de la Mare, Margaret Kennedy, Rebecca West, Henry Handel Richardson, and others whom she has personally known. ENGAGEMENT The engagement is announced of Ivy, the only daughter of Mrs E. M. Stitt, Wellington, and the late Mr A. J. Stitt, of Hastings, to Carroll James Sharpe, the second-son of Mrs Phillips and the late J. T. Sharpe, of Wanganui.

HITHER AND IHI I HER Coining-of-age Party Saturday evening was an occasion for merry-making, when a crowd of young friends assembled at the home of Miss Vivyenne Summerell, who has attained her majority, and was celebrating accordingly. Mrs Summerell received in a frock of brown ripple silk, patterned in autumn tonings, and the guest of honour, who is popularly known as “Bubbles,” looked verytattractive in deep ivory self-sprigged taffeta, with a long gold tasselled girdle. The lucky girl received an array of lovely gifts. Vocal items, chorus singing, and dancing were enjoyed by all; also games and competitions, an amusing “dark” one being won by Miss Aileen O’Shaughnessy and Mr Alex Lewis, for which prizes were awarded. The traditional key was presented with due ceremony and was autographed by all. The cake, iced in pastel tones, was the gift of her father and was cut accompanied by musical honours. An appetising and popular savoury supper was served and a very jolly evening concluded with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” A Dutch Visitor Spending several weeks in New Zealand is Mrs T. Elink Schuurman, wife of the Consul-General for the Netherlands in Australia. She will visit the South Island after seeing the sights in the North Island. Rotorua, Waitomo, and the Chateau were Included in a motor tour. Mrs Schuurman is enthusiastic in her praise of New Zealand hospitality and thought the Dominion was fortunate in possessing such a variety of scenery in such a small area. Compared with Holland, New Zealand seemed a young and new country, although both in their own way were very picturesque. Some of the greatest attractions of Holland lay in the beautiful old castles, possessing histories that had become almost legendary. Mrs Schuurman is a much-travelled woman, and has lived in Berlin, New Guinea. China, and Japan. Travel Is part of her life, but she is always interested in seeing new countries and meeting new people.

Woman Racing Motorist Mrs A. McKinnon, who arrived in Sydney recently with her husband, is a racing motorist, mechanic and outboard motor racer. She and her husband brought with them a specially built racing car, to compete in motor races in Australia. The round-Australia car trials in 1937 have also attracted the visitors. Mrs McKinnon, who is 27 years of age, has been fascinated by engines of many types since she went to England from Sydney six years ago. With her father and mother she lived in a cabin cruiser on the Thames, and when she went to London, she commenced to take a great interest in motor craft. At 22 years of age, with a companion, she crossed the North Sea from Westminster to Amsterdam, in a 14ft. 3i horse-power outboardengined craft. Most of the voyage was made in the dark, with only an electric torch for light. Later, Mrs McKinnon raced for an outboard motor firm. A Unique Women’s Club America possesses a unique women’s club, the members of which are the wives of those connected in some way with the dairying industry. It is the only club of its kind in the United States. A member of the club, Mrs Robert B. Stoltz, wife of Professor Stoltz, chairman of the Department of Dairy Technology, Ohio State University, arrived in Sydney recently and told of some of the club’s activities. “Most of the members of the club are the wives of managers and executives in the industry,” Mrs Stoltz explained, “Once a month we hold meetings, which create a better spirit among competitors. We also hold periodical conventions.” Mrs Stoltz described the system of fraternities, and sororities in American universities. “We have 12,000 students from all over the United States in Ohio University,” she said. “The fraternities and sororities meet a need, because they help all these students, and enable them to get to know each other. It is quite difficult to enter a fraternity or sorority; one has to be elected. You can be an ‘independent’ if you wish, but it takes courage. My son is a member of a fraternity, but my eldest daughter, who is now studying home economics at Ohio University, went to a girls’ school of which there was no sorority system, and so she is an independent.”

Surprise Birthday Party. About 30 friends laden with gifts paid a surprise visit to the home of Miss Patty Rose, Godwin Cresent, on Saturday evening in honour of her birthday. A very happy evening was spent with games and competitions. A choral competition proved a very popular item, members of the chorus led by Mr. Kidd being winners, and

were complimented on the good harmonising by Miss S. Ward, who acted as judge. Miss P. Rose was the winner of an amusing competition. Music for the evening was supplied by Miss V. Dunn (violin), Miss Rose (piano) and Messrs. G. Hallam and R. Orr (mouth-organ). A solo by Mr. L. Dromgoole was well received. Dancing on the green was indulged in until supper time. Mr. R. Orr (M-.C.l then presented Miss Rose with a signet ring a birthday gift from those present, and spoke briefly of her high qualities in sport, in her work and in her home. Miss Rose suitably replied. The singing of “Auld Lang Syne” and the Harriers’ Chorus brought a very pleasant evening to a close. Among those present were:— Mrs. King; Misses Veda Dunn, Una Carswell, Zina Wall, Jean Hicks, Stella Ward, Tui Cliff, Pat Rose, Edna Winkler, Molly Ansley, May • Pearson. Messrs. L. King, J. Rose, C. Kidd, Arthur Wall, Stan. Wall, H. Knowles. F. Rogers, L. Parkes, A. Parkes, M. Breed, R. Orr, C. Spencer, A. Penberthy, L. Dromgoole, G. Hallam.