4-116 (Original)

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<source><g=m><o=i><age=28><status=3><abode=03><p=vic><r=prw><tt=pc><4-116>
Last Monday was Easter Monday. On Good Friday which is also a general holiday there was a picnic for the children of the Sunday School in connection with the Presbyterian Church. It was held in the Echuca park. I went down to it and joined in the fun. There was a picnic arranged for Easter Monday for teachers choir and bible class; I am not in either, although I very often attend choir practise on Friday evening. I heard that I was to be invited about a week ago - I was invited on Sunday afternoon. 
We all gathered at the church on Monday morning about 9a.m. and started off in 6 traps for a drive of 10 miles to the selected picnic grounds. It was a splendid day, neither hot nor cold. We reached our destination all right, unyoked our horses and tied them to trees and began to enjoy ourselves in real earnest. We had all sorts of games, refreshed ourselves twice on the nice things the ladies had provided. We yoked up and started for home as it was beginning to get dark. There were three young ladies in our trap good singers. We sang all the way home songs, hymns and all sorts. I enjoyed the day's outing immensely [...] I find the colonial lad and lass friendly, agreeable, free and easy and kind hearted. I have always been treated with respect by all and never got the cold shoulder because I am an Irishman. It is people's own fault if they get treated with disrespect and their conduct the cause. I think I might safely say that Easter Monday was the most agreeable day I have spent this side of the line [...] 
I'm still attending the singing class and beginning to make some improvement. It is a very good way of spending one evening of the week. I have got another iron in the fire now. I was elected on the committee of the early closing association; it meets once a fortnight. 
I am getting along pretty well in my crib. We have a very nice kind of a governor. I have not heard him growl at any of the hands yet. I like Echuca better than Heathcote. It is much larger and prefer it to Melbourne. One does not get to know many in a large town like Melbourne [...] 
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