BAZAAR AT METHVEN

New Zealand Tablet, 8 May 1913, Page 17

BAZAAR AT METHVEN

(From an t occasional/ correspondent.)

For the purpose .of liquidating ..the, debt in connection, with the establishment'."of the new parish of ; M|thven, and the building of a handsome convent in brick, opened last February, a bazaar was held in -the-Meth-ven /Town Hall from April 12 to 22 inclusive. This being the first bazaar of its kind ever held in Methyen, it proved ; a great attraction, to the general public, jfrho attended in large numbers.every night, and, contributed most liberally. ; ' ; .. *'. "\\ /'. ;\.'. t ...r--;. - The opening ceremony was performed oh Saturday afternoon, April 12, by Mr. W. J. Dickie, M.P.; who complimented the Catholics of Methven on what, he said, was the best and largest bazaar, lie had ever .been called upon to open in the district..' He concluded by wishing the bazaar every success. •* .. .'-..", - Prom every point of view the bazaar proved to be an unqualified "success, due -.- principally to the ,„ untiring energy and zeal displayed by those connected with its organisation. The stallholders and assistants, though unaccustomed to work of this nature, proved themselves more than equal to the task. It may be mentioned here that they were only given two months' notice: to prepare for the fair. Donations in the shape of works of art, which were much appreciated, were given by the Sisters of .'Mercy at Grey mouth, Westport,. Hokitika, Wellington, Christchurch, Lytteltoh, ' Blehheimf'Tand Akaroa; Sisters of • the Missions''(Ashburton),' "Sisters of the Sacred Heart (Timaru),-the Sisters of St'.-Joseph (Ternuka), the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (Mt, Magdala), and by several friends in different parts of the Dominion. Musical items were contributed -each evening by the convent school children, specially trained for the occasion by the Sisters, on whom they reflected great credit, also by Mrs. Golding, Mrs. Ryan, Misses M. O'Connor, McKendry, O'Connell, •: • Cullen ; Messrs. Whitelock, Taylor, and Gillespie, and the ; Ashburton Temperance Band. During the progress of the festival several competitions were held,, including ..a tugf of-war, which created great excitement and interest. The winning team was Eiffleton' (Ashburton).;' '.'.A comic singing competition was won. by Mr. F. Whitelock. ; . : The following is a list of stallholders and assistants:Britannia.— T. Nee, H. Kennedy, T. O'Rielly; assistants, Mrs. Morrison, . Misses Nohelty, Kennedy (2), O'Connell, Tully,, and" Sloan. . ; r ; Hibernian.—Mesdames D. McKendry, T. Twomey, J. Buckley, P. McNeill; assistants,' Misses Twomey, McKendry (3), O'Connor (2), O'Brien. :v Caledonia.— H. Cullen, D. Golding, C. Mcintosh,. McAnulty, J. Ryan; assistants, Misses Cullen (2), Dowling, McCrenor (3), Middleton (4), Goodwin, Johnston (2), Poff, K. Ryan. i|. —Mesdames W. J. Nee, .P. McGirr, sen., M. McKay; assistants, Mesdames Mannion, Eagah, Compton, Misses Lacey, Blackmore, O'Shea (2). ' H Jumble Sale and Sweet Stall.—Miss Coneys; assistants; Misses Cullen (2) and Mannion. "'[■ ..' , ■jl Mr. J. ■ Laurenson was hon.. secretary, and Messrs. J. Buckley and McAnulty.acted as doorkeepers. i;i On Wednesday evening, April 23, a very successful complimentary 'so"Cia"l~was tendered to the stallholders, assistants, and others. Very Rev. Dean O'Donnefl (Ashburton) was present. ' '^' Rev. Dr. Kennedy, in an appropriate speech, paid a grateful tribute to : the stallholders and assistants for their untiring efforts in bringing to such a successful conclusion what was undoubtedly a record for bazaars in country centres. It gave him, and he was sure also every person in the community, very great pleasure to be in a position that night to say that -the object for which the festival had been promoted had been more than fully realised, the gross receipts being £672. He was pleased to say that the new convent Was free of debt. To one who had only worked in the new parish for the comparatively short period of eight months, it was indeed .very gratifying to see that so much had been accomplished, and for this he had to thank everyone who had contributed directly and indirectly to the success of the bazaar. . ' '.: