Sporting & General Medals, Badges & Awards - Railways

Lot 2920    SESSION 10 (11.30AM WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER)    Sporting & General Medals, Badges & Awards - Railways (

Estimate $300
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $340

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES (TE KUITI), fob medal, handcrafted in gold (15ct, 6.8g, 35x30mm), by (beaver) (A.Beaver, Dunedin), ring top suspension, reverse inscribed 'Presented To/C.A.Sellars Esq/I.P.W./Railway Employees/Te Kuiti/Division/ 9/5/11'. Very fine.

C.A.Sellars, Inspector Permanent Way.

The following courtesy National Library of New Zealand - Papers Past, from the King Country Chronicle, Vol V, Issue 359, 10 May 1911.

VALEDICTORY.

PRESENTATION TO MR. C.A.SELLERS.

A large gathering of railway workers and friends took place last night in the Town Hall, Te Kuiti, the occasion being one for holding a smoke concert and making a presentation to Mr C.A.Sellers, Inspector of the permanent way, who is leaving the district shortly for Te Aroha. There was an attendance of fully seventy, and after light refreshments had been served a lengthy toast list was gone through. Mr Mclnteer was chairman, and in proposing the toast of "Our Guest," said they were there to drink his health, and bid him good-bye. Mr Sellers was held in high esteem by the men, and they were sorry he was leaving.

Mr Davis asked where the locomotive and traffic departments would be without the pemanent way men, whom he described as foremost in the railway service. He expressed regret at Mr Sellers' departure. Ganger Gupwell had always found Mr Sellers a fair man, though he had a gruff manner. Ganger O'Connell also expressed regret at Mr Sellers' departure, and said they could not judge a dog by his bark. He had found Mr Sellers a man he could get on with.

The Mayor, Mr Jas. Boddie, said it gave him great pleasure to be with the gathering. He knew Mr Sellers to be a thoroughly capable man, not by the tone of the speeches, but by the number present, and Mr Sellers would appreciate very highly their presence there that night. He had met him fairly frequently in connection with public works, and in all his interviews had found him a straight man, exercising his authority with justice to all. Recalling the story of Will Crooks and the old Tory who could trust no working man, and Will Crooks' reply "What about the man driving the engine," Mr Boddie said the general public did not appeciate anything like they ought to do the services rendered them by railway men. From the lowest to the highest they conferred an obligation on the travelling public. He had never met such a large number of railway men together. Mr Sellers had been referred to as a gruff man, but it was not an easy thing for any man in authority to work without treading on someone's corns. If Mr Sellers could meet such a large number of railway men to say good-bye, they might go away perfectly satisfied that as far as Te Kuiti was concerned, he had done his duty. That was as much as any of them could carry away with them. He sincerely hoped that wherever Mr Sellers went he would have the best of health and prosperity. Mr F.W.Harbin, foreman of works, spoke appreciatively of Mr Sellers.

Mr J.Walsh also spoke, on behalf of the Cement Company and himself, and tendered Mr Sellers his best wishes. He thoroughly believed in a man doing his duty, and Mr Sellers had done that. Mr Sellers, in rising to respond, was received with musical honours, and the singing of "He's a jolly good fellow" by the entire company. He said it gave him the greatest pleasure in the world to see such a large gathering present of men who worked with him; to wish him good-bye. He had been five and a half years in Te Kuiti district now, but a man could not always remain in one place. He thanked them very much for their kind remarks, and hoped to live long enough to meet them in the future. If any of them came to Te Aroha he would be glad to see them. The Railway Department had a keen eye on his health in moving him to one of the finest health resorts in the Dominion. Mr J.K.Lowe, in making the presentation, which took the form of a gold albert and medal inscribed "Presented to C.A.Sellers, Esq., I.P.W., by Railway employees, Te Kuiti Division, May 9th, 1911," said it was a time when men would roll up to say farewell, but they seldom saw such a large crowd as had gathered that evening, many of them from considerable distances, and from as far apart as Taumarunui and Te Awamutu. He had known Mr Sellers seven or eight years, ever since he came into this island. Mr Sellers bad done remarkably good work, and he was the first resident inspector of permanent way appointed for Te Kuiti. It took some little time to know him, but he was one of those men it was best to know in the long run. When the section was first opened, most of them were very raw, but Mr Sellers was the father of the section, and the speaker voiced the feelings of the other inspectors in saying they were sorry to lose him as a colleague. He had listened with pleasure to Mr Walsh's remarks. They could not always be smiling to one another and saying what jolly fine chaps they were. They were bound to tread on someone's toes. Mr Sellers had had difficulties to contend with, but looking round he felt the feeling was one of goodfellowship towards him. He felt Mr Sellers would have every success at Te Aroha, and was bound to rise, as he had the goodwill of the department as well as the men.

Mr Sellers expressed thanks for the valuable present, and assured them he would value it very much. There were 108 men in the division, and he described them as being as fine a body of men as in any division.

Messrs Reardon and Mullins also spoke. The following toasts were given: "The King"; "The Railway," proposed by the Chairman and responded to by Mr D.Connell; "The Local Bodies," proposed by Mr Darrow and responded to by the Mayor; "Commercial Interests," proposed by Mr Tammadge and responded to by Mr Darrow; "The Press,"proposed by the Rev. R. Mitchell and responded to by Mr H.W.Atkinson; and "The Ladies," proposed by Mr H.Connell and responded to by Mr D.Mitchell. Songs and recitations were contributed by Messrs H.Connell, J.K.Lowe, Davis, Morgan, Sands, O'Connell, Dew, D.Mitchell, Southery, Culley, Rundle and Megson.

Mr O'Connell proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Dillicar, and Mr Dillicar a similar compliment to the chairman, pianist (Mr Nicholson) and friends, who had assisted, and the gathering broke up shortly before midnight.