South Yorkshire Times August 26, 1950
Denaby Bids Farewell
Church Folk Say Goodbye to Dutch Guests
A social held in Denaby Church Hall last Thursday by Denaby and Conisbrough folk to say goodbye to their Dutch visitors, drew a large attendance. It was a happy gathering and many bonds ‘of friendship have been forged during the Hollanders’ brief stay in the urban district.
Tour Of London
It had originally been planned to hold the social on Friday, but some of the visitors were leaving that morning to be able to have a tour of London before their return. The other members of the party went to Swanwick on Saturday to attend a conference this week.
The women members of Denaby Parish Church (and particularly Mrs. Wathey, who organised the party) are to be complimented on the refreshments they provided at such short notice.
M.C.s for the social programme were Messrs. W. Coates and R. Whittington, and the pianists Mrs. N. Wilkinson and Mrs. C. J. Pickett. The programme included dancing and games and members of the Dutch party also gave items, including songs and folk dancing, in which they were eventually joined by their Denaby friends.
Mr. A. J. Engels, a Minister of the Dutch Reform Church, and Mr. Karel Hanhart, the organiser of the party, expressed the thanks and appreciation of the party for all that had been done for them by their hosts and hostesses in Denaby Main, Conisbrough and Mexborough. They had all been very happy, and they could hardly express with words all they felt. They had appreciated the arrangements made for them to visit, some of the English beauty spots, such as Stratford-on-Avon and Derbyshire, and also some of the industries. Especially had they been impressed by their visits to the local collieries, the Parkgate Iron and Steel Works and the ” South Yorkshire Times ” printing works.
They also thanked the Vicar, the Rev. A. V. Roebuck, for his untiring efforts to make their visit a memorable one and they could assure him he had succeeded.
The Vicar, on behalf of the church, thanked all who had acted as hosts, and he was glad to learn that they had all had such happy times together.
An Old Pit Lamp
Mr. J. Halford (Agent, Denaby and Cadeby Collieries) said he knew how impressed they had all been with their visit to the underground workings at Denaby Colliery and he presented to Mr. Engels an old pit lamp which he had had many years. He asked that if they had such things as Industrial Sundays in Holland, or Harvest Festivals, they would then use the lamp in their church decorations and it would be a reminder of their visit to England and Denaby Colliery. Mr. Engels was exceedingly pleased with the gift, and the company were thrilled with the idea of using the lamp in their church in Holland.