Newspaper Article 1945 – Curtain Rung Down Finally On Fun Sessions

Curtain Rung Down Finally On Fun Sessions

Popular Entertainment Contributes £11,000 To Patriotic Funds

With the 130th show, the curtain was rung down finally last night on the Hastings Fun Sessions. The Municipal Theatre was packed to the limit, and hundreds of disappointed people were unable to gain admission. That wonderful spirit which has been evident at the Fun Sessions through the years was as strong as ever last night. So this form of entertainment which directly has netted at least £11,000 for the patriotic funds, was ushered out with one of the best shows in the 3½ years that they have been sustained.

Even before last night’s show began it was apparent that a good-humoured audience had assembled intent on enjoying itself and seeing that appropriate appreciation was shown for the untiring efforts of the Fun Session team. A happy note was struck at the beginning when, headed by a piper, the team, Harry Poppelwell, Dan Ensor, Eddie Culver and Jack Jones, trooped down the aisle and on to the stage amid prolonged applause. Jack Baxter became lost on the way, but ultimately made a blustering appearance attired just as one would expect him to be – in his nonsensical, ill-fitting robes with a colourful tartan draped around his shoulders. To him fell the task of introducing the team, prefacing all their names with “Mac.”

From then on there was not a dull moment. The Two Jacks made frequent appearances, and with their absurd antics, clever quips and smart repartee kept the audience laughing. Some of the most popular songs of earlier Fun Sessions found the crowd in full voice when it came to community singing, and there were also the usual amusing competitions.

The one disappointment was the non-appearance of the McGowans, because of the illness of Albert McGowan, but the other Wellington guest artist, the ever-popular Jean McPherson, was featured on both parts of the programme. Her singing of popular melodies won full approval of the audience, and she was exceedingly generous in her response to repeated encores. Les Henry, at the piano and Ernie Mulvanah with his banjo were received with enthusiasm, and Hec McDonald on the saxophone, accompanied by John Moloney, had to respond to several encores. Another greatly appreciated feature was the appearance of the Fun Session team in harmony, and their interpretation of the Ballet of Spring caused roars of laughter. When it was announced that the session was sponsored by Mr. J. W. Shaw, described as the “father” of the Fun Sessions, there was a spontaneous singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

Before the curtain was rung down, the mayor, Mr. A. I. Rainbow, thanked all who had been associated with the Fun Sessions and all who had supported them. “The war is over and we are on the last lap of collecting for after-care for our returned Servicemen and women,” Mr. Rainbow said. “It seems fitting that we should take stock of our doings during the war. We have done no more than we should have done, but it is a matter for gratification that this particular area has always reached its quota and exceeded it.” He referred to the part played by the people of Havelock and other surrounding districts attached to the Hastings zone.

Speaking of the way in which the community had supported all efforts through difficulties and triumphs, Mr. Rainbow said that it had not always been easy, but he was grateful to the many hundreds of people who had worked with him through the war years. He had often taken heart at the actions of people and sections of the community.

An incident a couple of years ago was recalled when a bag of cash containing pennies, threepences and sixpences was handed to him for patriotic purposes. It contained £15 or £16, and represented the spontaneous gesture by the children of one school who had felt that they would like to help. Another example had come to his notice just hours before he went on stage when he was handed an envelope containing £14 which had been subscribed by the people back-stage who had been levying themselves each night.

Mr. Rainbow said that the Fun Sessions had provided a form of entertainment which had been both profitable and practicable. Not only had they substantially helped the patriotic funds but they had acted, too, as a tonic to the people through the blackest days when one of the greatest things was to sustain the morale of the people. While he could not hope to individualise he thanked especially the Fun Session team, Aunt Gwen and her orchestra, the W.W.S.A. members for their assistance in the house, and the hundreds of performers.

“This was a proper community effort,” he said, recalling how, for the first few shows, there were only a handful of people in the theatre.

When Mr. Rainbow asked the Fun Session team to appear on the stage the public expressed their full appreciation of their efforts by prolonged applause. Mr. Harry Poppelwell, the chairman of the Fun Sessions Committee, briefly returned thanks after the team had been accorded musical honours. It being then after 11 p.m., the show was closed by the Fun Session team harmonising in “Good-night, People,” and the performers and the audience joining in “Auld Lang Syne.”

Final Fun Session Yields Over £1000 For After Care

More than £1000 will be available for the After-Care Fund as a result of the final Fun Session in the Hastings Municipal Theatre last night. Raffles, tickets in which have been on sale at the Dug-Out recently, were drawn during the show, and it was announced that these had brought in £698. The usual raffles were conducted in the theatre, and every ticket was sold to yield a further £75. Copies of the souvenir programme autographed by leaders of the Allied Nations were offered to the public, and it was announced last night that requests for copies signed by Field-Marshal Montgomery had been made by two citizens who had expressed their willingness to pay £25 and £30.

Hastings Raised Over £100,000 For Patriotic Uses During War

Before the close of the present campaign for the After-Care Fund, Hastings will have raised well over £100,000 during the war years for patriotic purposes. The record of achievement of the Hastings patriotic committees, as surveyed in the souvenir programme for the final Fun Session, is one of which the people may well be proud. Not once during the war did Hastings fail to fulfil its patriotic obligations; in fact, on almost every occasion it more than fulfilled its quota. in addition to the money raised, its parcels committees distributed nearly 20,000 parcels, while the goods handled at the patriotic depot totalled more than half a million.

A very wide field has been covered by the patriotic activities of Hastings. The Seed Cropping Committee produced hundreds of tons of seed and vegetables when these were in short supply. During 1942-43 the committee produced enough of certain types of medicinal leaf for the needs of the British Commonwealth, while profits amounting to more than £6000 were transferred to patriotic funds. The reclamation of waste material, particularly paper, was another patriotic activity which provided onerous work tor a number of enthusiastic workers.

The Lady Galway Patriotic Guild collected, sorted and packed some 60,000 garments, and another team performed a similar service with books and magazines for the men of the Services. Thousands of books were packed and dispatched to the Middle East and Pacific areas, as well as to the Mercantile Marine.

Hundreds of women have taken a silent but highly important part in the activities by knitting more than 15,000 woollen garments for the three Services.

Some hundreds of men who, through circumstances outside their control, have returned from overseas to find themselves with financial troubles have already been assisted by the Welfare committee. Help is also given by this committee to disabled men with their pension applications.

Reference is also made in the survey to the work of a hundred smaller activities, combined with the magnificent efforts of similar enthusiastic committees at Havelock North, all of which form part of one vast organisation which has reflected the will to win of the people of the district.