REVIVAL ATTEMPT

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 12

REVIVAL ATTEMPT

Athletic Club At Sumner

About September 20 a see-! ond meeting will be held to try to re-establish the Sum-, ner Athletic Club. A meeting of residents j from the Sumner. Redcliffsj and Mount Pleasant area was I held at the Sumner Com-j munity Centre. The previous club, which; was started in 1954, went into recess in 1957. Residents of I the area are trying to set up I another club.

Mr I. J. Kozanic, president ■ of the first club, who is lead-J ing the movement to re-' establish it, said that the first; attempt had run short of or-, ganisers but there had been’ plenty of athletes and he felt there still were. He said that it took "a fair number to run an athletic club properly” but if enough people could be encouraged to start it, support would grow. Children from the Sumner School for the Deaf had competed and had been members of the old club. The Sumner Football Club had also used the athletic club for summer, training.

The new club would not be starting from scratch, said Mr Kozanic. There was still about £9 in a bank account Also, some equipment, such as a shot, discus and starters gun was being held for the club.

Mr J. C. Harbut, of the Canterbury centre, and an original member of the old Sumner club, advised the meeting to build up strength before looking to affiliation. He said the club could count on help and advice from the Canterbury centre. When Mr Kozanic said that anyone in that area wanting to take up athletics had to travel into Christchurch to join a club, Mr Harbut commented that there seemed to be a trend towards the establishment of suburban clubs: in Auckland this was most noticeable.

It was decided to adjourn the meeting to about September 20 when it was hoped it would be possible to gather more residents and to have one or two well-known Canterbury athletes speak.