$8600 Raised From Boys’ Brigade Trek

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31502, 17 October 1967, Page 24

$8600 Raised From Boys’ Brigade Trek

Eight hundred and seventy-seven members of the Boys’ Brigade, supported by 10,061 sponsors, earned $B6OO for the development of their new camp site at Waipara, on their sponsored trek round the Port Hills on Saturday.

This was the second trek to be held by the Canterbury battalion. Last year about $9OOO was raised for the camp from a similar trek held around the Port Hills. This year, however, distances were changed in both sections. The Boys’ Brigade trek, in which 389 members took part, was reduced from 25 to 21 miles. The distance for the Life Boys’ trek, in which 488 boys took part, was 14 miles, four miles more than last year. The Boys’ Brigade trek began at the Christchurch Technical Institute at 8 a.m. The boys walked along Colombo Street, up Cashmere Hills to the Sign of the Takahe, along the Summit Road to Evans Pass, and down to Sumner The trek finished at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre.

The Life Boys started at the Sign of the Takahe, treked along the Summit Road, to Evans Pass, finishing at the School for the Deaf at Sumner. lan McDonnell, of the Ist Christchurch Company, finished the journey in two hours 35 minutes, three miles ahead of his nearest competitor. lan, who also won the trek last year, was sponsored at the rate of $2.11 a mile and earned $44.31.

The first Life Boy home was Douglas Sparks, of the 32nd Christchurch team, followed by Stephen Freeman, of the 12th Christchurch team. Douglas Sparks, who was also first last year, covered the 14 miles in two hours 40 minutes. The winners of both treks were in the first groups to leave the two starting points. Once they took the lead noone overtook them.

The last boys arrived at the finish just before 4 p.m. The earning rate for each mile for the Boys’ Brigade was $200.77, and for the Life Boys’ $304.90. The boy who earned the

most on the trek was lan Hewitt of the 30th Christchurch Boys’ Brigade Company. He was sponsored at the rate of $3.07 a mile by 48 sponsors and his total earnings were $64.47. Last year lan had the highest number of sponsors in the Life Boy section. Also with 48 sponsors on the Boys’ Brigade trek was Walter Cribb, of the 3rd Christchurch Company. His mile rate was $2.62. The boy with the most sponsors in the Life Boy section was Vivian White, of the 3rd Christchurch team He had 45 sponsors who sponsored him at the rate of $l.BO a mile. The highest Life Boy earner was Grant Stevenson, of the Ist Rangiora team, with $56 His 33 sponsors sponsored him at the rate of $4 a mile. Each boy competing in the trek was asked to have a minimum of 12 sponsors each with a minimum sponsorship of 4c a mile.

Most of the boys agreed the distance and hills were no problem and many indicated they would have preferred to trek a longer distance.

Only 12 members of the Boys’ Brigade and 11 Life Boys were unable to complete the journey, compared with 54 Boys’ Brigade members and four Life Boys on the last trek.

A large number of adults took advantage of the ideal conditions to accompany the boys for most of the journey. The trek organiser (Mr W. F. Bishop) said that he would like to thank all those who sponsored boys, provided transport, manned checkpoints and the office, members of the St John Ambulance Association for providing first-aid, and the boys who took part.

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