ELECTORAL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 89, 13 July 1943, Page 5

ELECTORAL

LABOUR'S CANDIDATE BAY OF PLENTY AREA The headquarters of the New Zealand Labour Party has announced' the selection of Mr Walter William Jonasen as official' Labour candidate to contest the Bay of Plenty seat in the forthcoming election. To date he is, the only other candidate apart from the. sitting member, Mr W. Sullivan, who has been announced for this electorate, but we understand there are further part}' announcements in the offing. Mr W. W. Jonasen was born at Norse wood, Hawke's Bay 1896, and was educated at the Norsewood Primary School and later at the Dannevirke High School. He joined the teaching profession in 1912 under the Hawke's Bay Education Board and remained in that service, till 1928 leaving it to enter the merchandise firm of S. G. Ancell and Coy., of Makaraka, near Gisborne, in the Bay of Plenty electorate,, where he has been ever since. In the field of sport he is a keen Rugby enthusiast and as a young man represented the country districts in the Poverty Bay Union competitions, later taking a seat on the Union. In 1927 lie organised the Poverty Bay Athletic Championships held at the Park Racecourse, Gisborne. He was the founder of the Poverty Bay Piping and Dancing Association. He has taken a veiy keen interest in education and has been connected with the Makaraka School all the years he has been in the district, first as secretary to the School Committee and now as its chairman. He is chairman of the Makaraka Hall Committee and under his guidance major improvements have, been made. In patriotic work lie has been chairman of the local committee since its inception and has been secretary of the Primary Production, Committee since that bod3 r was, formed.

He served in a medical unit in the last war and was in camp when the armistice Avas signed; lie lias been a member of the home guard since it was inaugurated. He lias been president of the local branch of the N.Z.L.P. for some years and has represented this, body on the L.R.C. of the Bay of Plenty for the last five years.