Maoris Helped Centres

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 2

Maoris Helped Centres

(New Zealand Press Association)

GISBORNE, April 17.

As a result of the visit to Australia of six Maori women last year the play centre movement has been extended to the Aborigines, Mrs D. Knight, of Lismore, New South Wales, said on arrival in Gisborne today.

Mrs Knight and Miss O. Yuke, of Box Ridge, near Lis more, have been in New Zealand since March 25. visiting play centres in the North Island. The tour is sponsored by the University of Sydney “If it had not been for your Maori women, we would never have heard of the play centre,” Mrs Knight said.

“We can thank them for start ing us off.” Mrs Knight has five children, 20 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and it is because of her grandchildren that she has, at 68. set out to find out all she can about how play centres work Both she and Miss Yuke hold mother’s helper certificates and plan to go as far as possible with the movement.

She paid a strong tribute to the work of Mr L. Gray, and to an Australian, Mr A. Dun can, of the University of Sydney, for his work among Aborigines to establish the play centre movement.

“You can say that the Maoris’ loss was our gain," Mrs Knight said of Mr Gray Mr Gray was formerly preschool adviser to the Maori Education Foundation. Mrs Knight walks two miles every day to work at the play centre at Box Ridge. She spoke warmly of the kindness and hospitality of play centre members during their tour. Their schedule has been a very tight one, the two women visiting three centres each day.