South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Saturday 28 March 1896, page 7


PRESENTATION TO MR. THOMAS CATERER.

The old scholars and friends of Mr. Thomas Caterer assembled at the Café de Paris on Friday, March 27, to make a presentation to their old master. Mr. Peter Wood presided

over a large attendance. The Chairman said a ready response had been made to the appeal, and they had netted a sum of £100, which the committee recom-mended should be presented to Mr. Caterer in sovereigns. This recommendation was adopted by the meeting on the motion of Mr. Edgar Giles, who remarked that it was fitting to present gold to a gentleman who possessed a heart of gold. The Chairman said there were present men representing nearly the four decades in which he had been a prominent schoolmaster. Mr. Caterer came to the colony in 1854 and served under the late Mr. J. L. Young. He then started a school on his own account at Port Adelaide, and afterwards at Glenelg and Auburn, and subsequently at Beaumont. Then he went to Norwood, and it was perhaps in that neighbourhood that he was best known. There he carried on the Norwood Grammar School. (Cheers.) His work was one of the most important that man could engage in. Mr. Caterer had not only taught them the three R's, but he had attended to their moral character by his example. Not only in the school but in the playground he had upheld whatever was right, and exposed the bully and whatever was mean and dis-honourable. No one had a higher appreciation of Mr. Caterer's value than he (the speaker) had. It was not alone in the school that Mr. Caterer's influence was felt, but he had done great work in connection with the Congrega-tional Church. In municipal matters he had also taken a great interest, and during his term of office as Mayor of Norwood for two years the present Town Hall was built, and that by one of Mr. Caterer's boys. (Cheers.) He had great pleasure in presenting their old master with the purse of sovereigns numbering 100. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) They regretted that the amount was not larger, but the money was given with that kindly feeling always shown by the scholars towards him. He prayed that Mr. Caterer might be spared many years to carry on that noble work which he had now in hand. (Loud applause.) Messrs. S. Marshall, Auld, J. C. Haddy, G. L. Anthony, E. Giles, T. Todd, Mayor of the Semaphore; R. K. Threlfall, Mayor of Kensington and Norwood ; H. P. Macklin, J. R. Powell, H. Loessel, J. Cornick, T. White. M. Wall, F. S. Wallis, and H. J. Pudney, and the Rev. J. C. Kirby also spoke. Mr. Caterer, 0n rising, was received by every one standing and giving him three cheers. He said he appreciated most kindly the very hearty reception they had given him. He appreciated also the splendid testimonial. He returned his heartfelt thanks to the Secretaries and Treasurer, and the committee who had worked so hard for him. It did his heart good to see so many of his old boys there. It had been a great pleasure to him to be a teacher, which he thought was the highest and noblest occu-pation a man could have. (Cheers.) He felt proud of the result of his teaching. His idea was to make the boys love their studies. He felt very much encouraged that forty years of work had borne such good fruit. He did not think that he had been a week away from school owing to illness during forty years. (Hear, hear.) He was proud to see so many of his boys occupying prominent positions in the colony. He thoroughly reciprocated every kind expression and wish towards him. (Loud cheers.) A vote of thanks was accorded to the Hon. Secretaries, Messrs. M. Wald and H. W. Thompson, jun., for the services they had rendered to the cause. A similar compliment to the Chairman brought an enthusiastic gathering to a close.