Hastings Orphans’ Club Jubilee Booklet 1988

Hastings Orphans’ Club INC.
EST. 1913

75th Jubilee 1913 – 1988

Souvenir Booklet

HASTINGS ORPHANS CLUB.

OFFICERS FOR 1988.

PATRON P/C RON GIORGI C.B.E. J.P.

CHIEF ORPHAN PETER PLUMMER

IMM. PAST CHIEF LES KING

DEPUTY CHIEF KEITH COOZE

SECRETARY P/C BILL ELMS

ASS. SECRETARY ROBBIE ELMS

TREASURER RAY BARLOW

CLUB GUARDIAN P/C DOUG HEYWOOD

CLUB HOST P/C DOUG PERRY

JUBILEE COMMITTEE.

CONVENOR CHIEF PETER PLUMMER

SECRETARY

TREASURER P/C BILL ELMS

COMMITTEE P/CS LES KING

IAN LIVINGSTON

PETER RAWSTRONE

BRIAN COSSEY

P/C KEITH COOZE

KEVIN EVERITT.

JUBILEE PROGRAMME LABOUR WEEKEND 1988.

FRIDAY EVENING 21st. Get together at hall.

SATURDAY NIGHT 22nd. KORERO – MEN and LADIES.

PROGRAMME – Hastings Orphans.

SUNDAY 23rd. MEET at the HALL 11 am.

LADIES – Bus Tour and Lunch.

MEN – JUBILEE DINNER at HALL.

SUNDAY NIGHT KORERO – MEN and LADIES.

Visiting Clubs invited to supply items.

This is the place to meet old friends and view photos and club paraphernalia. You are also invited to inspect the wonderful facilities the Hastings Orphans Club proudly possess.

JUBILEE SOUVENIRS. Stem wine glasses, water jugs and carafes are available. There are also Bohemia Crystal round and square glasses.

And the night shall be filled with music and the cares that infest the day shall fold their tents like the Arabs and as silently steal away. Longfellow.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN –

the A.G.M. was held in the new Assembly Hall in 1926? and there was an offer from Moorhouse and Watson to cater at 7d a head but Mrs. Horsfield was asked to continue. That in June 1928 at a meeting in MAYOR Maddison’s office it was decided to limit membership to 300? and that 2/6d was too much for Ladies night, the charge was reduced to 1/- In 1929 it was reported that the liquor cupboard was tampered with and there was a serious shortage of stocks. Stronger locks were provided. The Koreros held in the Rialto tearooms and Venetian tearooms, or the Trades hall, or Comptons, the old Skating Rink, or the Ritz tearooms, or the Oddfellows hall, or the H.B.F. tearooms, the Grand hotel, or the Asembly hall. The chief’s Chain of Office existed in 1923 Chief Harold Davies. In 1969 the Chain was remodelled and then in 1973 extra bars and the initials H.O.C. were added.

The first charity concert as we know it today was held in 1967?

Pause for a moment or two and give thanks and remember all those members gone before us, for their contribution over the years, so we today may proudly carry on in the tradition of yester year.

HASTINGS ORPHANS CLUB PAST CHIEFS.

A.L.D. Fraser, G.N. Pharazyn, T. Clarkson, A.E. O’Meara, H.G. Davies, H.M. Campbell M.P., E.L. Commin. H.W.C. Baird, G.A. Maddison (Mayor), J. Bewely, M.B. Peat, Dr. D.A. Bathgate, G.A. Maddison, C. Duff, D.M. Campbell, M.A. Hunter, P.J. Priest, R.V. Giorgi, D.F. Sturm, N.G. Roach, G.W. Hunt, F.J. Geor, J.M. McCaulay, W.M. Nicol, T. Heighway, J.R. Trotter J.P., A.E. Morris, C.F. Woodham, D.J. Heywood, N.D. Compton, W.T. Lambie, W.A. Elms, G.T. Harding, A.L. Woodham, A.I. Laing, W.E. Kyle, M.R. Davis, R.L. Golding, R. J. Peacock, D.R. Perry, W.H Eru, W.J. Nelson, J.G. Lomas, W.D. Thompson, P. Rawstrone, D.G. Kemsley, D.J. Rich, N.E. Davidson, B.S. Cossey, I.W. Livingston, L.J. King, P.W. Plummer.

HASTINGS ORPHANS CLUB LIFE MEMBERS.

