Sports Too Big For Ambulance

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31341, 11 April 1967, Page 1

Sports Too Big For Ambulance

The growth in the numbers playing sports on Saturday in Christchurch and the increase in the number of parks and playing areas has brought a headache for the Christchurch ambulance an d nursing corps of the St. John Ambulance Brigade.

"We. just cannot keep up,” said the public duties officer of the ambulance corps (Mr K. A. Iggo) yesterday.

"We can call on almost 300 first-aiders; we would need at least 600 to give the service we would like to,” said the corps superintendent (Mr G. M. Wright). Next Saturday Rugby will be played on 45 parks in the city and suburbs. Last year there were 317 team* in the

Canterbury Rugby Union’s competitions and the number is expected to be about the same this season. Soccer teams in Christchurch will this year number 220, and they will play on 25 parks. Rugby league teams this season number 135 and will play on 15 parks. The number of men’s hockey teams is 86, to play on 16 parks; and women’s hockey teams number 53 to play on four parks. . “The St. John Ambulance Brigade does a magnificent job, and I think we all tend to take them too much for granted. The referee blows the whistle when someone gets a knock, and. players and spectators get annoyed if the ambulance man, with his cadet, is not running out on to the ground in half a minute,” said a soccer administrator. “They are all volunteers, don’t get a penny and provide their own transport

"The brigade ha* written u* a letter pointing out that they will not be able to cover all grounds, let alone all matches. The brigade has also asked to seek members to join the ambulance corps and start first-aid training. A course, of eight weeks, starts this month. A copy of the letter has been sent to all clubs,” the administrator said. The Christchurch City Council has 45 Rugby grounds, 10 league grounds, 38 for soccer, 21 for men’s hockey, 13 for women’s hockey and 44 women's basketball courts. These are situated in 35 different playing areas.

The Waimairi County Council has six parks with winter sports playing areas, and the Paparua County Council has three. The Halswell County Council has one park. More than 10,000 Rugby, League, soccer and hockey

players will turn out each Saturday. Suburban Parks

“There has been a substantial growth in the number of parks and playing grounds on the fringes of the city area,” said Mr Iggo. “Hornby, Halswell, Hoon Hay, Hei Hei, Upper Riccarton and Waimairi are some of the places where sport is played and we would like to give first-aid service . . . new parks since our surveyof about six years ago, include Burnside, Denton, Macintosh, Wainoni, Macfarlane, Cuthberts green and Wycola.” Mr Wright said that calls for first-aiders and nurses on Saturdays Included racing, car and motor-cycle racing, ice-skating, railway excursions, speedboat racing, picnics, school fairs, gymkanas, rodeos, pony club meetings and shows, as well as Rugby, League, soccer and hockey.

Next Saturday about 7000 girl guides from throughout the South Island will assemble at the Show Grounds. Some will camp there overnight and others will arrive by train from as far as Invercargill from 7 a.m. on,” said Mr Wright. "We expect about a dozen first-aiders and six nurses will be required for duty at the Show Grounds and again at the Christchurch airport where there will be a second giri guide function. “We could do with 16 firstaiders in North and South Hagley Parks from 10 a.m. to after 4 p.m. every Saturday. We will be lucky if we can spare six.” Messrs Iggo and Wright appealed to youths and girls, and particularly to young men and women aged 21 and over to join the ambulance or nursing corps of the brigade in Christchurch.