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The Spike or Victoria College Review October 1930

The Plunket Medal Contest 1930

page 28

The Plunket Medal Contest 1930

For the first time for some years, the Governor-General was present at the Plunket Medal Contest, held in the Concert Chamber. The large, appreciative audience, after the Chairman (Mr. Mountjoy) had made a few graceful remarks in his own inimitable manner, sank back and prepared to absorb the copious—if somewhat cloying—torrent of oratory which ensued.

Miss Catherine Forde had the unfortunate task of opening the contest. She took as her subject Daniel O'Connell, and held the audience by her impressive and eloquent address.

Mr. Crossley, striding to the platform with fine assurance, pounded home a eulogy on Lord Balfour.

The imposing figure of Mr. Bannister, though somewhat hampered by the enveloping folds of his gown, next sought the attention of the audience. Lord Fisher was the peg on which Mr. Bannister hung some of his characteristic jingoisms. We noted that Mr. Bannister seemed ill at ease, missing the wonted barrage of interjections and cat-calls.

Well schooled in the histrionic method of winning one's audience from the beginning, Miss Aileen Davidson advanced coyly to the footlights and delivered herself of a very pretty little causerie, interspersed with periodic dimpling and simperings.

Dogged and pertinacious, Mr. T. G. Taylor marched unfalteringly through his campaign, which was waged about the appropriate figure of Stonewall Jackson. Mr. Taylor would do fine work as a sergeant-major.

Garibaldi and Miss Zenocrate Henderson then made a bold bid for oratorical honours. Miss Henderson's peroration, which showed a tendency to mount to the haunts of Apollo, succeeded in bringing home to us the worthiness of her choice. We notice with satisfaction that Miss Henderson had not been oblivious to the instructions of her mentors.

Mr. Reardon took his audience for an extended excursion into the Middle Ages, and by a few masterly (though somewhat truncated) flourishes conjured up the long line of Crusaders. The title of Mr. Rear-don's pamphlet was "Don John of Austria."

Mr. Hurley delivered an address on good, wholesome Gladstonian lines and succeeded in showing that there never had been and there never would be any nonsense about A. Eaton Hurley.

After this orgy of pure, imperishable lines, sublime affinities, and protracted death-bed scenes, that would have delighted the heart of the most rapacious undertaker, we relaxed, realising our own unutterable baseness.

The judges—Mr. Justice Blair, Dr. Scholefield and Mr. J. H. Howell—returned after mature deliberation to deliver their verdict. The gods had smiled on Mr. Hurley, who, in turn, beamed upon us all as he received the medal from Lord Bledisloe.

Untrammeled by the regulations of the contest, His Excellency delivered the only speech of the evening.