PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 11

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

ATHLETIC SPORTS

OVER 6000 ENTRIES

Postponed from yesterday on account of threatening weather in the morning, a combined athletic meeting in which thirty-eight city and suburban primary schools were represented is being held at Athletic Park today. Over 6000 children are participating in the events, which commenced shortly after 9.30 a.m. The ground is in very good order.

Practically the only races to be run this morning were the heats and semi-finals, although some of the finals of the younger children's-events were completed before lunch. Parents were present in large numbers.

Mr. W. 3. Melody, headmaster of the Thorridon Normal School, and organising secretary for the sports, is in charge.

For various 'reasons, notably shortage of staff owing to sickness, the tramway department was unable to provide special cars before 9 a.m., and the majority of the schools made their own arrangements for the transport of the children, although for the benefit of the outlying schools six cars were put on after 9 o'clock. The sports were scheduled to finish about 3.30 to allow the children to catch their usual cars home where possible.

Six special, railway buses were used for transporting children from Ngaio, Khandallah, and Johnsonville to Athletic Park, and it is estimated that nearly 400 were catered for. They were to be taken back to their respective suburbs by the buses wtten the sports were over.