Napier

New Zealand Tablet, 13 November 1919, Page 19

Napier

(From our own correspondent.) . ,; November 6. . Archbishop O'Shea, of Wellington, paid a visit "~ to Napier and Hastings during bazaar week. '-'■"■■■' Rev. Father Quinn, S.M., of Greymouth, who has been in Napier for several weeks on a recuperative visit, left on Tuesday last for Wanganui. During the bazaar Father Quinn rendered very valuable assistance. : ; THE BAZAAR. For several months past the Catholics of Napier have been energetically making preparations for the holding of tho grand bazaar in aid of the rebuilding of the convent schools at Napier. .The cause of Catholic education is very dear to the hearts of the people, and consequently a determined effort was made to raise the necessary money for the . furtherance of this cause. The reward of the organisers' labor was reaped at the big function, the opening of which took place in the Municipal Theatre on Saturday, October 18. The Mayor (Mr. J. V. Brown, M.P.) performed the official opening ceremony, which was a signal for the opening of the pockets of -those present. There was a very large attendance of sympathisers of the project who had come to spend their money and assist the organisers in making the show an unqualified success. The bazaar exchequer quickly began to swell as visitors were relieved of their surplus cash, and vendors quickly disposed of their wares. The stalls, numbering four, were well stocked with a wide range, of first-class goods,-: great credit being due to the stall-holders for the excellence and quantity of the wares. Beautiful works of art in needlework, painting, and other beautiful designs, attracted the covetous eyes of many. Numbers of these were disposed of by raffling, and the sale of ,-. tickets throughout was good, the sweet smiling lady sellers' demands meeting with a ready response. The Convent Stall (fancy) was under the direction of Mrs. E. Kirk, assisted by Mrs. L. Revell, Misses O'Connor and M. Mcintosh. A novel attraction attached to the stall was a six-legged lamb, which genus provided special interest for the farming community. Mr. B. O'Rourke conducted another side line or competition whereby the stall funds were augmented. The Port Ahuriri Stall. was controlled by Mrs. G. Graves, assisted by Mesdames Keating and Rankin, while in connection herewith Mr. J. Sheehan did thriving business with a shooting gallery. The soft drinks stall was also run under the supervision of the Port committee. Mrs. J. Harris was in charge of the Children of Mary Stall, and was assisted by members of that society. The sweets stall attached thereto was directed by Mrs. Mulligan and Hogan. The gipsy pool, nail-driving competition, and fortune-telling, were also run in conjunction with the stall. The produce stall was run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Mrs. McGrath and Miss Faulkner being in charge. The tea rooms, a branch of this stall, were controlled by Miss Piercy, assisted by Mesdames M. Gleeson, B. J. Dolan, J. Piercy, C. Condon, W. Hefford Smith, and the Misses A. O'Connor, Lynam, Kenny (2), McGrath (2), Bailey, and Sheridan. Several other side shows were managed by Messrs. Walsh, O'Rourke, Ryan, Rankin, Revell, and Wynn. The bazaar continued for 10 nights, the hall being crowded on each occasion. Business was excellent throughout the whole session. Each evening the visitors were treated to an excellent entertainment, consisting of orchestral overtures, rendered by a specially engaged bazaar orchestra; fascinating dances by the pupils of Miss Winnie Dallow, and items by the convent Maori pupils. The items contributed were of a high standard. During the afternoon sessions moving picture entertainments were provided. For several months prior to the bazaar the ■: Queen Carnival created much interest throughout the district, this interest rapidly increasing towards the termination of the bazaar. :■..:;-. ," J ;,"C W '■'"'■

The committee supporting each candidate are to be congratulated on the manner in which they have 'worked for their candidates, whereby a very handsome sum, nearly tHvo thousand pounds, was .realised. On the closing night

of the bazaar the committees put up a big fight, which provided intense amusement for the vast audience. From time to time results of the voting were announced on the board,” which showed the go bcon the Maori and convent candidates to be a near thing. They hovered very close to one another until almost the end, when the Maori Queen candidate jumped up by several thousands. The final results were as follow: —Maori Queen (Miss Lucy Takarangi), 57,138; Convent Queen (Miss W. Windle), 51,181; Hibernian Queen (Miss D. Kenny), 18,000; Soldiers’ Queen (Miss Morecroft), 14,479; total, 140,798. The successful queen received a hearty ovation, the other candidates also being heartily applauded. The coronation of the queen will take place at a later date. The bazaar terminated on the 29th inst., when the accommodation of the theatre was taxed to its utmost capacity, and exceptionally good business was done. The distribution of the surprise packets by the Port and Convent Stalls was an interesting item, as was also the drawing of the art union, gipsy pool prizes, etc. A handsome sum was raised by each stall, their order of merit being— Convent, 1; Port Ahuriri, 2; Children of Mary, 3; and St.~ Vincent do Paul, 4. It is expected that when all expenses arc paid a very handsome sum of over 4.3300 will be the result, which is very gratifying to all concerned, and which will go a long way towards providing a very handsome school for our children. The organisers, the priests of the parish (Rev. Fathers Tymons and Dowling, also Father Quinn), the Sisters of the convent, and all others who assisted are to be congratulated on this big success.