Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 31 December 1946, page 6


Out Among The People

By VOX

THERE are no boughs on the his-toric old gum tree at Glenelg. "All the bows are in front of it now," said Alderman W. Allen

cheerfully, as we alighted to attend the impressive Commemoration Day ceremony yesterday, with His Excellency the Governor and the Mayor of Glenelg (Mr. Baden Pat-tinson) in the leading roles. There is something essentially symbolic about that precious bent tree-trunk, standing in a small en-closure maintained with laudable neatness. After the civic celebrations at this hallowed spot yesterday, his Honor Judge Paine, one of the official guests, expressed an opinion to me that Sir George Jenkins's address was the best be had heard at ceremonies he had attended. I was admiring the fine avenue of Norfolk Island pines along Brighton road and northwards, and Alderman Allen said that the council has tried the evergreen oak (Quercus ilex) in Moseley street. These had done well since they were planted 12 months ago. Largest specimen he has ever seen grows in Mr. Harold Law Smith's garden in Pier street. Surely it could not be larger than the well-trimmed one growing in Government House domain? Civic Reception LATER, at the civic reception In the Glenelg Town Hall. I heard several guests say that they were sorry Mayor Pattinson did not have a few words to say; he gene-rally speaks extempore at fixtures is like this. Mr. George Morphett (president of the Pioneers' Asso-cilation) told me that Mr. Pattin-son's toast last year was the best he had ever heard. Speeches were dispensed with. His Excellency the Governor made the happy point of meeting as many more people as he could in the room and conversing with them, while the Lady Mayoress and women helpers handed round refreshments. Mr. Pattinson told me that tbe oil portrait of Glenelg's first Mayor (Mr. R. B Colley) in 1855, and painted by J. Hood in 1875, had not been on the walls long. It was given by the family of Mr. Reid, formerly of St. Leonards, a nephew of Mr Colley. The Lord Mayor of Adelaide (Mr. McLeay) introduced me to Mr. Jim Martin, manager of the AIF cricket team, on his first visit here since 1938. Mr. President Morgan, who was there yesterday, was saying how fortunate South Australia was to have bad three gifted artists like Col. Light, George French Angas, and T. S. Gill, to depict early scenes here. He told me he looked forward to the time when Ade-laide would have a distinctive Historical Museum. In the old Legislative Council building? Leaving Victor Harbor THE town clerk of Glenelg (Mr. Frank Lewis) introduced me to his brother. Mr. Reg Lewis (man-ager of the Victor Harbor branch of the Savings Bank), where he said he had spent seven years. He has just been transferred to Brigh-ton, but his quandary is that he cannot get a house. When Mr. Lewis mentioned that he had spent five happy years at the Quorn branch of the bank,

Ald. Allen, who was near us, said, "That is. my birthplace." Ald. Allen, a brother, by the way. ol Mr. Edgar Allen, until recently acting Director of Education, has a fine sense of civic co-operation. He has been a member and alderman of Glenelg Council for 14 years, and for 12 chairman of the Commemo-ration Day sports committee. With such perfect seaside weather yes-terday, they had much to thank Mr. Bromley for. Good Return For His Money HONESTY permeates tbe seaside atmosphere. In a monetary sense Mr. Ernest C. Puxton, of Jetty road, Glenelg, can claim to have had a bright Christmas. Cash-ing a cheque for £25 10/ at a local bank on Christmas Eve, be placed the money in a wallet, which he promptly lost. Going to Glenelg police station to report the loss, Mr. Puxton found the missing wallet awaiting him there with its contents intact. The finder, Mr. Leslie Brooker, of Brandreth street, Toorak, had pre-ceded him by half a minute. Devout Unitarians MANY people may not know that Mr. Woodhouse Crompton, who died last month, had been for many years a trustee and devoted member of the Unitarian Church in Adelaide, a church with which his family had been associated from its beginning. Two of Mr. Crompton's uncles— Mr. Sidney Clark and Mr. John Howard Clark—were present at public meeting held on July 11, 1854, when a resolution was passed that the time had come for the formation of a Unitarian congrega-tion in Adelaide, and that a sub-scription should be raised to guar-antee a minister's salary. The pastor chosen to come from England was the Rev. John Craw-ford Woods, who arrived in Ade-laide with his wife on September 19, 1855, after a stormy passage of 123 days. On the following Sunday a ser-vice was held at Hazelwood, home of the Clark family. The next ser-vice was held at Mr. Martin's home at Norwood. The opening public service took place in Green's auc-tion mart, behind the Bank of Aus-tralasia, on October 9, 1855, when 200 people were present, Mr. William Everard, of Ash-ford, gave a portion of his Ade-laide town acre in Wakefield street, for the site on which the church was built; and it was opened on July 5, 1857. On May 8,1866, at the Unitarian Church, Susan Mary Clark, of Hazelwood, was married to Joseph Crompton, of Stonyfell, and Henry Woodhouse Crompton was the eld-est of their 12 children. Cricket In Other Lands FOLLOWING the Test matches with keen interest, as a former Londoner, Dr. F. E. Rogers, of Ful-larton, was discussing with me the game in other lands, and said that an American idea of cricket was that it had been invented to give the Britisher an idea of what eter-nity is like! He recalled that once, when be was in Japan, he blew into a tre-mendous crowd, including bi-cycles, congregated at Kobe, and he marvelled at their keenness and knowledge of the game of base-ball. Same with cricket, in places.