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PAST AND PRESENT
LEADERS.
Reunion of Old A.N.A. Men.
A Gall for Another Deakin.
The third annual reunion of charter
members and past presidents of Port
Melhourno branch of the Australian
Native' Association, with members of the
present executive of the branch attend
ing,, was held in the Dispensary hall on
aaturaay night. The president of the
branch, Mr. S. Rice, Was in- the chair.
Aniong the officers was Mr. N. Brere-
tpn, secretary of the Victorian Cricket As
sociation. ' >
Mr. J. J. Sinn, who was president of
the branch in 3898, and secretary for maiiy
years, up to 1917, proposed the. toast to
the memory of departed pioneers of the
lqdgo. He said tlio . old school of "natives'
were .men of sound judgment on public
questions, because of their, love of de
bating. Unlike jazz, intelligent discussion
made nien think. Among ,. memories of
members that would- long- be cherished by
tlie branch were its recollections of tbe
late Richard Gill.
Sir. G. Allison (president 1908): They
will never die out. (Applause.) ,
Mr. S. D. Higginq (president 1902) said
he always considered that the founders of
friendly societies intended that the move
ment should encompass much more co
operative effort m its functions than the
provision of the lodge benefits of to-day.
A he founders must have had plana for,
the steady enlargement of the field of
service to take in insurance ' and pro
vision for old ago. Their ideal was, lie
was confident,' a society of individuals
..hiinded : together for mutual . help, when
assistance was required, and for improve
ment intellectually ana materially to a
decree that would make theni of the
order of the highest type of citizens be
cause of their circumstance and their
w>. 2f t'1 national welfare.
Mr. R. Kennedy (president 1885) said
the association to-day sadly needed such
an inspiriting leader as Alfred Deakin,
whom the old school of natives rallied
to"The Age " Went froln the University
-MV- Allison: Australia may not find
another Deakin in a hundred years.
Jr. P; ack -2 U®it6r frm the board
,, directors, said he could say of his
colleagues that they Were all highly
capable men. Mr. Kennedy'- had com
plained that four millions sterling of Vic
torian money had been spent on railwavs
W,i !Vel'.ria teriitorj- in New South
nale. ihat developmental work was in
hannony .with the board's national policy.
Furthermore, m ageographical sense that
area was part ot_ Victoria. Mr. Kennedy
wioiti J"18 tbe i unction of the Common-
wealth to develop Australia, Although
In" Xw ?nan modoy. was spent
Jl 5)91? South Wales, a long, succession
of Victorian ministries had left Fishcr-
9 ,B«nd, which was practically in , the
ir. m i m 'J'1"1- a waste.
, kick suul Commonwealth railway
work was confined to transcontinental
l?. iv,JSi'teeam. 2 technical instruction,
bqards attitude was that the large
drift into dead-end' occupations of lads
PaJr .- bcTg tram?d into tradesmen
m Drofe8sional men for constructional
ra j n— u e /topped m the interests of
of tho industrial side of big
national expansion. b
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