Early Wellington
Year's End Festivities
Year's End Festivities.
Christmas Day, 1840, was celebrated in the good old English style. Fat bullocks were slaughtered and dressed with evergreens, and festivities were held.
Monseigneur Pompalier, the Roman Catholic Bishop of New Zealand, visited Wellington and performed Mass.
On Thursday, 31st December, a public meeting was held at the Queen's Hotel to establish a Working Men's Association for the purpose of acquiring useful knowledge by the means of a library, discussions, and lectures. The members of the committee were Messrs. Rowland Davis, W. Annear, Kentish, Baltrass, Canning, R. Barry, Stafford, Swallow, Walker and Heywood. Mr. Jonas Woodward was appointed secretary.