T.B. McNeil, C.O. Tong, H.G. Davies, L. Fail, C. Bryant, L. Holt, W. Lord, H.E. Elliott, O.H. Shattky, A.E. Brooker, T. Heighway, L.A. Lewis, J. Rainey J.P., B.U. Rickard, D.J. Heywood, W.A. Elms, W.S. Brunsden, R.V. Giorgi, D.F. Sturm.

75 YEARS WITH HASTINGS ORPHANS.

It was in 1857 at the Crown Tavern in VINEGAR LANE in London’s Drury Lane area, that the first meeting of the Savage Club took place. The name was decided on because they acted like a bunch of savages. A number of intending members unable to get inside the Tavern because of the crowded conditions decided to carry on together as a group, but having no venue or home for their meetings, called themselves Orphans.

In 1887 the movement was established in N.Z. in Dunedin, followed by Auckland in 1888.

Several groups and organisations were formed in Canada, America and Australia, and even in the Argentine and Spain, but were so different in their format as to be hardly recognisable as Savage or Orphans Clubs as we in N.Z. know them.

MAY The lST 1913. the original meeting in Hastings to form an Orphans club was held in the dental rooms of Mr. A.E.O’Meara who was elected secretary. A sub committee consisting of Mr. A.L.D.Fraser as President, and Messrs. F.Byrne, E.Commin and E.J. Hallett was appointed to draft rules and report to a meeting in one months time.

On June the 3rd. 1913 the following report appeared in the “HASTINGS STANDARD”,

A meeting of the Hastings Orphans Club was held in the Grand Hotel last evening. Mr. A.L.D.Fraser presiding over an attendance of 21 members. The sub committee appointed at a previous meeting, submitted draft rules, which being slightly ammended were adopted.

The following officers were elected. Chief Orphan Mr. A.L.D.Fraser, Deputy Orphans Dr. McKibbin and E.Basil-Jones. Secretary A.E.O’Meara, Treasurer G.Hartshorn. Committee members – N.Beatson, H.J.N.Rogers, J.Craig, E.J.W. Hallett, and F.Byrne.

The appointment of a musical director was left in the hands of the committee which was also empowered to make enquiries regarding suitable rooms. The membership fee was set at one guinea.”.

The first korero was held in the Venetian Tearooms on Monday the 23rd. of June 1913. The musical director was A.R.Don. The programme was shared by members of the Napier Savage Club and the Hastings Orphans.

The Hastings Orphans Club was honoured by having Sir Charles Fergusson – Governor of N.Z. as Patron 1926-27-28-29. and visited the club at the 5th. Korero on Thursday the 4th of July 1929 in the Assembly Hall.

Later, long standing member of the Hastings Orphans and Chief in 1948 and 49 and Mayor of the City of Hastings 1959 – 1974 our very good

friend Ron Giorgi O.B.E. agreed to be Patron, an office he still holds to this day.

Over the years a great deal has been achieved toward fund raising for the many worthy causes in the community and for the 1st and 2nd World War efforts. Many and varied were the venues used for the Koreros, even to the occasion of carrying the grand piano up the stairs of the Assembly Hall for a Ladies Night.Early records and equipment such as musical scores and costumes were lost because of the lack of a permanent home.Finally a section of land was purchased in Heretaunga street with the idea of building a hall with storage for prop etc. but was later sold to a bank.

Meantime the Club celebrated their Golden Jubilee in 1963 in the Assembly Hall. The Chief was D.J.Heywood.

The purchase of land on the corner of Albert and Miller streets marked a milestone in the Clubs history, and with a tremendous effort by members with volunteer labour and debentures, a great asset in the form of a hall with stage and upstairs dressing rooms, with kitchen and supper room and toilet facilities, was proudly opened on Saturday the 24th of July 1965. The Chief was Wally Lambie.

The 1st and 2nd of June 1974 saw the Club being Host to the Kindred Clubs of N.Z. 20th BIENNIAL Conference with P.C. Doug Heywood being installed as Dominion President, a proud moment for the Hastings Orphans Club.

Much needed storage and meeting rooms were added to the back of the hall at the time of Chief Duncan Kemsley presiding over the club.

In 1982 P.C.Bill Elms was installed as Dominion President of the Kindred Clubs Association.

Another proud moment, this time early in our Jubilee Year was the presentation by the Dominion President Neville Prudeaux of long service badges. 50 years to P.C.Ron Trotter, and 60 years to P.C.s. Ron Giorgi and Doug Sturm.

Note in the programme in St. Mathews Hall in 1929, The audience will greatly add to the general comfort by removing the hats of those directly in front of them.

Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions, they are more easily handled than stupid mistakes.