Dr Closs was present.
Those in the hospital wards who were not able to sit down to the dinner were specially looked after by the nurses.
The dinner itself was of the usual successful nature.
The donations to the institution included a box of tobacco from Mr Dawson, of Messrs Speight and Co, a barrel of beer each from Messrs McGavin and Co. and Speight and Co., and some periodicals from the Otago Daily Times and Witness Company.
In the morning a special Christmas service was held by the members of the Methodist denomination.
Christmas was quietly celebrated at the Industrial School on Saturday with the school decorated in the usual festive manner, and a special dinner at which all the inmates sat down.
In the evening a short entertainment of gramophone items was given.
The celebration at the Hospital was the most successful yet held in the institution.
All the wards were beautifully adorned with flowers, and a well-stocked Christmas tree graced one end of the children's ward.
There was an abundant supply of fruit, flowers, magazines, etc, for the patients, and the children were not forgotten, being amply supplied with toys.
There was a large influx of friends, and the trustees were represented by Messrs Solomon (chairman), Loudon, and Dr Batchelor.
The medical staff was also well represented, there being present Drs Colquhoun, Closs, Riley, Fitchett, O'Neill, Ferguson, and F. S. Batchelor.
• Christmas Eve, by reason of the deluge of rain which swept the streets from about 7 o'clock until long after midnight, was, from the point of view of popular demonstrations of rejoicing, a dismal failure.
Notwithstanding the threatening aspect of things late in the afternoon, the streets were thronged with people, but the continued downpour drove many home early.
It was a very wet and miserable crowd taking it all round, and a great many simply hung to the shelter which the shop verandahs provided, while on the other hand many sought the shelter of the hotels.
As far as orderliness is concerned, the police report that the crowd was well behaved, but against this is to be placed the fact that there were about nine persons arrested for drunkenness. - ODT, 27.12.1909.
