COMPETITIONS FESTIVAL

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 16

COMPETITIONS FESTIVAL

Seven Halls To Be Used

Higher entries—ls 4 more items and 64 more competitors—will make this month’s annual festival of the Christchurch Competitions Society even bigger than last year. Numbers are so large that seven halls will be in use. The festival will be officially opened by the society’s patron (Mr H. Cordery) on Saturday evening, in St. James’ Theatre, and a week later, on May 16, it will end with demonstration concerts (afternoon and evening) by the winners. Mr O. H. Houison, the society’s secretary, said yesterday that total entries so far were 2812, from 708 competitors, compared with 2658 from 644 competitors in 1958. The adult section this year had about 600 entries and the junior section about 2200 entries. The festival was a nation-wide one and had attracted entries as far north as Auckland and as far south as Bluff. There are six sections, and the judges are: speech and drama, Mrs Sheila K. Murray, Wellington; vocal. Mr Hamilton Dickson. Wellington; instrumental, Mrs Alan Meldrum, Dunedin: fancy dancing. Miss Colleen Edmonds. Wellington; tap dancing, Mr Ralph Wilkin, Wellington; national dancing, Mrs E. Ritchie, Blenheim.

Mr Houison said that although the society had been in existence since 1909, temporary recesses in 1916, 1948, and 1957 had caused a loss of three years. This year’s festival would thus be the society’s forty-seventh.

A total of 68 challenge cups and scholarships would be competed for this year, including 14 new trophies.

Mr Houison said thanks were due to women—mainly parents of competitors—who had made fund-raising efforts since 1956 and I had raised about £BOO.