PLOUGHING OCCASION

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30479, 29 June 1964, Page 14

PLOUGHING OCCASION

Functions In City

Christchurch will be the scene of several functions and events which will precede the New Zealand ploughing championships, to be held on the property of the Templeton Hospital and Training School on July 25. Twenty-two ploughmen—l7 from the South Island and five from the North Island—willtassemble in Christchurch for the match. Eight will be from Canterbury, as one of the leading agricultural districts in the country. The ploughmen will be officially welcomed to the city by the Mayor, Mr G. Manning, on the afternoon of July 23. At 1.10 p.m. the following day a procession of 30 to 40 floats will leave Cranmer square to make a circuit of city streets, led by the St. Andrew’s College Pipe Band. The procession will travel by Armagh, Manchester, and Cashel streets to the Bridge of Remembrance. Later that day a service will be held in the Cathedral to dedicate the Atlantic Silver Plough, the trophy for the match.

Two former New Zealand ploughing champions, S. M. Allison and B. J. McPhedran, are among those who have already qualified to take part in the ninth championships on July 25. The Winner will compete at this year’s world match in Austria in September.

The Courtenay-Paparua Ploughing Match Association is arranging this year’s match for the New Zealand Ploughing Association. Apart from ploughing, the programme will include wood chopping, sheep dog trials, an Army display, a mannequin parade in which a local firm will be associated with the Wool Board, and a Silver Plough Queen contest in which it is expected that a large number of Canterbury girls will be taking part, as well as one or two from further afield. The Director-General of Agriculture, Mr D. N. R. Webb, will be present at the match to present the Atlantic Silver Plough to the winner. Canterbury ploughmen have won five of the eight championships held so far. The last championship match to be held in the province was at Washdyke in 1960, when McPhedran was the winner.