CONFERENCE WITH INSTRUCTORS AND HELPERS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LIX, Issue 86, 28 October 1938, Page 3

CONFERENCE WITH INSTRUCTORS AND HELPERS

After its meeting the Technical Association had a conference with instructors, secretaries of the various classes, and others who had helped in various ways. There was a representative attendance.

The chairman said that the remarkable success that had attended the association's work this year, in spite of the disabilities under which it had to labour, was in a large measure due to the ability and enthusiasm of the instructors, all of whom were residents of the district, and to those who had helped to organise the classes in various centres and who had arranged for meeting places, collected the fees and performed other work which had been very helpful to the director. To all who had helped in any way he wished to offer the association's warmest thanks. The association was anxious to have the opinions and suggestions of the instructors and others interested for future guidance, and he hoped there would be a free and full discussion.

Before proceeding to give an outline of the activities of each class the director said he was greatly indebted to all those in the outlying districts who had assisted him by organising, keeping the roll, collecting fees, arranging for meeting places, and performing other work.

The Lakeside first-aid class, said the director, had a roll number of 19, of whom nine had qualified for certificates. Dr. W. G. Volckman had been the instructor, assisted by representatives of the St. John Ambulance Association, Dr. S. R. Cattell had been the examiner, and Miss M. Amyes had acted as secretary, while i valuable assistance had also been

given by Mrs J. Lambie. The use of the room had been granted by the Hall Committee at a fee of only 3/per night. \

Mr Lambie said that the students had been keen and had found the instruction most interesting. Unfortunately the period during which the class had met had been the wettest and coldest of an unusually bad winter and this had affected the attendance. In the circumstances the number qualifying was very satisfactory.

The only room available for the woodwork class at Leeston, said the director, was a small one in the school grounds and this imposed a very definite limit to the number of students who could be taken. Mr E. E. Rowley had proved a very capable instructor and Mr lan Mackay had acted as secretary. So keen were the students that there had been two

terms,

Mr Mackay said that he had visited the class and had found the students very keen, greatly interested in the practical work and anxious for a third term, but there was not' sufficient time for a third term this year.

The chairman said that he had also visited the class and had been impressed with the handicap imposed upon it by the lack of accommodation.

The Doyleston dressmaking class had run for two terms, stated the director, and Miss Brizzle had proved herself an exceptionally capable and popular instructor. Miss Boocock, an official of the department, who had visited the class, had been most favourably impressed not only with the work, but especially with the ability of the instructress. She Tiad, indeed, expressed the view that much greater use might be made of Miss Brizzle's services. The Library Committee had been very generous in its charges for the use of the meeting room.

Mr Bray supported the director's comments on this class and especially those about the instructress.

Splendid work had been done by the class at Southbridge in homecrafts, the instructress being Mrs G. B. Couch, who had been assisted by Miss Skinner, of Dunsandel, and Miss Brooks, of Brookside. Valuable help with organising and other work had been given by Mrs Pilkington. Both Mesdames Couch and Pilkington had sent apologies for absence that evening and had expressed the hope that the class would be continued next

year,

Miss Skinner also spoke on the work of this class and the keenness of the students.

With the Dunsandel farm engineering class, Messrs T. Tweedy and R. Wright had given valuable help in arranging for meeting places, several of which had been used, including the domain and golf pavilions. There had been 12 students, with Mr R. H. Ford, of Leeston, as instructor.

Mr H. Wright Johnson said that the absence of many young farmers on a North Island tour and much sickness in the district had affected the class, but it had been very successful in spite of these drawbacks.

Mr Ford said he had experienced difficulty in securing the best results because of the lack of a room with tools and other equipment. Practical training in the use of tools was particularly valuable, much more so, in fact, than lectures and demonstrations, and in this he had been handi-

capped

Mr Johnson said he thought this difficulty could be overcome in the

future

"We are meeting with handicaps constantly through not having a suitable building and equipment," said the chairman.

"It is not fair either to the instructors or the students," said Mr

Lambie

Leeston physical culture and health class, instructed by Mr G. R. Stacpoole, had a roll of 16 students, stated the director, and Miss Bray had been most helpful in securing enrolments and attending to other details.

It was stated that the expense of securing a meeting place had been heavy in this case.

Mr Stacpoole said he had found the students very keen and his work as instructor had been pleasant. The measles epidemic had affected the attendance.

There had been 20 students at the Irwell farm engineering class, where much appreciated help had been given by Messrs H. R. Barnett and G. Rennie. Instruction had been given by Messrs R. H. Ford, G. H. Ryde, and

R. A. Batt, three district men, and by representatives of Christchurch firms.

Mr R. T. McMillan said that the attendance at this class had been good throughout. Again there had been difficulties in undertaking practical work, which was so essential. This was a most valuable class in any country district nowadays with so much machinery in use on the farms. Instructors from Christchurch had introduced a certain amount of advertising by moving pictures and otherwise and this should be avoided in the future if possible. The students particularly wanted practical experience in the use of tools and in making minor repairs and adjustments to machinery. "It becomes more and more apparent that we must have a suitable building and equipment if we are to get the best results," added Mr McMillan. Proper benches and tools were absolutely essential.

Brookside first-aid class had also been quite successful, with Dr Cattell as instructor and Dr. W. G. Volckman as examiner. All the students had qualified. Thanks were due to Miss M. Brooks for her help and to the School Committee for giving the use of the building free of cost.

Miss Brooks said that the students had all been very keen and fully appreciated the value of the instruc-

tion. Miss Skinner had acted as secretary of the Dunsandel first-aid class, which had 20 students. The hall fees had been very reasonable. Sixteen students had sat the examination and 14 had passed. Mr Dickson, of Christchurch, had been, the instructor and Dr. E. W. Hunt had conducted the examination.

Miss Skinner commented upon the keenness shown by all the students and said that if more notice had been given of the opening of the class a larger number of students could have been enrolled.

Appreciative references were made to the work of Mr H. R. Barnett, who had left the district and it was decided, on Mr Ridden's motion, to send him a letter of thanks.

Tributes to the work of all who had assisted the various classes and to the director were paid, and a vote of thanks was accorded the hall and school committees and other bodies for their help, rooms having been granted free of cost in some cases and at very low charges in others.

Supper was served and the chairman warmly thanked those from Dunsandel, Brookside, Doyleston, and other outlying districts for their attendance and co-operation. The association looked forward to doing even better work next year,