A Flower Show was held on Saturday last in the Port Macquarie School of Arts, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, the proceeds to go towards the Belgian Fund.

The local church authorities decided to abandon their own annual fixture for this purpose. Their worthy efforts were to a considerable extent frustrated by the inclement weather. Saturday was marked by a veritable deluge of rain, and the attendance of course suffered accordingly.

A beautiful display of flowers was on exhibition, which delighted the hearts of lovers of flora. There was a vast collection of blooms differing in coloring, and novelties to delight horticulturists. Many very fine roses were shown by various exhibitors, and the 'queen of flowers' has seldom been seen here to greater perfection. Mrs. J. Cains' collection of geraniums showed the great and infinite variety of shade and colour now to be found among this old and favourite flower.

Miss L. Parker gained the prize for a choice posy of graceful and fragrant sweet pea blossoms. Misses A. M. Halliday and Ada Dick were Hon. Secretaries, and worked hard for the success of the function, and to them especially much credit is due.

Their efforts were worthily seconded by a number of ladies, among whom were Mesdames Hill; G. Bransdon, Lindsay, Woodall, and Misses Halliday, McKune, Davidson, McDuff, and Dick. Messrs. D. Stewart and G. Lindsay also rendered valuable assistance in decorating, etc.; and Mesdames Sawtell, A. G. Parker, N. J. Lindsay, E. Hibbard, and Messrs. R. Davidson and W. McGrath were eminently satisfactory judges, and Mr. W. Wesley was an efficient steward.

Some very beautiful tableaux were staged by Mrs. Grainger and Miss Flynn, viz., ' The Passing of the Regiment,' 'Faith, Hope, and Charity,' and 'So You want to be a Soldier, Little Man.' These were much appreciated by those present, but a number of musical items had to abandoned owing to the noise of the rain. Altogether the takings amounted to 30, a satisfactory result under the circumstances.

The following are the awards : -

ARRANGED FLOWERS. Judges- Mrs. Sawtell and Mr. R. Davidson.

Vase flowers for table open, W. Wesley. Basket roses and ferns, Miss Butler. Wild flowers, Miss B. Dick. Lady's press spray, Mrs. J. Cains. Three buttonhole bouquets, W. Wesley. Table centre sweet peas, Miss Davideon.

CUT FLOWERS. Col. cut flowers, Mrs. T. Dick. Col white cut flowers, Mrs. T. Dick. Col. phlox, Mrs. T. Dick. Col. blooms from bulbous plants, W. Wesley. Col. petunias, W. Wesley. Col. zonale geraniums, Mrs. J. Cains. Col. candytuft, Mrs. J. Hill. Col. sweet peas, Miss L. Parker. Col. stocks, Master Arthur Robins. Col. Nasturtiums, W. Wesley. Col. fuchsias, Miss Boultwood. Col. pelargoniums, W. Wesley. Col. snapdragons, Mrs. J. Hill. Twelve carnations, Miss Boultwood. Three roses, Mrs. J. Hill. Bowl carnations, Miss A. M. Halliday. Col. poppies, (special exhibit) Miss Boultwood

VEGETABLES. Judge - Mr. McGrath. Col. vegetables, Mrs. J. Hill. Two cabbage, Mrs. J. Hill. Quart shelled peas, Mrs. J. Hill. Quart French beans, Mrs. J. Hill. Six carrots, Miss R. McDuff. Quart strawberries, Mrs. J. Hill

MISCHANEOUS. Judges- Mesdames A. B. Parker, N. J. Lindsay and F. Hibbard.

Bottle orange jam, Miss Halliday. Bottle shaddock jam, Miss Bransdon. Bottle citron jam, Miss Halliday. Bottle gooseberry jam, Mrs. J. Hill. Grape jam, Miss Bransdon. Melon jam, Miss Bransdon. Pineapple and pear jam, Mrs. J. Hill. Bottle melon and pineapple jam, Mrs. J. Hill. Apricot jam, Miss Halliday. Seville orange marmalade, Miss. Halliday. Pound French jellies, Miss. Halliday.

The following article was reported in the Port Macquarie News,  Saturday, 31 October, 1914

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PORT MACQUARIE NEWS

Sir, - In common with others, I have been waiting in vain for the local municipal authorities to take some steps to abate the nuisance caused by the sanitary cart parading the main business thoroughfare of the town during the busiest hours of the day.

During Monday last it was particularly obnoxious, the cart with its odoriferous contents being very much in evidence till long after midday. Instead of being the boasted sanatorium of the North Coast, Port Macquarie on that day was more reminiscent of a week-old battle-ground.

However, the olfactory organs of the aldermen seem quite impervious to what called forth curses loud and deep from ordinary citizens.

The new service was ushered in with a great flourish of trumpets, and like the proverbial new broom swept clean for a time.

The fees exacted from house holders are sufficiently high to ensure that the service shall be carried out with the least possible offence to the taxpayers. This can be attained by insisting that the work shall be carried out in the main part of the town before business hours.

The present order of things is a disgrace to the town, and a subject for the well-deserved contempt of visitors.

It may be asserted that an earlier service is impracticable owing to the cutting up of the road to the sanitary depot by the recent heavy rains, and the consequent difficulty of carrying out the work at night.

This argument carries no weight, however, as there are now four clear hours of daylight each morning before 8 o'clock, and the contract is sufficiently remunerative to allow of the public being studied in the carrying out of the work. In the foregoing remarks I make no reflection on the contractor, but strongly condemn the laxity of the system which permits a useful and very necessary service to degenerate into a public nuisance.

Yours, etc., RATEPAYER.

Photographs featured are from the Port Macquarie Historical Society collection. For more stories from 1914 visit the ‘1914- Before the War’  exhibition at the Port Macquarie Museum.