Athletes welcome Merry Est.

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32701, 2 September 1971, Page 14

Athletes welcome Merry Est.

The probability of the Merry Estate becoming the athletics venue for the 1974 Commonwealth Games was the biggest thing to have happened in Canterbury athletics, said the retiring president of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Association (Mr B. H. Kerr) at the association’s annual meeting last evening.' Mr Kerr mentioned some of the benefits Christchurch athletes would reap with the development of the Merry Estate. “The most important fact,” he said, “is that we at last have a deadline date on the estate—it has to be finished by January, 1974.” Other assets would include the synthetic track, the permanent seating with a stand capacity of 5000 and arena seating for 3250, and the

modern facilities with the stadium.

“The Canterbury Centre has to do all it possibly can to help the development of the Merry Estate,” Mr Kerr said. He urged clubs to direct their fund-raising, and give full assistance, to the venture. At present, the association had almost $7OOO in its all-weather track fund which it.could contribute to the Commonwealth Games organising committee. The Canterbury Hockey Association would have about $lO,OOO, he said. Allied to the track development, Mr Kerr said that he could see no reason why the track could not be laid for the 1972-73 season. “With costs continually spiralling, the sooner it is laid the cheaper it Will be,” he said. “The publicity would also give the Games a tremendous

boost, and New Zealand athletes would have the chance to run on a synthetic track long before the Games start.”

DAMES COMMITTEE REPORT Mr Kerr, as chairman of the track and field control committee for the Games, also submitted his committee’s first report. Since Its first meeting in February, the committee planning has followed an adoption of a general procedure of planning, a study of earlier Games athletics organisations with special emphasis on Edinburgh, the adoption of target dates between 1971 and 1974 bv which certain aspects of organisation should be completed, the formation of subcommittees with responsibilities in certain areas of development, and close co-operation with other Games committees, namely main stadium, technical, traffic and-finance.

Mr Kerr was asked what would happen if a change of office occurred at the October local body elections and the Labour Party’s mayoral candidate (Cr N. G. Pickering) decided to proceed with his proposals to

idevelop Queen Elizabeth II Park las the main site. “I can only quote the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr A. R. Guthrey) and say that we can only I take a calculated risk that there will be no change in October,” Mr Kerr replied. “However, if there is a party change, I would presume that the Games organising committee would have to reopen negotiations,” he said. LIFE MEMBER Mr W. A. Kennedy was elected the association’s seventh life member. He has been active in the administration of track and field and crosscountry events since 1942, and for the last eight years has been chairman of the all-weather track committee.' Officers elected were:— President, Mr J. G. Smart: vice-president, Mr M. A. Flynn; secretary-treasurer, Mr I. D. Teague; auditor, Mr J. I. Young; resident delegates to Messrs G. I. Fox and D. D. Leech; travelling delegates to N.Z.A.A.A., Messrs Smart and E. Lunn; committee,. Messrs T. I. Crossen, J. C. Harbutt, K. Jago, Lunn, D. W. Mackenzie, R. F. B. Perry. W. A. Kennedy, G. Grant, J. Tobin, N. Cleveland arid T. Havill.