WORK AND PLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 182, 4 August 1930, Page 8

WORK AND PLAY.

WARSHIP'S IS.LAND CRUISE.

DEER-STAIrKING AND

FOOTBAIX.

H.M.S. DUNEDIN IN PORT AGAIN.

There is an old song, the chorus of which goes something like this:

Jack's the boy for work, Jack's the boy. for play; Jack's the lad When girls are sad . To drive the tears away

During the Pacific cruise of H.M.s. Dunedin, which ended with the cruiser's return to Auckland on Friday, Jack certainly showed that he can work and that-he can. play, and the-probability iis that when the warship was at Noumea, Nukualofa or one of those places he also showed that ' u can send the tears a-scampering. The cruise was not.a long one, just five weeks, but it was one of the most successful tlie flagship has ever made round the' Islands. There was hard work—plenty of it — of a kind that cannot be done when the cruiser is tied up at Devonport, and there was also a wide variety of sport. • ■■ •

From Auckland the Dunediia ' went direct to Nukualofa, the capital '■ of Tonga. There Commodore 'G:' Blake, accompanied by ' Commander R. E. Jeffreys and other officers, paid an official visit to Queen Salote,- who, it may be remembered, spent 'her echool .days in Auckland. Later the queen was entertained at a-dinner on board the warship. During the time that the Dunedin was at Nukualofa - the - Crown Prince celebrated a birthday., and the members of the ship's company saw enough native dancing to last them a lifetime. "They started afc daybreak and continued all through the day and halfway into the night. As soon Jae one group stopped another lot began,V said one of the officers this morning. '....;

The Bluejackets' Handicap. : A race meeting was arranged in honour of the warship's visit, and the programme included one race for the officers and another for the men. Lieu-tenant-Commander Terry led tfle field home in-the officers' event, Commander Jeffreys spurring his. pony .into a .close second place.' The sailors' handicap produced a great deal of fun, and although-

the Tars were on strange decks they made a great race of it. The race was scheduled to be one of four furlongs, but .owing to a misunderstanding the jockeys made a seven-furlong event of it. The result was that the rider who finished at the head of the field did not get a place, the officials draping- the winner's ribbon around the neck/of Galloping Hoofs, or whatever the pony was that was in front when the field gassed the' four-furlong post. . ' . ■ Two; Rugby matches were. played at Nukualofa, one against a.college team and another against. the Island representatives. The first game-had a sensational ending, which resulted in the sailors' team being- pipped ■by a -single point. Tinie was up when the. natives scored' their last try at the corner 'flag, and an excellent, kick left them the winners. The-gam'e against'the Island representatives was won by the Navy fifteen. The natives play their football with bare feet, and the power and accuracy of their kicks astounded their opponents. Picnics were also arranged, and. the . ship's company were sorry when the warship turned her nose for Siiva. .'. '.

..... ■ Sport at Suva. A week was spent at Suva where generally speaking, the order was hard work m the morning and play' in the afternoon.. A seven-a-side Rugby competition for a trophy presented by the commodore was. won"by a fo'c'sle team while the honours of a cricket tournament went to the ..quarter-deck ..representatives. A'Soccer match between the snip and the' Fiji representatives was won by the visitors by two'goals to nil. An eflort was made to arrange a Ruoby game, but , the. Island representatives »^lyawaiti llg the visit of the Auckland, University team, and were' not ..willing to run any risk,of injuries L If W,th the burlv aian-'o-war's-men. The non-footballing members ,of the cruiser's company had considerable sport ,with ; a shark, line. ...'•..'

A call was next made "at Vila (New ■Hebrides), where the commodore placed a wreath on the,war memorial. Thence the warship went to Noumea, the French capital of New Caledonia, and five of the happiest days of the cruise followed. The French officials and residents received their visitors in most cordial fashion and nothing, was too much bother for them.'. 'There was a 'deerstalking expedition for the officers, as the result of which some of the party tasted vension for the first time. The cruiser's- Soccer eleven liad an excitinostruggle with the. local representatives,' who - claimed i never to have been-beaten.

by; a -visiting, warship's side, tlie game ending in a draw. In a boxing tournament the Tars had to haul down their colours, although they believe that tf the Frenchmen had put up' a man against their own heavy-weight champion : the warship Avould have' scored'at least one win. ' '.' ~ On her return run to. Auckland, we cruiser made a stay of twelve 1 hours- at Norfolk Island, where the ship's Buo fifteen suffered' a 6—o. defeat. . Wherever the cruiser called the-.stop 8 band gave a programme and its efforts were highly appreciated.- Afr Nojune* the residents went so far as to say tm the Dunedin's band played the; m- [ seillaise" better than■ their own . town band. , f Drills and exercises, comprised mucn 01 'the work of the cruise, and the commodore' also: made ■ a very thorough inspection of the ship. On one ■occasion-it was assumed that the capstan : engine-ww out of order and the ship's f" 1 ' 00 . 111 ' pany had to lend its weight in W tlD o a four and a half ton rope and deck tackle.' ... ■Average weather conditions.prevailed throughout the cruise and. the lieaP 0I all on board was good/ There were no accidents, if tlie case of the. sailorwno broke a finger in trying to drop Frenchman during the boxing tournament at Noiimea may. be exceptedi' •