New Zealand jet boat for Singapore college

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33680, 1 November 1974, Page 16

New Zealand jet boat for Singapore college

The Christchurch engineering firm of C. W. F. Hamilton and Company, Ltd, will give an $B5OO Jet boat to the United World College of South-East Asia, Singapore. The gift will be officially accepted in Christchurch on Monday by the Governor-General (Sir Denis Blundell) on behalf of the president of the International Council of United World Colleges (Lord Mountbatten). i The boat, at the handinglover ceremony, will be given a traditional Maori cerejmonial blessing by the Rev. ;H. Vercoe, principal of Te i Wai Pounamu College. A gift of a greenstone pendant will be presented to Sir William Hamilton by Mr A. Orme, who has been associated with the United World Colleges. A similar pendant will also be presented by Mr Orme to the Winston Churchill Trust in Britain and to Mr Lee

Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore. The gift of the jet boat was made after Lord Mountbatten’s request for a Hamilton jet boat for the Singapore school, one of a series of world-wide United World Colleges which has been established with the aim of furthering international understanding. The colleges accept boys and girls from all over the world for the last two years . of secondary education. The ’ colleges provide a high aca- _ demic content and extra- ' curricular activities of a com- ’ munity service and adventure t type. , Five New Zealand students . will this year attend United World Colleges. Two have ’ been awarded a New Zealand Government grant to attend ’ the Atlantic College in Wales, ’ and a Canadian Government ’ grant will sponsor three , others to the Lester Pearson r College of the Pacific at Vancouver. Lord Mountbatten, in thanking C. W. F. Hamilton and Company for its gift, said that the boat would be ideal for taking students and teachers between the main college in Singapore and its jungle study centre in Johore. The fibreglass jet boat, which will seat eight, will receive the assistance of the Royal New Zealand Navy in 'its maintenance at Singapore.