District Ranger appointed

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 6

District Ranger appointed

Mr B. W. Thomas, chief | ranger at Mount Cook National Park, has been appointed District Ranger in Christchurch. It is the second such appointment to have been made in New Zealand. The first was in Auckland. Mr Thomas has been appointed to control and supervise all ranger services in the Canterbury land district, which extends frOm the Conway River in the north to the boundary Of South Canterbury, including Mount Cook, Arthur’s Pass National Park, Peel Forest, and all the reserves in Canterbury. Walkways and farm parks such as Godley Head are included. He will be responsible for staff training, appointments and standards, and will be involved in administration of land matters where they

| affect national parks and 'services.

His is the top ranger appointment in the district. It is expected that another district ranger will be appointed at Dunedin in the near future. Bom at Christchurch, Mr Thomas was educated at St Andrew’s College. He was in the uniform branch Of the Christchurch police until he was transferred to the plainclothes branch. In Christchurch, Mr Thomas was secretary of the Waimairi Tennis Club. He has been president Of the Canterbury National Mountain Safety Committee, and was secretarv-founder of the Search and Rescue Co-ordi-nating Committee, Canterbury district. Mr Thomas also held the position of Chief Fire Officer, Mount Cook Industrial Brigade.