OUTING FOR BOYS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29706, 27 December 1961, Page 13

OUTING FOR BOYS

U.S.N. Officers Give Treat Eight boys from St. Joseph’s Home in Lincoln road had a Christmas treat they will remember for the rest of their lives when three United States Navy officers took them for a special outing on Christmas Day. The three officers. Commander F. E. Kimberling. Lieutenant-Commander D. F. Donahue and Lieutenant J. H. Powell, are based at the US. Antarctic headquarters at Harewood. They picked the boys up from St. Joseph s on Christmas morning, drove them to Lyttelton and took them aboard the U.S. Coastguard ice-breaker Eastwind. The ice-breaker crew gave the boys a real coastguard welcome, showed them all over the ship, gave them Christmas gifts and fed them on sweets, biscuits, milk and fruit juices. Next call was to Commander Kunberling's house where they were given more presents, then on to the home of Rear-Admiral D. M. Tyree where they were introduced to the admiral and had sandwiches to eat. The boys went next to the Ha re wood base where they were shown the aircraft and helicopters before being taken to the mess for the Christmas meal. There they ate soup, salad, turkey, ham. mashed potatoes, carrots, several different kinds of fruit pie and fresh fruit Lieutenant - Commander Donahue said later: “They seemed to like the fruit most of all. They went big for the cherries and bananas.” The boys, whose ages ranged from six to 12, had among their presents tennis rackets, balls, paint sets and remote control toy cars. When they went back to St. Joseph’s they took back with them gifts for the boys they had left behind. Lieutenant - Commander Donahue said: '’From the looks of it they had a fine time and we enjoyed it too. “We are away from our own families so it made it seem more like Christmas to us.” he added.