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Tasmanian Anglican

May 2004

 

 

 

 

 


Immaculate ring-bearer: Wallace
the Scotch Terrier, with sporran

 

Dog of the rings steals show

from the Dean

 

 

Before she became deservedly highly respected as a poet writing in Tasmania, All Saints' South Hobart parishioner Gwen Harwood was organist at All Saints' Wickham Terrace in Brisbane. Her amusing, incisive and occasionally more than a little critical, collected letters to her friend Thomas Riddell (the collection is called Blessed Salem), are well worth the reading if you don't know them. One of her targets was the institution known as 'flower-girls'. She writes after the experience of one wedding in 1943:

The little flower-girl was 'got up' in a revolting garment. She did not quite realise what was wanted of her and was 'helped' along the aisle by the fatter bridesmaid, not too gently. When they reached the chancel steps she was 'jerked into place' by the other bridesmaid. There must be an agency in town that hires out flower-girls; this one was evidently untrained, or was perhaps hired at a reduced fee on account of being half-witted.

Not all of them are as the poet depicts, but some have their moments, so do pageboys. A few years ago one of each at the west door of the Cathedral decided to have a brawl just as the first bars of Mr Mendelssohn's wedding march began. The young man started belting the diminutive bearer of the flowers with the cushion he was carrying. Unfortunately, the cushion itself was the bearer of the rings. As the third blow landed, so the rings flew off, through the air, landing somewhere in the side aisle. The celebrant's view of the wedding included for quite a part of the service the less than attractive decked out rear view of guests on a ring hunt. The rings turned up a matter of seconds before going onto the nuptial fingers.

The Cathedral has found an alternative.

At a wedding taken a while ago by Fr Charles Whitton there was not a pageboy or flower-girl to be seen but a page-dog, one Wallace by name. Wallace is a Scotch Terrier. He had probably spent as much time at the hairdresser on the day as had the bride herself, so well-groomed was he. Around his neck he wore a specially-made sporran which contained the rings.

Typical of the civilised 'people' which most dogs are (in proportion perhaps more than are humans), Wallace's behaviour was immaculate - no brawling and what a poser for the camera! The flower-girl and pageboy agencies are under threat.