Maori Football Exiles

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 14

Maori Football Exiles

George Nepia Tells How Charlie Smith Was “Taken Down” By a “ Welshing” Bookmaker at the Derby (By W. H. BICKLEY.)'

TNTERESTING letters from George Nepia, the famous, full-back, have been received by his relatives on the East Coast. He says the Maoris still draw big crowds when they are engaged. At times they do not play and then the Streatham-Mitcham side is badly defeated. Their greatest barrackers in the crowd are, of course, the wives of two of their members, Mrs. E. Holder and Mrs. George Harrison. George Nepia was the captain of the Dominions’ League team that crossed to France this year. He was the only Maori in the side, the others being Australians and South Africans. Homesickness. Nepia says that but for their number and for the kindness of friends they would be thoroughly homesick. They receive invitations to social parties every day and as they must keep fit they are compelled to decline many invitations. Mr. and Mrs. George Harrison, with Charlie Smith and G. McDonald, occupy a rented house, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Holder occupy a flat, while Nepia stays with a private family. They often have parties among themselves, one day a week at Mrs. Harrison’s, another week at Mrs. Holder’s and another at his landlady’s. They went to a talkie theatre where pictures of the Wnitara hui were shown, and to his surprise he recognised in a war-dance his friends from Rangitukia, which made him feel very homesick, but Mrs. Harrison, who hailed from Taranaki, could not help shed■'ding a few tears. George Nepia saw King George’s body in state. He had to join in a queue that stretched for three miles. When King Edward VIII and hie three brothers kept vigil over the body of their beloved father the throng w r as not aware of the fact until a light flared on the face of the Duke of Kent. Nepia speaks of the intense loyalty of the London crowds to the Royal .house,. a loyalty of which people in the Dominions have no conception. Hundreds of people would wait for hours in order to have a glimpse of the King, or even of a passing member of the ■ Royal Family.' | Glimpse of Duchess of Kent. Nepia mentions how the Duchess of Kent took London by storm and still gripped it. He and Charlie Smith, _in order to catch a glimpse of the passing princess, had to run chains to a point of 'vantage. They had a close view of the Duchess. Nepia says photographs of her do not do her justice. With her dark .eyes, hair and complexion, the Duchess of Kent looks extremely beautiful. Nepia mentions that among the many privileges he has received is the friendship of the Lord Mayor, Sir Percy Vincent. He received an invitation to call, and described the mansion and its wonderful gardens of five acres. As a guest of his Lorship he was able to see the boat race between Cambridge and Oxford Universities. It was a memorable occasion and he enjoyed it to the full. He was also a member of the Lord Mayor’s party that attended the tennis tournament at Wimbledon when he saw world champions at tennis. Nepia says he thought he had some idea of how to play tennis, but after seeing the champions at Wimbledon he was simply amazed at the velocity the ball travelled. He confesses he. could hardly see the ball.

Joins Exclusive Tennis Club. Despite what he saw at Wimbledon, Nepia determined to become a member of an exclusive London tennis club. Before he was admitted he had to undergo a test, and was. pitted against a well-

known player of the club. His opponent won only one game out of five, while lie won the rest. Fortunately tor him ne was perfectly free from stagefright and was fully determined to hold bis own and he did. He could hear Charlie Smiths voice calliug out, “Stick to it, George. The battle became so fierce that players engaged in other games left them and crowded round their court to see a footballer try his hand at tennis. Nepia refers to his visit to 1 ulham Palace to see the Bishop of London, the lit. Rev. Winnington Ingram. “I called on the Bishop of London, who graciously welcomed me and made me feel at home,” he goes on to say. ’ He asked me how I was getting on so far away from homeland. To see his saintly face was to feel good. He is a very busj man. Every day, from noon to evening, a stream of callers from the highest to the humblest, sees the great bishop, and he welcomes them all with open arms.

Witnessed the Derby. “I have bought a motor-ear in which my friends and I often take a run into the country. We went out to see the Derby races and it was a great experience Tor us all. more particularly for Charlie Smith. Thousands of people were there. What particularly attracted my attention was the thousands of gipsies in their peculiar dress. “Bookmakers were there, of course, carrying on their business. We laid odds with a bookmaker and Charlie Smith was jubilant when he thought he was good tor IS. He rushed to the bookmaker’s stand to get his money, but the slippery fellow had disappeared. Charlie was furious and looked for the bookmaker, but he might as well have looked for a needle in a haystack. “I was privileged to be able to be present at the great reception tendered to J. E. Lovelock on his return from the Olympic Games at Berlin, when the great athlete put New Zealand on the map.’ Nepia says later. “It was a memorable occasion, many distinguished people being present. I felt shy at first, but after a time was all right and enjoyed myself.”

A Good Feed af Puha. Nepia amusingly tells of two good meals he had of puha. “My landlady,” he writes, “is awfully kind and at first wondered what food she should provide for me. She is pleased to find I could eat anything. And yet at times I long for a good feed of puha. I was invited to a fine home th.e other day and when my host showed me round his lovely gardens I noticed some puha growing on the edge of the garden. I took home a kitful of this and helped my kind landlady to cook it with slices of bacon. Oh, I was happy. It all reminded me of home.

“Charlie Smith came home one day with a large brown paper parcel under his arm. It was puha and kamokamo (vegetable marrow). We bought a pig’s head from the butcher. Mrs. Harrison, of course, knew how to prepare the favourite Maori dish of pork, puha. kamokamo and potatoes. Knives and forks were, discarded and we had the best feed since’ we left New Zealand.” “A European war, and therefore a world war, may break out any day, and we are all on tenterhooks. The air force is practising assiduously, training for the defence of London. Aeroplanes nightly soar up over the city to meet and bring down an imaginary enemy. One is, however, happy to know that one is a British subject.” “We are all looking forward to the close of the football season in May next year, when we shall be coming home on a brief visit to New Zealand.”