W.E.A. Dominion Summer School

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30945, 29 December 1965, Page 10

W.E.A. Dominion Summer School

The Mayor (Mr G. Manning) last evening officially opened the national summer school of the Workers’ Educational Association at Lincoln College. The school will continue until January 6, and comprises a variety of courses for the 262 persons attending. These include 46 Colombo Plan students.

The school is the first Dom-inion-wide summer school held by the W.E.A., and it marks the association’s jubilee.

Mr Manning welcomed visitors to the city and spoke of his long associaton with the W.E.A. He said he was one

of the students of the first class organised by the W.E \. in Canterbury, this being in 1915. He had organised summer schools, the first being at Little River in 1921-22. At this time the summer school was always held out of doors, the men Iving in tents and the women in suitable buildings nearby. This was the accommodation arrangement at the Little River School, and marquees

for lectures and dining were put up in the Little River Domain. A military kitchen was borrowed from Burnham Military Camp, which also lent beds. Mattresses were hired, and cooks were employed to prepare the meals. Mr Manning told several anecdotes about his experiences and problems in organising summer schools, and then declared the school officially open. Mr Manning was introduced

to the students and visitors by the director of the school and president of the Wellington W.E.A. (Mr P. Macascill). Mr Macascill said that many of the students had come a long way to attend, and the enthusiasm that had been shown was most impressive. He said it was appropriate that the jubilee school was being held in Canterbury, where the first summer school had been held. The national president of the W.E.A. and the president of the Canterbury W.E.A. (Mr A. A. Dingwall) welcomed visitors to Canterbury, and said that summer schools played an important part in the life of the association.

The W.E.A. was the only organisation in New Zealand that provided this type of activity and made it available to any New Zealand citizen who wished to take part, he said. The W.E.A. had always had this “open-door” policy.