FAIR DIRECTOR FOR 33 YEARS

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 5

FAIR DIRECTOR FOR 33 YEARS

This year’s Industries Fair will be the grand finale for Mr R. T. Alston, the executive director of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, who retires next year after directing the organisation of the fair for 33 years.

Fair director since 1937, Mr Alston has supervised many improvements to the Fair which now ranks among the biggest and best in the world. Before 1937, the Fair was known as the Christchurch Winter Show and for many years was held in the King Edward Barracks. Later it was held in an old brewery building in Ferry Road and in a wool store, before Canterbury Court was built. In the last two years extensions have been made and it is now one of the most modern buildings constructed for exhibition purposes in New Zealand. The building is licensed for a seating capacity of two and a half thousand but can hold more, Mr Alston says. The Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association has been closely associated with the development of the Industries Fairs and the Winter Shows before them. Its interest in industry was shown in 1879 when it was the first association in New Zealand to arrange an exhibition. “Part of the function of the manufacturers’ association is to bring to the notice of the public the development and growth of industry by such displays and exhibitions,” says Mr Alston. “The planning of such a Fair never really stops. We are already looking at arrangements for next year’s Fair and seeing what highlights we can introduce.” Mr Alston has visited a number of overseas fairs, including the Sydney Royal Show several times and the Imperial Trade Fair in Sydthese, the New Zealand ney, the New York World Fair and various other trade shows. In comparison with

Industries Fair more than holds its own in relative attendance figures, he says. The Fair has grown tremendously since Mr Alston took over its direction in pre-World War II days. Then attendance was only 30,000, but last year 130,000 people visited the Fair and this year 150,000 are expected. The major improvement over the years has been the move to the specially designed modern building of Canterbury Court, a vast change from the unheated King Edward Barracks, with dirt floor, sawdust and canvas signs away back in 1937, says Mr Alston. Nowadays, with the development of higher : andards, heating and lighting are essential for the comfort of the visiting public. There is more emphasis too on displays that will appeal to the eye. This year there are more working exhibits than last year, but Mr Alston says if is becoming an increasing problem to put these on display because of the very nature of their construction. In some cases the machines are so vital to the factory that to take them out for display will affect production adversely. Because of this some of the machines begin work at 8 a.m. on their normal jobs even though the Fair is not open then. As the shows get larger and larger over the years, the work of organising them gets more and more exacting. A major responsibility is in providing essential and emergency services and Mr Alston says there is a ‘Yair percentage” of problems cropping up with 10,000 people a day passing through the Fair.