HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29384, 10 December 1960, Page 2

HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

Christmas Party At Merivale

Two young children who could not attend the Christmas party at the Merivale Occupation Centre, yesterday, received a special visit from Father Christmas who delivered one gift to a child's home and another to a hospital ward.

The party was for intellectually handicapped children who are pupils at the centre and was the highlight of the ■ school year for them. For three and a-half hours on the previous evening, parents had worked—decorating a large Christmas tree, blowing up balloons and arranging streamers and Chinese lanterns.

Yesterday afternoon the centre was gay with colourful poster portraits of Father Christmas and of Christmas trees that the children had made themselves. They had also made most of the crepe paper decorations. For parents and friends who attended the party, the pupils entertained with a skiffle group who performed on tea-chest basses, drums cymbals and other instruments. They also gave exhibitions of Maori stick games and folk and country dancing. A feature of the programme was the Nativity pageant presented in costume by about 14 pupils of all ages. Afterwards, there was carol music played on a piano accordion by Miss Denise Curragh. There was also a magician, a party afternoon tea and later, Father Christmas to distribute gifts. Usually this party is combined with a display of the work done by the children at the centre during the year but the display was held earlier this term so that the pupils could take the things they had made to their homes for wrapping as Christmas gifts. The retiring headmaster (Mr 1 M. B. Parsons) said some of the articles made during the year were sold and the funds used to buy more materials for the pupils to work with. Older pupils were allowed to keep the money raised. From pre-cut pieces, some of the older boys assembled light furniture, and made ironing boards and other home accessories such as shadow boxes. A large amount of basket work and weaving was done and older girls used treadle sewing machines to make peg bags, oven cloths and glove pot-holders. For the younger children there were place mats, comb cases and simple purses and all the pupils were taught to make those things so that they had mastered the basic steps in various useful handcrafts.