Samos organising body to pass into history

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33693, 16 November 1974, Page 4

Samos organising body to pass into history

(By

K. J. McMENAMIN)

The 10 days of the 1974 Commonwealth Games are slowly becoming just a memory, and hi most cases a very* happy memory. For the men who masterminded the whole operation next Tuesday evening’s final meeting of the Games Organising Committee will bring to a close four years out of their lives they will never forget. It will be the thirty-sixth time that the committee has met. Its job done, it will wind up its affairs before voting itself out of existence. held in the Chamber of Commerce building in November, and was

attended by the enthusiasts who had won Christchurch the Games at Edinburgh four months earlier and a small band of new recruits.

Gradually, the committee was enlarged until it eventually outgrew its second meeting place, the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association’s rooms, and moved to the city council chamber. By the time of the last meeting, which was held “on location” at the Ham village, the attendance exceeded 50.

In the early stages there was some hesitancy as members trod warily in taking on the tasks allotted them. Later, as they became better acquainted with the roles they had to play, there was a mood of quiet enthusiasm.

But this was dampened by difficulties over which the committee had little, or no. control. There were the dark days which followed the 197! local body elections when a conflict over venues to result

in Christchurch losing the Games altogether.

The committee weathered these storms and the latter half of 1972 proved to be one of its most productive periods. Yet all the time hanging over its head was the fear that the Games would be dragged into the conflict over the 1973 Springbok Rugby tour. This did, in fact, occur, but again the committee kept its head and when the tour was cancelled in April of last year it was again able to fully concentrate on the task in hand.

In the months leading up to the Games, the committee was well on top of its task and then, when the Games themselves proved all that the committee had hoped for. praise was lavished from all quarters for a job well done. For the past nine months there has been the dismantling of what was a complicated, and in, many ways, ingenious

tional machine. On Tuesday the book will be closed, and if, at times, a transfer to Outer Mongolia might have been greeted as a blessing in disguise, few, if any, of the members regret being involved. While most of the committee’s thorniest problems were bared to the public, many passed unnoticed. It is a pity in some ways that the committee’s chairman (Sir Ronald Scott) has decided against writing the “inside story,” on the grounds that to do so might tarnish the success of the Games. It is a commendable attitude, but a shame because Sir Ronald would have some extremely interesting tales to tell.

Such was the commitment needed that for some members severe strains were placed on their business and family lives and most would have finished well out-of-pocket.. Yet, having started some-

thing, there was no lack of resolve in seeing it through to the end.

Although it was essentially a team effort, the lion's share of the credit for the committee’s achievements has quite rightly gone to Sir Ronald. Those who worked closely with him are united in the belief that no-one could have steered the ship more ably.

He showed outstanding qualities of leadership in uniting hundreds of people to work voluntarily towards a common goal, and he was far ahead of anyone else in recognising the pitfalls and complexities of the assignment. In addition, he was a resourceful diplomat who led the committee along some narrow paths, and nearly al! the original ideas, which contributed so handomely to the success of the Games, were his. All the chairmen of committees put themselves

to considerable inconvenience to ensure that they achieved what had to be done.

In the early stages, Mr N. B. Ullrich worked very closely with Sir Ronald and later Sir Ronald relied heavily for advice on another of his vicechairmen, Mr J. E. Davies.

The skilful job Mr M. F. Hunter did in controlling the purse strings is reflected by the surplus of about $500,000, more than half of which has already been put back into sport. This is by far a record profit for any games, Olympic or Commonwealth.

Another very able lieutenant was Mr H.C. Blazey, who, with a minimum of fuss, succeeded in the none-too-easy task of satisfying the demands of nine different sports. In the sports field there were also trojan efforts from such people as Mr B. H. Kerr and Mr. J. O. Hattersley. There were others, too, who laboured mightily in areas where problems were

the rule rather than the exception* The village and catering chairman, Mr. H. T. Dean, did a mammoth job in caring for his two portfolios, particularly in the weeks leading up to the Games, and Mr Reeves Harris (news media) and Mr W. B. Barnes (communications) also had to overcome a host of weighty: problems. Equally industrious were Mr N. R. Searell (fund-raising) and Mr. P. Hames (reception and recreation). Hundreds of tireless workers also played a part in making the Games an event which did Christchurch proud. Tuesday’s meeting will probably be nothing more than post-script, but those who were in from the start might well recall the direction given them by Sir Ronald at the very first meeting.

“We will do it; and what's more we will do it well,” he said. How right he was.