Auckland Farewell To League Team: Civic Function

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1947, Page 2

Auckland Farewell To League Team: Civic Function

[SPECIAL 10 STAB]

AUCKLAND, This Day. The Mayor of Auckland, Mr J. A. C. Allum, farewelled the. Kiwi Rugby League team at a civic function in the Auckland Town Hall. Representatives of various sports bodies were present and a large number of the teams’ friends and relations, supporters, and players of the Rugby League swelled a large crowd. Mr Allum said that it was a privilege to say farewell to such a fine body of men. He made special reference to the West Coast members as, he said, he had heard that the finest footballers in New Zealand came from the Coast. He said that he was sure that the members of the team would always remember the fact, that they were New Zealanders and would conduct themselves accordingly. He remarked that the team was fortunate in being able to call at New York, and he assured the members of the party that from his own experience recently the public of America had a very fine opinion of the New Zealander. Interest In Tour All followers of all sports, continued Mr Allum,' would be following the doings of the team with interest. The team would be carrying on where the 1939 team had had unfortunately. to leave off due to the outbreak of war.

Special congratulations were conveyed by Mr Allum to Arthur McInnarney, who had overcome a serious war wound to be the only member of the 1939 team who had again been selected. He was sure, said Mr Allurp, that the team would benefit from the great experience of Mr T. McClymont, whom he knew personally, and also that P. Smith would be an efficient leader. In concluding, Mr Allum asked all the members of the team to take a special message to the people of the Motherland. Would they please tell the people in England that all in New Zealand were ever thinking of them in their great difficulties and that their sufferings would be shared by us in any way that it was .possible. Ambassadors of N.Z.

Mr J. A. Redwood briefly replied, saying that the team hoped, by playing bright and entertaining football, to be able to help in a small way to assist the people of England to forget their worries for a brief time. The captain, in thanking Mr Allum on behalf of the players, said that they all realised that they were ambassadors of New Zealand and would act accordingly.At the conclusion Mr Redwood asked the Mayor to accept one of the team’s badges, a'small Kiwi mounted on a football. Mr Allum said he was grateful for the gift and would wear it on each day that the team was playing, as a token of good luck for them.

RANGITIKI SAILS: 790 PASSENGERS ON BOARD (PA) AUCKLAND, August 14. More than 2000 spectators watched the departure of the liner Rangitiki when she sailed for Britain late tonight with the largest complement of New Zealand passengers in the history of the port. Athletes and musicians, churchmen and diplomats, brides and grandmothers were among the 790 passengers bound tor Panama, New York, and London. Members of the New Zealand Rugby League team were. conspicuous in their blazers and flannels, a civilian counterpart for the uniforms of 40 Royal New Zealand Air Force officers going to Britain to join the Royal Air Force, and a handful of naval officers who are to complete a series of instructional courses with the Royal Navy. Also on board were an American wrestler, a group of Methodist Church leaders bound for a world conference in the United States, the New Zealand athlete, D. M. Harris, several New Zealand girls bound for the United States to marry former American servicemen, mothers .visiting. daughters already married in the United States, and a large party of Jugoslavs starting excitedly on thenlong journey back to their homeland.