Changes In Home Skills

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 2

Changes In Home Skills

Home deep-freezers and television sets are making changes in New Zealand women’s lives, and these are mirrored in the home industries section of this year’s Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show. Entries in preserving and jam-mak-ing clases are dwindling, and though the fancy-work entered is of a very high standard, the number of entries is also down. One young housewife, admiring attractivelymatched bottles of preserved vegetables in the display in Canterbury Court, was overheard to say: “Don’t those carrots look nice. But I wouldn’t be bothered to do it. I can keep things fresh in the deep freeze.” This seemed to sum up the trend, said Mrs L. N, Cuming, a steward of the home industries section. She has been doing this work at every show for the last 20 years. Her husband is the other steward —a job he has held for 43 years. However, recognising and accepting the trends, the show organisers are moving with the times, and introducing other classes to cater for new interests.

“We have lost a lot of our older exhibitors, and we want to interest and encourage younger people,” Mrs Cuming said. This year for the first time four classes for schools have been included, rather than for individual children, and the response has been very encouraging. Today’s children were the exhibitors of tomorrow, if their interest was caught, she said. A class for frocks made by teen-agers is another innovation. There is another new class for Assisi embroidery, which is now being taught in some Christchurch schools. The winner of both first and second prizes is a girl of only 17. Her winning supper cloth, stitched in shades of gold on fine, creamy linen, was also judged the best article in the show. Garments knitted from home-woven wool were also shown for the first time, and

this class had been a great success, Mrs Cuming said. She attributed the interest in home weaving to a rise in interest in snow sports, and in the Antarctic. ‘The judges were thrilled,” she said. The highlight of the cookery section was the icedcake class. The eye-catching prizewinner was decorated with a miniature Maori pa, complete with meeting-house, whares and tiny figures, and sur-

mounted by palisades and cabbage trees, all coloured. In the foreground was a “river” on which were three canoes, fully manned and with high, carved prowpieces. Every figure, article and building was made of icing. Second place was won by a “note-paper” box cake, beside which lay a decorated Sheet of notepaper, a pen, and envelope complete to tiny coloured stamp, all made of icing.