ANZAC DAY FOOTBALL

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30442, 16 May 1964, Page 14

ANZAC DAY FOOTBALL

Clash With Service

While the South Christchurch branch of the Returned Services’ Association was holding its Anzac Day commemoration service at the Waltham Park gates, two teams of boys from the Sydenham Rugby Football Club were playing just inside the gates, and the referee’s whistle punctuated the service.

“The R.S.A. doesn't object in any way to children playing games on Anzac Day,” an official of the branch said yesterday, “but we asked that the club should refrain from playing games while there was a service in the future.” As the matter was between two Christchurch South organisations, it would have rested there, but the Sydenham Rugby Club had replied that as there were no official practices on the day the club could not help with the request. Faced with this “Pontius Pilate attitude," the branch had decided to refer the matter to the executive of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association, suggesting an approach to the Canterbury Rugby Union. After the parade, which was attended by 247 persons, the chairman of the branch (Mr J. Clent) approached the referee, the only adult with the teams, and suggested that a half of 20 minutes would not have hurt the game; but the referee was unsympathetic, the official said.