CHRISTIAN BROTHERS' SCHOOL BAZAAR

New Zealand Tablet, 16 October 1913, Page 26

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS' SCHOOL BAZAAR

THE OPENING CEREMONY For a long time it has been felt that the building which the Christian Brothers have been using as a school has outlived its usefulness, and that one more in keeping with its purpose, and with the times, was an absolute necessity. Other undertakings, however, interfered with this matter being taken up until at length it became so pressing that it could not be postponed any longer. ■ When the proposal to hold a bazaar in aid of a new school was put forward in the early part of this year, it was taken up with a whole-hearted enthusiasm that augured well tor the success of the undertaking, especially as hundreds of the Old Boys of the school in the city and throughout Otago took the matter up with the greatest enthusiasm, and promised their heartiest support. The ladies of the city and suburbs set to work with their customary zeal and industry to provide for the furnishing of the various stalls, and an energetic committee of gentlemen, with Rev. Father Coffey as treasurer, and Mr. J. Hally as secretary, undertook to make the necessary arrangements, and draw up a programme of spectacular displays, music, and athletic contests. The committee devoted much time and thought to these matters, the result being that nothing had been overlooked. The ladies had been working unceasingly for some time, and the splendid and comprehensive display of goods which they got together was the subject of general admiration. The immense audience, which assembled at the opening ceremony on Monday evening in His Majesty’s Theatre, had tangible evidence in the varied nature _of the exhibits and their excellence, of the determination of the stallholders to make this the best and most successful carnival ever held in Dunedin. An inspection of the stalls would lead one to believe that the promoters had almost laid every part of the globe under tribute, so varied, artistic, and unique were the contents thereof. Seven of the principal stalls —Great Britain, America, Ireland, Spain, India, Italy, and Japan (tea room) are situated on the first floor, and the Old Boys’ Emporium with a number of sideshow on the ground floor, The stalls are designed with much taste, and decorated /in a manner typical of the nations they represent. The decorations have been carried out on a lavish scale, and with good taste and judgment. It is not necessary, in fact it would be impossible, to deal separately with the contents of each stall, as it is only by a personal inspection that one could get an idea of the varied and valuable character of the exhibits. There is for' sale something to suit everybody—the useful, the artistic, and the ornamental. Even the necessaries of life have not been neglected, for in the q emporium conducted by the Old Boys’ Committee can % be purchased everything necessary for stocking a wellfilled larder. Shortly before 8 o’clock the proceedings began with the dancing and spectacular display under the direction of Miss Hamann. The first item was a military tableau, in which a number of ladies took part, the Kaikonai Bandwhich has been engaged for the three weeks the carnival will run—playing the National Anthem, with Mr. G. B. Laidlaw as conductor. Following this oame a military march, the ladies wearing long, flowing

white dresses, with black drapings, large black hats with white rosettes in front, and each lady carrying a long black staff trimmed with white flowers and crimson streamers. The gentlemen wore regulation military attire. Sixty little girls clad in crimson and wearing silver crowns and silver stars on their dresses danced a Valerian dance, the leaders being Misses Ella McCleary, Dorothy Griffiths, Winnie Salmon, and Hazel Salmon, each of whom carried a gaily-decked wand of scarlet. The dance of the Crimson Ramblers was performed by 40 girls robed in white with gold trellis work and crimson rambler roses. Each carried a garland trimmed to correspond with their costumes. The next party to appear consisted *of 60 little boys and- girls, the boys being dressed as huntsmen, two little girls proving tractable steeds for each to steer round the stage. A grand finale for .all brought the first part of the dancing to a close. In the second part, given about an hour later, 24 girls prettily dressed in pale blue, with white collars and trimmings, and wearing large white hats with blue drapings, gave a sailors' dance, and the concluding item was a dance by Welsh witches by 40 little girls wearing variously-colored dresses, high black pointed . hats, black capes, and ruffles at the neck, and bearing in their hands short black wands. The dancing was exceeding pretty, and was loudly applauded. At the conclusion of the first part of the spectacular display Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., accompanied by his Worship the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr. Downie Stewart), Rev. Brother O'Donoghue, Councillors J. J. Marlow and A. J. Sullivan, and Messrs J. B. Callan, jun., and C. A.'Shiel, ascended the stage. Rev. Father Coffey, in-introducing the Mayor, said that his Worship had come there that evening for the purpose of declaring the bazaar open. He was quite sure that it was unnecessary to inform the Mayor of the efforts they were making to erect a new school, and he had no doubt that his sympathies were with them in the work of building schools in keeping with those already in Dunedin. As Mayor of the city he would be pleased with anything which would help to beautify and benefit the town. He then asked his Worship to declare the bazaar open. His Worship the Mayor said it was almost unnecessary for him to declare the carnival open after the magnificent spectacular display they had just witnessed. The object of the bazaar was to assist in providing funds for the erection of an up-to-date school for the. Christian Brothers, in which they could carry on the splendid work that they were engaged in. That work had been carried on in the present building for close on forty years, and it was a wonder it was carried on so well under the circumstances. The carnival was on a very large scaleon a scale rarely seen in Dunedin, —|lnd he understood that 700 persons were engaged, it in one capacity or another. The school would cost about £SOOO, and he understood that Father

