State: South Australia
Issued on: Departure
Date of presentation: 17/04/1900
Number issued: 1
Gold medal, suitably inscribed, to:
4th South Australian Imperial Bushmen –
33 Shoeing-Smith [Farrier-Trooper] William FOOKS
Presentation made by the president (Mr A.W. Ralph), on behalf of the Hindmarsh Horticultural, Floricultural and Industrial Society, at the residence of Mr Walter Snooks, Hindmarsh West.
Obverse: "H.F.F. and I. Society".
Reverse: "Presented to Trooper Fooks, April 1900".
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Adelaide Express & Telegraph, 19th April 1900
SOCIAL TO TROOPER FOOKS.
On Tuesday evening the committee of the Hindmarsh Horticultural, Floricultural and Industrial Society gave a farewell social to Farrier-Trooper W. FOOKS, of the Imperial Bushmen's Contingent, at the residence of Mr Walter Snooks, Hindmarsh West. There was a full attendance, and the president (Mr A.W. Ralph) occupied the chair. He said they were proud to honour one of their active workers, who was going to South Africa to fight for the motherland. He did not think the Imperial Contingent were going to a picnic, but that they would have a tough task, and he felt sure that Mr FOOKS would be a good soldier of the Queen. Messrs H.H. Piening, J.H. Scott, W. Brooker, S. Robinson, A. Nicholls, W. Grafe, and R. Slattery made complimentary allusion to Trooper FOOKS, and spoke of his usefulness as a member of the committee. The Chairman, on behalf of the society, presented Mr FOOKS with a gold medal, on which was inscribed – "Presented to Trooper Fooks, April, 1900", and on the obverse side, "H.H.P. and I. Society". Trooper Fooks expressed thanks for the kind things said of him. His work in connection with the society had been a pleasure. Some of the speakers had said they hoped the war would be over before the Imperial Contingent reached South Africa, but he did not, because he would like to see active service. When 17 years of age he joined the Third Infantry Battalion of Militia, and he had just completed four years in B Battery Garrison Artillery, making his service ten years. He was now a soldier of the Queen, and would do his best to show that Australians could assist in defending the British Empire. He heartily thanked them for the presentation. As a deputy of the society, he handed to Mr Ralph a silver-mounted pipe for services rendered during the six years he had been president of the society. Some of the committee spoke of the good work done by Mr Ralph, and he suitably replied.
