Always At The Park, But Sees Little Of Game

Press, Volume C, Issue 29609, 4 September 1961, Page 16

Always At The Park, But Sees Little Of Game

A man who has been present at all the major sporting events on Lancaster Park for the last 14 years, yet has had only brief glimpses of the champions in. action on the Oval, is Mr K. N. McGillivray. As secretary of the Victory Park Board, he is in charge of the mammoth task of counting the gate takings at the park throughout the Rugby season and when major cricket matches, athletic meetings and other big events are staged. The bigger the match, the less Mr McGillivray sees of it. At the third test match between New Zealand and France last month, for instance, he saw only about 10 minutes of nlay—and that in snatches. To see an international fixture he has to go out of Christchurch as he did for toe second test of this season’s Rubber.

But this is a handicap cheerfully borne bv Mr McGillivray as he goes about his duties in a small office tucked awav from the crowds in the stands and on the embankment. He is the hub around which the wheel of efficient organisation at the park revolves.

Mr McGillivray has kent that wb°®l turning smoothly since when he became secretary of the board. In nrevions years he had gained valuable exnerience in asristin® h’s uncle, Mr J. O MrGillivrav, in the “bankroo.m” mrirg s t the park From ’S’B to 1938 he worked for his uncle, who was the then secretary of the Victory Park Board and of the Canterbury Rugby Union, and ultimately suroe»ded him in the former position. In the 14 years Mr McGillivray has been secretary, toe eross takings at Lancaster more than £6ro.OQO On daV® really large amounts of monev arp h’nd’ed: the "gat®” fnr the fhi-d test lo S + month, fo~ -’nstance, yielded a s®nt £2O 500.

is no glamour attached to th’s side of a big match but Mr McG’llivrav has the loyal suonort of a large team of workers on ’""h occ=sions. There were 130 of them for the test match, employed mainly as and ushers During Mr McGillivray's period as secretary, the face of Lancaster Park has undermne many changes. The old No. 1 stand has been demolished and the new one erected, toe embankment has been extended, the new scoreboard instituted and the

Nos. 4A, 5, 6 and 7 stands and the No. 5 stand extension constructed.

Sports featured on the Oval during the same period have been Rugby, cricket, athletics, soccer, hockey, softball, hurling, cycling and the Canterbury Centennial Games, as well as women’s marching and band contests, both pipe and brass. Mr McGillivray has already much to look back on. and it is with gratitude to

those he has worked with that he recalls his 14 years as secretary of the board. “I have always received the full co-operation of members of the board, as well as the loyal support of the groundsman, Mr Cyril Barnes,” he says. “The gate staff employed at the park when sporting and other fixtures are held have also rendered yeoman service, some of them over a long period of time. Particularly is this so of my second-in-command, Mr E. J. Good, who has been associated with this phase for more than 30 years.”