COMPETITIONS SOCIETY

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28321, 5 July 1957, Page 12

COMPETITIONS SOCIETY

Resignation Of

President

The third president of the Christchurch Competitions Society in less than a year has resigned. The president of the society (Mr Ross Thackwell), together with the secretary and another executive member, walked out of a recent executive meeting. Mr Thackwell said yesterday that he had resigned the women’s auxiliary used its positio.. as the chief fund-raising body of the society to influence the choice of judges for the 1958 competitions. Selection of judges is the prerogative solely of the society’s executive. The women’s auxiliary had asked for permission to send representatives to the executive meeting. “This meeting was a complete Donnybrook,” said Mr Thackwell yesterday. “The disruption stems from the efforts of the women’s auxiliary to control the affairs of the executive.” Parents and Teachers Mr Thackwell said that until last December, parents and teachers of competitors could not be elected to the executive. Then, at a special meeting, amendments to the constitution were passed, permitting them to be executive members.

“Parents and teachers felt they were the people most interested in the work of the society, but had been prevented from taking an active part,” Mr Thackwell said.

Mr Thackwell said that the auxiliary did good work raising funds, and worked hard, but it should exist purely as a fundraising body. “Two members are on both the executive and the auxiliary and should be able to represent the auxiliary sufficiently,” he said. “Some executive members feel that if they do not comply with the wishes of the auxiliary it will withhold its financial support,” said Mr Thackwell. The society was in such a critical financial position that it had cancelled its competitions this year, he said. Society members pay an annual fee of a guinea, entitling them to free seats and preferential booking for the May competitions. Mr Thackwell estimated the number of subscribers at about 60.

“Greater public support would turn the society into an active, successful body, such as those in Wellington and Auckland, where business firms contribute most of the finance,” Mr Thackwell said.