Bazaar at Lawrence

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 21, 21 May 1903, Page 20

Bazaar at Lawrence

The ba7aar, the proceeds of which are intended to liquidate the debt on the Catholic presbytery (says the ' Tuapeka Times '), was opened in the Town Hall on Thursday evening under auspices of a very pleasing and promising kind. The hall was very nicely decorated, and the stalls were furnished with a very fine assortment of those various articles of ornament and utility that seldom fail to appeal successfully to the pockets of the

visitors. The exhibits included some very fine specimens, of needlework, which were highly creditable to. the industry and talent of the ladies who had spent so many months in their pioduction. There were also some pretty designs in fancy work, whilst the panels and paintings were very much admiied. The bazaar, as a whoje, was the best seen in Laurence for some time. The Mayor (Mr. G. Jeffery), who performed the opening ceremony, said he had known intimately the people of the Catholic community in that district for 40 yeais, and during that time he had known them to be sympathetic and good citizens, who were always ready to put their hands in their pock.ets and assist any good, deserving object oi a public or private cluuactei. His memory took him back to the time when, one of the first, if not the iirst, Catholic chinch in L.iwicncc was crectc<d. It was a very humble structure indeed. It consisted of an lion building, with walls six feet in height. At that time theie was no piesbytery in connection with the church. But things had changed since then, and to-day, through the good work of Monsignor O'Leary, they had a church and presbytery of which they ought to bo proud. It was a long time since the Catholic body in Lawrence had a bazaar, and he could see on looking around that the ladies had come forward with a bazaar which was the very best of its kind, the display of the work on the stalls being highly artistic. The Very Rev. Mgr. O'Leary thanked the Mayor for his kindness in opening the bazaar, and also for th« very nice things he had said about the Catholic community, lie thought it was very fitting that the Mayor of the municipality should be asked to open the bazaar It was the duty as well as the interest both of the community and the Mayor to encourage improvements in the town, and he was sure his Worship would admit that the Catholic community had done something to improve its appearance. They did not take out of the town any of the money made at any previous bazaar, but put it into bricks and mortar, in the upraising of buildings which, he might say would remain an abiding improvement to the town when both his Worship and himself were in their graves.

The following were the stallholders :— No. 1, Mrs. Kelleher, assisted by Misses Kelleher (2), Brosnan, and Coigan ; No. 2, Misses T. Ryan and Wall, assisted by Misses Moody and Roughan ; No. 3, Mesdames H. Hart ,md Bowman, assisted by Misses Airey, Tray nor, and Woods : No. 4, Miss Mills, assisted by Misses Riordan W Roughan, Fahev. K. Roughan, and Smith ; Mesdames Casey and Cummirgs, assisted by Miss O'Donnell, being in charge of the refreshment stall. A sum of £00 was taken on the fust night, the total receipts for the three nights being over £220.