ATHLETICS All-Weather Track At Queen Elizabeth Park?

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30110, 19 April 1963, Page 11

ATHLETICS All-Weather Track At Queen Elizabeth Park?

The prospect of an all-weather track being constructed at the New Brighton Trotting Course, recently purchased by the Christchurch City Council for development as a sports centre and officially named the Queen Elizabeth II Park, delighted athletics officials when they were informed by the Deputy-Town Clerk (Mr M. B. Hayes) of the proposal at a meeting of the Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association last evening.

In an official letter to the centre. Mr Hayes said: "Plans are now being prepared for the development of the area. As soon as they are available, as a basis for discussion, the reserves committee will be pleased to discuss the prospect of laying an all-weather track at the new park."

Mr Hayes was replying to a letter sent by the centre to the council, conveying the appreciation of members at the purchase of the New Brighton trotting course. A letter from the New Brighton club announcing that it planned to hold an “athletic carnival” in October to raise money for the Canterbury all-weather track fund and proopsed to invite athletes of the calibre of P. G. Snell and M. Halberg, met with a mixed reception. Mr G. E. Voller expressed some doubt as to whether the top-line athletes would be able to come to Christchurch twice in the one season, once

to the New Brighton carnival

and once to a Canterbury centre feature meeting, if one

was held. He said that it was not too early for the centre to

consider holding some sort of feature meeting next »e—on. A race between Auattalia'l Miss Dixie Willi* and Miss Marise Chamberlain, of Christchurch, would prove a great attraction. Other leading athletes could also be invited. New Brighton did not want

the centre to run the carnival, said Mr W. A. Kennedy. The carnival would be at th* beginning of the sea*on, and the centre's feature meeting would probably be in December or February. “I think we should give thought to helping New Brighton as much as we can. It was the only dub that had made a real effort to raise money for the all-weather track,” Mr Kennedy aatd. Messrs Millar and Kennedy, and a member of th* all-weather track committe* yet to be appointed, were elected to meet the New Brighton club and discuss th* matter.