Rally a success

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 29

Rally a success

T h e Mi d-Canterbury Young Farmers’ Clubs’ experimental rally day held on Saturday at the Ashburton showgrounds had been most successful, said the club’s district chairman (Mr G.

Campion). “Our annual Competition’s Day has been grinding to a halt over the last few years and we are looking to the possibility of replacing it with a Rally Day," he said. As an exchange student in the United Kingdom he attended several rallies and was impressed by the “spirit" of the days as well as their educational value.

“Our Competition Days which were New Zealand’s nearest thing to the English rallies, were far too serious with no emphasis at all on the fun side of things, which is probably why they were

so poorly supported,” he . said. Saturday’s rally was at1 tended by more than 160 i members from seven clubs t and was run on the lines of . a top club day. Mr Campion thought that ■ the future rally days would

probably contain more of a balance of fun and serious competitions. “This year we went overboard for the fun side and the support we got proved our point that Young Farmers’ Clubs have an obligation to provide opportunity for enjoyment as well as education.” He said the rally may have been even better at-

tended if it had not been for the “nor’west gale." The Methven club was the over-all winner of the rally, with Mayfield second, Pendarves third and Hinds and Lauriston equal fourth.