COMMUNITY CENTRE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 135, 19 March 1948, Page 2

COMMUNITY CENTRE

Permanent Committee Elected

PUBUC MEETING LAST EVENING At a public meeting in the Foresters’ Hall last night, over which the Mayor, Mr E. C. Bathurst, presided, approximately 100 people, including representatives of all the organisations in the town, passed seven resolutions drawn up by the Community Centre Investigatory Committee, and elected a permanent Community Centre Committee.

The following were the resolutions passed: (1) That this public meeting set up an Ashburton Community Centre Committee. (2) That the Ashburton Community Centre Committee consist of 20 such persons as this meeting may elect, with poAver to add. (?,) That all organisations he urged to affiliate with the Community Centre, such organisations to have representation on the committee. (4) That it is the duty ol' the incom ing committee to draw up its own constitution. (5) That the objective of this committee be the establishment of a completely housed permanent Community Centre in Ashburton. 4 (G) That this meeting -support the proposal that the war memorial for Ashburton be the permanent Community Centre. (7) That the permanent assets of the Community Centre he vested in the appropriate local body or bodies.

New Committee

The new committee elected after the resolutions were passed was: Dr. W. It. Ryburn, Mesdames D. M. Rogatski, H. Jamieson, J. McQuilkin, W. G. Todd 'and T. Phillips, Miss J. N. Wallace, Messrs E. C. Bathurst, L. H. Freeman, C. E. Moller, S. G. Macfarlane, J. H. Ward, F. X. McDonnell, A. D. Lowe, S. W. Gower, A. W. Argyle and G. Welsh, Drs. J. Connor and N. E. TI. Fulton, and the Rev. J. Evans. At a subsequent meeting of the committee Dr. Ryburn was elected president, and Mr Freeman secretary. The committee is to meet on the fourth Wednesday in each month, the president and secretary to call the first meeting.

Report Presented

The Mayor opened the meeting and referred to the aims and ideals of a community centre, and the benefits which would accrue from the establishment of one in Ashburton. He sketched the progress made by the investigatory committee and expressed thanks on behalf of the town for the good work done by the committee. A short film, showing the setting up of a community centre in a town in Scotland, and the benefits that it brought, was screened. ' Dr. Ryburn, chairman of the investigatory committee, then read a report covering the work of the committee since it was - -set up 18 months ago. The report was formally adopted by the meeting. The seven resolutions, set out above were put to the meeting, each resolution being carried unanimously.

Control of Assets

Some discussion took place concerning whether tlie assets of the Community Centre should be A r ested in the Borough Council or County Council or both. Some present appeared io think that they should be vested in both bodies. The Avords in the motion moving the vesting of the permanent assets of the Community Centre in the appropriate “local body or bodies” caused some confusion.

Some members of the audience staled that tlie motion should read “appropriate local bodies.” If the centre Avas erected a* a Avar memorial the County Council, as Avell as the Borough Council, should have some say.

The Mayor stated that the motion meant that the borough council, or appropriate local body, or bodies, would lake over the assets of the centre. If the centre was erected as a war memorial the county council would be interested. The words, “or local .bodies,” allowed for this. “Mies Wallace asked, amidst Slighter, if the borough council would take over the liabilities of the community centre, if any.

Mr Freeman said that the Government insisted on war memorials, if in the form of buildings, being vested in local bodies in order to prevent their decay, and falling into disuse, such as had occurred after Great War I. Dr. Ryburn pointed out that the motion carried did not necessarily bind the town to a community centre as a war memorial. A special meeting would have to be called for the specific purpose or deciding what form the Ashburtgii war memorial would take. The motion meant that the persons present would be solidly behind the idea of a community centre as a war memorial. Affiliation Discussed The motion that all organisations be urged to affiliate with the Community Centre also caused some discussion. It was stressed by Dr. Ryburn that affiliation would not mean the undermining of any particular organisation’s independence. Mr Freeman said that the position, in a nutshell, was that collectively the organisations could do much, but individually they could do little. Miss S. A. Ro-scoe, Adult Education Department, Canterbury University College, outlined the benefits that the adult education tutors were bringing to different towns in Canterbury and the West Coast. Tutors, lecturers and experts had formed drama clubs, discussion groups, and held art exhibitions, musical recitals, etc., in the different towns. The establishment of a community centre in Ashburton would be of definite value in getting groups under way and securing the services of the adult education tutors, etc. The tutors were very much in demand and went where the greatest demand was. A community centre crystalised the desire of groups interested in the different projects, and would ensure good audiences for the tutors. The Mayor brought the meeting to a close by thanking Dr. Ryburn, MiFreeman, and the other investigatory committee members for the splendid service they had given.