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CIVIC RECEPTION.
The Mayor and councillors of Boul
der tendered Mr. Collick a civic recep
tion Thursday, which was largely at
tended.
After the king's health had been
drunk the Mayor welcomed Mr. Collick
back to Boulder with the deepest plea
sure, as during his residence in the
district Mr. Collick had earned the
respect of all classes in the community.
He (the-Mayor) had also been informed
that while in South Africa Mr. Collick
was just as much respected. He was
a man who after several years' residence
in W.A. had not made an enemy, and
perhaps had not a single enemy in the
world. It would be with regret that
the people of Boulder would hear that
Mr. Collick was returning to England
to take up again the ardiuous work in
the East End of London on which his
heart was so set.
The Mayor's remarks were endorsed
by Mr. M. B. Scott, the Rev. R. H.,
Moore, Mr. M. Byrne, Cr. Orr, the Rev.
J. Tiller, Mr. F. Marrie, Cr. John
stone, Dr. Eiphick, Cr. Rodda, and Mr.
H. Goldsworthy, all of whom expressed
great pleasure at seeing the rev. gentle-
man back once again in Boulder and
regret at hearing that he was so soon
to leave once more.
Cr. Evans proposed Mr. Collick's
health, which was drunk with great
enthusiasm.
Mr. Collick, in responding. said it
was a great pleasure for him to be
back once again in Boulder and hear
the kind things said of him by men he
had known so well. There was a
great temptation for him to go to England
direct from South Africa, as by
doing that he could save a considerable
sum of money, but he felt that he could
not take up his work in London with
out first seeing the people of W.A.
again. On that very day, Ascension
Day, 12 months ago, he was riding with
Dr. Reid, after doing a month's trek
in the Northern Transvaal, and the
doctor said he thought the trip was
going to be a regular picnic, but that
very day they lost Lieutenant Forrest
and eight men. They went to a farm
to remove some women and children,
and the Boers started firing on them.
Lieutenant Stanley Reid was wounded,
and was lying on the ground when he,
(Mr. Collick) went up to him, and said
he would get an ambulance. Lieutenant
Reid said, "Don't mind me, see to
these fellows," pointing to two wounded
men by his side. Dr. Reid and his
brothers were two of the bravest officers
in South Africa, and though Lieutenant
Reid's wound was serious enough to get
him three months' leave of absence he
insisted on leading his men, and three
weeks later be received his death wound.
The Boers regarded him as a brave
man, and when he fell one of them met
him (Mr. Collick) and said, "You know
Lieutenant Reid is wounded again. We
are very sorry. He was a brave man."
Though Stanley Reid went to South
Africa as a soldier he lived up to the
high standard of life that he would have
had to live as a minister, and in every
way he set a good example to his men.
Mr. Collick related many campaigning
incidents, the removal of women and
children, and the destruction of their
homes. This was beastly, nasty work,
and the soldiers detested it. The Austr-
alian contingents had a very bad
name for rowdiness, and whenever they
came to a town they "painted it red."
The West Australians did not go to such
lengths, but when they were coming
down to Cape Town they were at first
stopped from entering, but afterwards
the embarkation officer said they were
as orderly a lot of men as he
handled.
The Mayor's healh was also drunk,
and the gathering dispersed.
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