Procesh seen again in Chch

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 6

Procesh seen again in Chch

Only nine trucks took part in the University of Canterbury capping procession yesterday. It was last held in 1978 and revived this year “in the name of tradition.” The crowds turned out in their hundreds yesterday afternoon, lining the streets and leaning out of first-floor office windows for the best View. The leading vehicle was a sparkling Mack truck, with Bellamy’s recreated on the deck, a barman and “pompous Parliamentarians” arguing the point of giving money to students who would squander it. Following vehicles opposed the Springbok tour, the Aramoana smelter and proclaimed the education “fightback” message. Most topical of all was a “mountain” with an Air New Zealand .wing embedded in its side. ’‘Morrie might have lost the documents, but mountains don't tell lies,” read the truck’s insignia. The watching crowds laughed or stared with blank faces. There were shouts of "good on you,” and “You’re a

pack of kids/’ and more than one young woman was persuaded to hop aboard for the ride. The procession began at King Edward Barracks, and wound its way round the central city, passing through the Square and finishing by the Rolleston Avenue bridge. Students, running alongside, collected money for the New Zealand Deaf Association and coins thrown from buildings were gathered in and dispatched to the coffers. Over-all, it was a subdued Procesh. in the week before graduation. The group in the last float sang “We drink in moderation.” and that just about summed up the afternoon. ‘Mile’ postponed "Chunder Mile,” the university capping event, has been postponed until the. second term. Students had been refused the use of parks ay both the Paparua County Council and" the Christchurch City Council, and subsequent efforts had failed to find a suitable venue.