A gala performance

22 November 1913. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Criterion Theatre will present a gala performance of the comedy, ‘Dandy Dick’, to raise funds for Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor the following Saturday. The event is being held with the patronage of Lady Edeline Strickland, the wife of the NSW Governor. Written by Arthur Pinero in 1887, ‘Dandy Dick’ is a farce about a clergyman who places a bet on a racehorse in the hope of paying for repairs to his church. He finds himself in spot of bother with the constabulary when he attempts to administer a banned substance to the horse to ensure it wins. Unbeknown to him, his butler has adulterated the substance with poison. The performance is one of the first major fundraising events held for Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor.