PARADE AND DISPLAY

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 16, 28 February 1939, Page 5

PARADE AND DISPLAY

EXCELLENT PROGRAMME AT

SHOWGROUNDS

Commencing with a parade through the business part of the town and to the showgrounds, the programme of sports events at Leeston on Saturday afternoon was most interesting, enjoyable and covered quite a wide range of activities. Led by the Methven Pipe Band the parade consisted of senior pupils from the schools in the county, tennis and hockey players, bowlers, swimmers, folk dancers, and representatives of other forms of sport, the Boy Scouts from Lincoln, the local platoon oF territorials, making their first public appearance, Leeston Fire Brigade and engine, and a number of children on horse back. Behind followed a long strfhg of motor cars, the number increasing as the procession neared the showgrounds. On arrival in the ring, the parade was formed up in front of the stand, where it was addressed by Mr F. G. Dunn, the Canterbury representative on the National Council for Physical Welfare and Recreation, Then the rest of the afternoon was given up to displays of different sports and recreations, the long programme concluding shortly after half-past five.

The attendance of the public was quite up to anticipations. In the height of harvesting, with threshing proceeding on many farms, it was asking too much to expect the farmers to take even half a day off, for the most must be made of the fine weather, no matter how important other fixtures might be. Then again because of the dry, inflammable nature of the countryside, and the many thousands of bags of grain that were lying out in the open, waiting for transport to the stores, even those farmers who had finished threshing were reluctant to leave their farms for fear of a grass fire. In fact, at midday there was one in the Selwyn riverbed, which indicated the constant menace which has to be faced just now. As it was, some of the Springs farmers were getting ready to leave for the demonstration when an urgent call for fire-fighters came and they were obliged to transfer their activities elsewhere.

School children were first of all called upon to play their organised games as at school and for this purpose were divided up into suitable squads. Some old and many new games were played under the super-

vision of the masters. Schools represented in the display included good contingents from Dunsandel, Brookside, Leeston Convent, Leeston Consolidated, Lakeside, while Killinchy, Southbridge, and Sedgemere were also represented. Included in the children's section was a pony potato race, for which there were sufficient competitors to run two heats. After this came the turn of the Lincoln Boy Scouts. Although the troop has been in active work for only a short time it gave a display of signalling and physical exercises, while it was smart on parade. Subsequently the boys busied themselves in building a bridge out of sticks and stakes, and to show that it was not a toy, one of the troop walked across it. V.M.C.A., Christchurch, sent out a strong contingent of its gymnastic classes, both men and women. The former gave clever exhibitions over the vaulting horse, on the high bar, and the climax came with some much more difficult figure work on two ladders. The young women gave as their part in the programme, displays of exercises and club swinging. [ A link with Old England, when the village green was the arena for the I athletic and physical prowess of the residents, was provided by folk dancing under the direction of Mrs ;E. Hanha. The girls, in their neat costumes gave three different types of dances and this was an item which met with general approval. Something entirely new to most Ellesmere spectators was given by the Christchurch Swords Club. This was a display of fencing with foils. It is a sport of ancient origin and in ' the olden days, meant a great deal to those who indulged in it. To them it was more than a sport, a j means for self-protection, for life j itself often depended upon proficiency !in the use of the sword. Exhibitions were given with foils, rapiers, and sabres, the team consisting of two women and three men. A commentary on the bouts and a general description of the sport was given over the loudspeaker. Another display in which much interest was taken was that of trapshooting at clays given by a team from the Ellesmere Gun Club. A nine-bird match was fired, with a strong cross-wind blowing and the frequency with which the clays broke up into fragments as they were struck by shot while they went 'spinning through the air demonstrated the accuracy of the shooting and the finer points of this sport which called for rapfdity of decision and action as well as for quick and accurate shooting. A display was also given by members of the Fire Brigade in running out the hose to begin an attack on a fire. The Methven Pipe Band played a series of selections during the afternoon and also gave a display of marching. There "were also competitive events, a pony trot for children, 100 yards and 50 yards flat races. | During the afternoon two tumblers with the V.M.C.A. team caused a great deal of interest and amusement in their clever work. | Results of competitions were:— Pony potato race—First heat: jSolss H. Overton 1, Miss H. Breading 2, ~Miss Prosser 3. Second heat: Gordon Breading 1, Miss G. Prosser 2, Miss D. Prosser 3. Final: Gordon Breading 1, Miss Daphne Prosser 2, Miss Hazel Breading 3. Pony trot—Miss A. Prosser 1, Miss C. Prosser 2, O. Johnston 3. Ten started. 100 Yards—M. McClelland 1, E. Burns 2, D. Heybourn 3. Time, llsecs. 50 yards—M. McClelland 1, Armstrong 2, Mclntosh 3.