SAND-MODELLING COMPETITION

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31247, 20 December 1966, Page 29

SAND-MODELLING COMPETITION

For more than 6000 children between the ages of six and 15 there will be 29 beaches of particular importance this summer. They are those where the second “New Zealand Weekly News” sandmodelling contests will be held, between the end of December and the end of January.

New Brighton will be one of the beaches where the contest will be held on January 2, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. From here the winning senior entry will be judged from a photograph, along with photographs from the other 28 beaches, to select two entrants who will travel to France next August to compete in the world sand modelling competitions. Besides the top prize trip to France for the two senior winners there will be numerous prizes for each competition. These include record sets valued at £lO, toys—junior engineering sets, "Little Tuppence” dolls, beach balls and ice creams. The age groups taken as at January 1, 1967, will be: (a) six, seven and eight years; (b) nine, 10, and 11 years; (c) 12, 13, 14 and 15 years With the senior age group increased this summer to include children of 15, entries are expected to be more than 6000, double the figure of last summer.

This is an average of about 200 youngsters to each beach, and to cope with these large numbers the local organisers will require competitors taking part to present an entry coupon now available in the “Weekly News.” Contestants are advised that they will find it easier to win a prize if they build their models big, preferably with a New Zealand flavour. Big entries are easier to build and easier to judge. Tony Davison, of Whitianga, and Alison Coombes, of Takapuna, who represented New Zealand in France last August modelled Maori monuments. Neither will be taking part this summer, although previous beach winners are eligible. Although New Zealanders were unplaced in the finals, they learned how the more seasoned European competitors went about their tasks. They did not actually model their work—they sculpted it. First, they built a pile of sand, poured water over it, then packed it as tight as possible, making it less likely to crumble. They then cut away their models, leaving them standing tall and strong. Both the New Zealand entries tumbled before the judging when the sand dried in the sun, but all the others remained intact Other South Island beaches at which there will be contests include Tahunanui, Nelson, on January 7, Caroline Bay, Timaru, on January 14, and Carters Beach, Westport, on January 6.