The Independent Order of Rechabites was a friendly society committed to abstaining from alcohol. The order had been established in Salford, England, in 1835, and there was a short-lived branch of the order in Nelson from 1843. The order was re-established in Auckland in 1863. The Rechabites believed that because its members were temperance advocates they would be healthier than members of other friendly societies and so their costs would be lower. In practice this proved not to be the case. By 1913, when this calendar was issued, there were two districts in New Zealand – No. 84 District, based in Auckland, and the Central District No. 86, based in Wellington, which issued this calendar. The central image of the grandmother and child is a reference to the dependants who would be assisted by the society.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.