Coffey' hoped to raise half that amount by the carnival. He trusted that patrons would not restrict their generosity, lest the receipts would exceed the £SOOO, because

the Christian Brothers had plenty of uses to which the surplus could be put. Nothing had struck him more since he had been Mayor than the popularity of such carnivals, and the immense sums that were raised by what might be called voluntary taxation. He had suggested to Mr. Marlow that it might be a good thing for the City Council, which was always in want of funds, to get up a bazaar on its own account. (Laughter.) In conclusion, he said he had much pleasure in declaring the bazaar open, and trusted it would be most successful. Rev. Father ’ Coffey, on behalf of the Christian Brothers and the Catholic community, thanked his Worship for coming to open the bazaar,' and at the same time apologised for the absence of his Lordship Bishop Yerdon, who was prevented from attending by the inclemency of the weather. ' & ", Considering the unfavorable weather, there was a splendid attendance, and very brisk business w>as done. . Tlle following is a list of stalls, stallholders, and assistants: ■ j. America.— StallholdersMrs. Jackson and St. Vincent de Paul Society; assistants—Mesdames Dr. O’Neill, Salmon, Stone, Callan, 'Lemon, Foster, Carter, Misses Rowley, Curran Turner, Laffey, Kilmartin, Walsh, Butler, Munro, Smith,' Swanson, O’Connell Murphy, O’Sullivan, Metcalfe, Kennedy, Masters Aherne, Kennedy, Tracey, Myers, Foster, Dunford, and Mr. J. Salmon (secretary). Winfred Cigarettes .Stall.—Stallholder, Mrs. Jackson; assistants P. Wilson, Misses McCartney, Treahey, McQuillan, Thomas, Stapleton, Brady, Hughes (2), and Mr. J Salmon (secretary). . ' (Treat Britain.— StallholdersMesdames Hungerford, Rossbotham, and Lynch; assistants Mesdames McCleary, O’Keefe, Kerr, Misses Dormer, O’Farrell, Lynch, Collins, McCleary, Murphy, Anderson, Dowdle, Bunbury, White, James, Rossiter, Fogarty, Begly, Fox, Rossbotham, Ferens, Mellick, Turnbull’ Wood, Messrs. Rossbotham, Casey, Wood, Connor’ Hart, Gustafson, Haggett, Hungerford. Ireland.— Stallholder, Mrs, Marlow; assistants Mesdames Harris, Noonan, Manning, O’Connell, Ryall, Misses Long, Dunford, Francis, Hannigan’ Mcßride, Rodden, Tonar, Mullins, Robinson, Layburn, Brown, Plunket, Dunbar, Keogh, Fenton, Gibb, Lovell, Davis, Marlow, Messrs. McAuley, Bevis' At will, Keys, Ahearn, Walsh, Lefevre, MArlow, Lovell, Rodden. * .

