Burwood group may change its style

Press, 10 June 1978, Page 5

Burwood group may change its style

While many Christchurch residents’ associations are getting more active, at least one may change its style to a less formal basis, because its active membership has been declining. Members of the Burwood Residents’ Association, at their annual meeting on] Monday, will decide whether to continue as an incorporated body. There was no question of] disbanding, said the association’s president (Mr 1. D. I Stringer), but the group! might want to proceed in a! less formal way. A major fund-raising device over the years, Wednesday evening housie sessions! at Shirley Lodge, would still,! make money for community ;i projects. The association’s biggest' achievement, aside from do-H nations, has been the Bur- J wood Community Hall, at 1 ' the corner of Lake Terrace! and New Brighton Roads, in I the Burwood School!i grounds. i’

“We built the hall, but the interest shown by the whole community during its building fell away when it was finished,” Mr Stringer said. “It came down to a solic core; and there has beer small attendance at genera, meetings.” The membership, if it accepted his suggestion of withdrawing as an incorporated society, would continue to raise money for community causes. In the past, it had given substantial amounts to the Plunket Society, senior citizens, and sports clubs. The Burwood suburb spills over into Waimairi County, and the association had been active in both the county and city. Because he lived in Burwood, the County Chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) had been a regular attendee of meetings in the past. The community hall had been built about eight years ago, and there may still be ways of improving it

e through the activities of the e residents’ group. - After its completion, there s had been a steady decline in 1.1 association activity, Mr Strjd inger said. “I think it was n I just a case of when they got] il what they wanted, that was I it.” tj But that decline had not f discouraged others from - making money available for 1 ccmmunity projects. r “Withdrawing from the inj corporated societies is just a I technical point,” Mr Stringer t said. “We would do away i with the official side of it I because it falls on a few! 3 1 persons. We would like to I I see it done in a simple I jjform.”