State: New South Wales, Australia
Issued on: Return
Date of presentation: 05/06/1902
Number issued: 1
Gold medal, to:
Presentation made by the Mayor (Alderman E.W. Quirk, M.L.A.), at the Pier Hotel, Manly, Sydney.
RETURNED SOLDIERS.
RECEPTION AT MANLY.
A reception was given on Thursday evening at MANLY to four returned troopers of Colonel Lassetter’s regiment who are residents of that suburb. The Mayor of Manly (Alderman E.W. Quirk, M.L.A.) and a committee arranged a dinner for the men at the Pier Hotel, which a representative company attended. The Mayor occupied the chair. Privates BEEL, THOMPSON, STEVENS, and SIMPSON, the guests, were on his left. Alderman Ogilvy had the vice-chair. The Rev. J. Anderson Gardiner, B.A., was on the chairman's right, and among others present were Dr David Thomas, Aldermen Stevenson, Passau, Meyer, and Dargan. The chairman proposed the loyal toast, and following him Dr Thomas toasted "Our Guests", being supported by Aldermen Ogilvy and Passau. Private SIMPSON briefly responded.
Private BEEL read Brigadier-General Rimington's farewell speech to the 3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles as follows: – “I am extremely sorry I am not a good speaker, and the more so for there are several points I want to tell you, and in the first place I want to say I am extremely proud to have been in command of the men I see before me – volunteers who have come across the sea to fight for Britain, and in more ways than one have left your mark – especially in the Free State you have done good work – and I am proud to be with you, because it must be a damned fine nation which can manage to do what the British nation has done during the last few years. It came as a surprise to other countries. They thought to find England alone and so isolated, helped perhaps in some degree by her colonies, but they find they were fighting nations – whole nations, and let me tell you, they were greatly surprised. It is horsemen, and good horsemen, who have been matched in this war. You were that when you came here. Now I want to see all you men get safely back to Australia; but when you get there don’t give up soldiering, but join the Federal army and become cavalry and learn to use swords. You are very formidable galloping over the veldt with fixed bayonets, but I should like you to learn to use swords, because a good horseman is worth it. There is one lesson you may have learned in this war: as soon as you find your enemy go straight for them, slap at them and as long as they have men like you Australians there is no doubt of the result. I don't think any country in this world can invade Australia as long as you have a good volunteer movement, and there is not much doubt that there are just as good men there as here. Between the old country and the new country there is a bond of relationship, in fact we are close cousins, and I think we can both recognise each other's good points. If I am in a tight place I want good men, and though you may not have known it, we have been in one or two tight places, but with good men you have nothing to fear, and you are good men – in fact I may say there is no such thing as a tight place with good men, and I can tell what a man is like if I have been with him on the veldt, or played with him all night for high stakes, and I have been with you quite long enough to know you. I have seen both sides, and our officers, n. c. officers, and men. I have done splendidly; better I have never had, especially with regard to scouting, and when I first took on the column, I can tell you it was good scouting that saved us on many occasion. England need never be afraid while she has men like you to fight for her. We can set aside regular troops. It is my very pleasant duty to present these pipes, presented by Queen Alexandra to the senior n. c. officers of the 3rd Regiment of New South Wales Mounted Rifles. I am very sorry I have not pipes for you all. I don't like to influence men in anything, but I hope to see some of you back in this country after you have had a good rest and a good change in Australia".
The chairman presented Privates SIMPSON and BEEL with a gold medal and a case of pipes respectively, and explained that had he been aware of the return of Privates THOMPSON and STEVENS he would have had mementoes for them also, but he would rectify the omission later. Mr Quirk laid stress upon the fact that more than 20 Manly youths had gone to the front, and he was thankful that all had been spared save two.
The Rev. J. Anderson Gardiner, B.A., proposed "Absent Comrades", a toast which was supported by Alderman Stevenson.
