Recreation Booming In U.S.

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31830, 7 November 1968, Page 12

Recreation Booming In U.S.

More and more Americans were now becoming participants in recreation rather than spectators, said Mr R. C- Wilson, of Washington D.C., yesterday, when he arrived as leader of a party of 24 professional park and recreation administrators from all parts of America. They are here on a tour financed by the “People to People” programme which is designed to encourage Americans in many fields to meet their counterparts in other countries.

Mr Wilson is a Recreation consultant with the Department of Agriculture, and is president of the American Park and Recreation Society.

“There is a definite trend towards more active participation in recreation and away from passive participation,” said Mr Wilson. “By 1980 active participation is expected to increase four-fold.

"At present walking for pleasure is the most popular activity. By 1980 it will be swimming, and this is expected to extend to the year 2000 and beyond. “There is a great increase in participation in games and sports, and our number one problem is finding "Suffiicent space and facilities. Because of this our first priority in financing local governments is the acquisition of land before the cost becomes prohibitive.” Mr Wilson said the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund alone provided $2OO million a year for the acquisition and development of recreation areas and facilities. This was matched by the local authorities. As a recreation consultant he helped state and local governments to plan, acquire, develop and operate recreation and park areas and facilities. The trend in this field today

was to try to bring families together in recreation facilities, providing opportunities for joint family participation and use. “We use the expression ‘The family that plays together stays together’,” he said. The visitors have spent two weeks in Australia and will

visit Wellington, Rotorua and Auckland before leaving for Tahiti. In the photograph above, from left, are Mrs T. Brungardt (Vermont), Mr Wilson, Mr R. Larkin (Auckland), and Mr W. Christensen (Idaho).