OLD HOCKEY STICKS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30760, 26 May 1965, Page 20

OLD HOCKEY STICKS

Round Up For Schools

"The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, May 25. Clothes drives. bottle drives and fund-raising drives are commonplace features of the suburban scene. But next month, the Wellington Hockey Association will stage one of the most unusual drives imaginable. The association has labelled it “Operation Old Hockey Stick.” It is a scheme aimed at uncovering all the old, battered, unused and unwanted hockey sticks in Wellington so that they may be rounded up and used in the schools. The collection of old sticks will be held on June 12. The scheme is the brainchild of the secretary of the association (Mr B. Bremner). He said there had been an increase of eight primary schools hockey teams this season and the need for sticks for use in school practices was acute.

Any old stick will do. No matter how ancient, or bat tered, the association is ready to repair and reshape the sticks so that every schoolboy who wants to play can have one. The oldest and most unusual sticks collected in the drive will be kept by the association for a hockey museum.

“We would like to see relics from the days when sticks had a thick band of rubber halfway up the handle to prevent players smashing each other on the knuckles during bullies,” said Mr Breramer. Could Get 1000

“I don’t think it will be impossible to get 1000 sticks. One former New Zealand player I approached had nine stored away. He never realised they might be any use.

“If the drive is as successful as we hope, then I think we shall be able to supply schools with practice sticks for the next five years,” he said.