Saturday morning broke cold and dull, with little wind, and the weather continued fine right through, enabling the various ceremonies set for the day and evening to be carried out under the most favourable circumstances. The great crowd of people which was present in the streets on the Friday night augured that on the Saturday - the first official day of the Peace Celebrations - an enormous number of people would turn out, to take an active part in the day's programme or to look on. And so it proved. In the morning the various church services were well attended, the mass service at the Oval at midday was listened to by a large number, and at 2 o'clock the people were streaming into the city by thousands, to line the streets and take up points of vantage to witness the procession. The procession was a magnificent success. It took nearly three-quarters of an hour to pass a given point, and allowing that it had several delays on the route, it can be calculated from this time that it must have been about two miles in length. The procession ended the day's programmne, but in the evening there was another great concourse of people in the streets. The myriads of coloured electric bulbs hung in the main thoroughfares and on the adjacent buildings provided a blaze of light. The illuminations, in fact, are quite a feature of the efforts of the Peace Celebrations Committee, and a fine touch of colour was added on Saturday night by the torchlight procession of members of the Dunedin Fire Brigade. Local Chinese residents had also a most pleasing and effective display, which included a profusion of brilliant coloured fireworks. The Town Hall, with its rows of gleaming lights and its decorations of foliage, and the general illumination of the Octagon, resulted in the place looking like a veritable fairy bower. The Telegraph Office, the Harbour Board office, and the Railway Station were also, with other public buildings, nicely illuminated . . .
Flags at half-mast
In the midst of the rejoicing for a victorious peace gained after five years of bloodshed, it was fitting that the heroes who had fallen during the struggle should not be forgotten. From 9 a.m. until 10.15 p.m. all official flags were flown at half-mast. Buglers were stationed at the Town Hall, Knox Church, Pine Hill terrace, Roslyn, Mornington, St. Clair, and Anderson's Bay, and as the first gun boomed out at 12 noon the ``Last Post'' was sounded. The various bands in the city paraded at Manse street at 10.30 a.m. and marched off at intervals to the Oval, where at 11 o'clock memorial services, of a religious and musical order, were held.
Car conversions
Two attempts to steal motor cars were made in Petone on Saturday week. Mr R. House, who had left his car outside a residence in Richmond street, found it removed round the corner, and evident signs that someone had tried to start the engine. Exactly the same experience befell Mr C. H. Manning, who left his car standing outside his residence in Oriental street. Fortunately, in each case, the wet weather had made the engines difficult to start, and the attempted thefts ended in failure.
- ODT, 21.7.1919
