YOUTH HOSTELS’ YEAR

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28237, 27 March 1957, Page 19

YOUTH HOSTELS’ YEAR

Steady Progress Reported

“Steady progress and attention to detail has resulted in a better service to hostellers and the public,” said the president of the Youth Hostels’ Association’s Canterbury region, Mr C. Rhodes, in his annual report. The debt on the Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson memorial hostel at Arthur’s Pass was almost liquidated and 1900 used the hostel. Kelly’s Creek hostel, near Otira, was the next most popular and considerable effort was made to bring it up to a good standard, stated the report. For the region for the year income exceeded expenditure by £3Bl. A new hostel at the Hilltop, in Montgomery Park, was being built by voluntary labour, Mr Rhodes said. There was some delay in beginning the new hostel because Montgomery Park was originally a scenic reserve, but a working party of volunteers began building the day after formalities for a change of designation had been completed. The park is now a recreation area. Hostel bed nights for 1957 with 1956 figures in parenthesis, were: Arthur’s Pass, 1939 (1195), Kelly’s Creek, 212 (293), Pigeon Bay, 146 (139), Cooper’s Creek, 56 (151), Packhorse, 28 (85), Whitecliffs, 17 (6). Until roof repairs had been completed the Cooper’s Creek hostel would remain closed, stated the report. The association now has 1100 members in the Canterbury region compared with 887 in 1956.