About this objectThe Orange Water Supply Works banquet menu is a souvenir from the gala dinner that was held to celebrate the turning on of Orange’s first reticulated water supply on Wednesday 8 October 1890. The day had been proclaimed a public holiday in Orange and the streets were decorated with arches of greenery, flags and ornate welcome signs. At 8am His Excellency the Governor Lord Carrington arrived aboard a special train and was greeted by the Mayor of Orange, Alderman H.W. Larance. Following breakfast at Duntryleague, where His Excellency was the guest of James Dalton, the vice-regal party proceeded to the Town Hall where official addresses were presented to Lord Carrington from the Mayor, Aldermen and Magistrates. This ceremony was witnessed by 300 schoolchildren and some 1,500 townspeople. Mounted police led the Governor and prominent local citizens in a procession through the streets of Orange. They were followed by the fire brigade, the Oddfellows, a band, the Hibernian Society, the Forresters and the Protestant Alliance. Lord and Lady Carrington visited the hospital and other local attractions before returning to Duntryleague for lunch.
Following lunch the vice-regal party proceeded to Gosling Creek for the opening ceremony, whereupon Alderman Larance presented the Governor with a silver ring of the same design as the one utilised by the engineer. Lord Carrington employed the key to turn the wheel, thus initiating the flow of reticulated water into Orange. The key was given to the Governor as a memento of his visit to Orange. The official ceremony concluded with cheers for the Governor and the Queen, following which a regatta was held on the reservoir to celebrate the occasion. The regatta proved a huge success, with over 4,000 people in attendance, 1,150 of whom had travelled the four miles from Orange by train.
The Governor’s party travelled to Lucknow to inspect several mines before returning to Orange for a Masonic reception at 7pm, followed by the official banquet at the Australian Hall at 8pm, which was attended by 80 guests. In replying to a toast from the Mayor Lord Carrington claimed that it was his good fortune to travel through the whole colony of New South Wales, and he had never experienced a more cordial and sincere welcome than it was his privilege to receive in the city of Orange.
