RECEPTION AT CLUB ROOMS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21941, 16 November 1936, Page 10

RECEPTION AT CLUB ROOMS

WELCOME BY MINISTER AND MAYOR

The club room was crowded for the official reception which was given as soon as Mr Clark was able to make his way through the crowd which, in its enthusiasm, considerably delayed- his arrival at the club hangars. The official party consisted of Lady Wigram, patron of the Canterbury Aero Club, Mr D. Clive Crozier, president, the Mayor (Mr J. W. Beanland), the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin), and Mr Charles Clark, an uncle of the aviator. Mr Beanland said that the size of the crowd showed the appreciation of the people of Canterbury and Christchurch of the great achievement of a flight of a few days from London and a lew hours from Sydney. The whole of Canterbury had watched the flight with intense interest, and now that the tension was eased they congratulated Mr Clark and wished him every success as an aviator and in his farming life, A Courageous Flight For the club. Mr Crozier said that it was a privilege to welcome Mr Clark, who only 18 months ago Had begun to take lessons in flying and had left New Zealand with only 25 hours’ experience to his credit. The club had received a cablegram a short time ago from Mr Clark suggesting that it purchase a machine and allow him to fly it out and save the freight. He thought now that they had made a wrong decision when they replied that they preferred to ship any new aeroplanes to New Zealand. He had shown considerable courage from the first, as he was the first club pupil to make a parachute jump, and he had shown that courage again by his flight in a single-engined machine over the Timor and Tasman Seas. He welcomed him for the club, and was very glad to add that Mr Clark could write “finish” to a successful flight. Mr Lee Martin, for the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, and the Government, congratulated Mr Clark on his great achievement. It was fitting that as Minister for Agriculture he should be there to welcome a farmer like himself. The achievements of Miss Jean Batten and Mr Clark had in no small measure put New Zealand on the map, and on behalf of the Government and the people, he was very pleased to be able to extend to him the same facilities that had been given to Miss Batten. He honed that in the future he would continue to achieve as much success as he had yesterday. Lady Wigram said that it was the proudest moment of her life to be there to welcome Mr Clark. The club and Canterbury were exceedingly proud of him. She felt that so long as New Zealand had two young people like Miss Batten and Mr Clark they could not go very far wrong and she had hoped that for the future of aviation in the Dominion they would' be able to keep them. Mr Clark’s Reply Before he was able to reply, Mr Clark had to step to the window of the club room in response to the repeated and tumultuous demands the crowd made for him. He waved to the crowd in acknowledgment of the burst of cheering that greeted his appearance before expressing his thanks for the unexpected welcome, j l ® heard when he landed at Blenheim that a crowd had turned up to see him arrive, and so he thought that he had better come along. He thoug jjyerrated Jho- oi tno

which was really only a commonplace in the feats of aviation that were being carried out. He had had no anxious moments, but it had been rather nasty taking of! that morning in the dark with a heavily loaded machine. Beyond thanking the speakers for their complimentary remarks, he felt that there was very little more that ho could say. • . , , His speech was terminated by prolonged cheering from the crowd which waited outside the club rooms practically undiminished in numbers for a i 3&sx lona .tifflQ ta-aes him depart, teosssissKAM-’WiM