Spain.——Mesdames Sweeney, Duffy, Street, and Moloney; —Mesdames Hade' Moloney, Davis, Dunn, Misses Sweeney, Moloney, Hannan, Coughlan, Black, Fitzpatrick, Maxwell, Ford, Milligan, Gallery, Quinn, Mellick, O'Connor, O'Farrell, McCleary, Clements, Heffernan, Collie, Sheehy, Hart, Messrs. Coughlan, Dwyer, B. Ryan. India.—Children of Mary; stallholder, Miss Rodgers; assistants— Gawne, Flynn, Murphy, Gleeson, Misses Cotter, O'Rourke, O'Connell, Crow-

ley, Kennedy, Carter, O’Halloran, Weaver, Barry, White, Wilson, Cowan, Pound, Wakelin, Mooney, • . Atwill, O’Sullivan, Millen, Treahy, Doocey, Cromer, Cheesman, Messrs. Wilson, Cantwell, Rabon. Italy.— Stallholder, Mrs. Shiel; assistants—Mes- , dames Sullivan, Major, Misses Heenan, Hackett, Hay, McCluskey, Helmsley, Grace, Sullivan, O’Brien, Cal- : laghan, Woods, Fouhey, Collins, Heffernan, Brennan, . Emery, McDermid, Byrne, Kelly, Powell,- Kerr, Mulholland, Dwyer. f> Japan.-Refreshment Stall-Stallholder, Miss Staunton; assistants —Mesdames Skinner, Simpson, Misses Duhig,. Fogarty, Grace, Davis, Holt, Dawson, Hawkins (2), Puechgeud, Brady (2), Edmunds, Farrell, Brebhef, Kent, Philips, McLeely, Messrs, Millea, Pitchrick, Sullivan (2), Simpson, Murphy, Walsh, Dunne, and Mr. N. McNamara (secretary). Old Boys’ Emporium. — Supervising committee Rev. D. Buckley (president), Rev. Brother Moore, Messrs. J. Kilmartin, J. Airey, E. W. Spain, H. Moynihan. / - Produce Stall.-Stallholder, Miss Morrissey; asMesdames Finlinson, W. Woods, Ringer, Airey, Mr. J. P. Dunne (secretary), Mr. J. McKenzie (assistant secretary). Afternoon attendants —Mesdames Martin and Lennon. Flower Stall and Pot Plants.—Misses Hart, Hastings, and Houlihan. V . : - v Merry-Go-Round.Messrs. J. Tarleton (in charge), J. Stapleton, and T. Laffey. Dips. —Messrs. P. Keligher (in charge), J. Walsh, and T. Dwyer. Aunt Sally.—Messrs. H. Miles and L. Kennedy. Scallywag.Messrs. R. McDonnell and J. McDonnell. Quoits. —Messrs. A. Tarleton and W. Gleeson. Houp-la.— F., D., and B. Fogarty and T. Hughes. Racking Football.—Messrs. J. Mackel, A. McCaughan, and J. Temple. Shooting Gallery. Messrs. J. McKenzie and J. McKeefry. Tire following will probably be set in motion during the bazaar; — Laughing Gallery. Post Office, Bag- ■ atelle, etc. On Tuesday, the second day of the bazaar, the attendance was even larger than on the first, and the stallholders reported very good business. The spectacular display -was a, great centre of attraction, and the various dances were enthusiastically applauded. In the grand march 120 ladies and gentlemen took part, and over 100 children went through the Valerian dance and the Hunter’s dance, and then Mr. J. McGrath sang ‘ The king’s courier,’ Mrs. J. Woods acting as accompanist. After an interval for business, forty young children, dressed in long stove pipe hats and witches’ cloaks, and looking very quaint and pretty, gave a witches’ dance, and thirty girls dressed in blue and white gave a sailor’s hornpipe. The interest in the tug-of-war contests is increasing as • the date for commencing the pulls approaches. The entries have , been greatly in excess of those received for any similar competition here. Other new items for the programme have been arranged, and will be given from time to time. , ‘