New Methven Amenity

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31628, 14 March 1968, Page 9

New Methven Amenity

If you stop in the main thoroughfare of Methven to look at the town guide—a map of the township showing streets and the main features of the locality—and then glance up towards the hills you may be excused for rubbing your eyes and pinching yourself to see if you are really awake. For low over the town behind the Bank of New Zealand is one of the Air Force’s Harvard trainer's. This aeroplane, however, remains permanently in this position. It is one of the feature pieces of a children’s playground established in the centre of the town by the Methven Chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Almost $2OOO has been spent on the project—the actual figure is $lB4l. A sub-committee of the chapter under Mr J. Ridge has been responsible for it Why did they embark on this project—Mr J. S. Rawlinson, who has just given up the presidency of the chapter, says that there were just no playground facilities for children in the area. There had been some equipment at the domain but it had long since fallen into disrepair and been removed. There was nowhere for children to play when mothers came to town to do their shopping.

The chapter, which currently has 32 members representing a general crosssection of the community with a chemist, banker, farm-

ers, engineers, contractors, etc., among its strength, organised the first floral festival in Methven in 1963 with the specific objective of raising funds for this project. Since then the festivals have been run by a floral festival committee set up in the district and some funds raised in last year’s events have also been used to supplement the funds raised earlier for the playground. A centrally placed quarter acre section was purchased in 1966 for the playground and another quarter of an acre on loan has been incorporated meantime in the area. In late 1966 and early last year chapter members were busy clearing their section and sowing it down. Although it is still not finally finished, the playground has been in use since last October. Certainly the Harvard, painted blue with a silver nose, is the striking feature of the playground. The youngsters clamber up a stairway into the interior of the aircraft, and then come out the nose and down a slide back to earth. The fuselage of the aeroplane was the gift of a former member of the chapter, Graham Cotterell, who is now farming in Western Australia. The wings and tail section came from an engineer in Ashburton. This particular aircraft was in use at Wigram during World War II as a trainer. A gaily painted old Ford-

son tractor is another point of interest in the playground. It was given by a former farmer in the Staveley district.

Members spent the best part of three or four days getting the various items of equipment established on the ground. Each piece has been securely set in concrete. The area on loan has been left clear of any equipment. An excellent fence of chain mesh netting with pipe rails has been put round the whole area. Along the north side of the playground poplars have been planted to provide shelter in a few years’ time and a flowering cherry, given by the Rakaia Garden Club, has been planted in the middle of the playground.

Reference earlier was made to the Methven town guide. It was also erected in the past year by the chapter. In the same period it has also had erected welcome signs on the Ashburton Road and Barkers Road, held the Mid-Canterbury part of the teen-agers better driving contest, also a senior citizens’ firewood project, which is an annual affair, and assisted with C.0.R.5.0. and the Braille appeals. Mr Rawlinson has been succeded as president this week by Mr Graeme Escott, a bank officer. Mr Rawlinson is a farmer and is wellknown as a match ploughman who has competed in national ploughing finals.