THE SPIRIT THAT WINS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 March 1927, Page 8

THE SPIRIT THAT WINS.

NEW ZEALANDERS FOR HOME. SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECTURAL STUDENTS. LONDON, Jan. 12, Mr. A. D. Connell and Mr. B. R. Ward, the successful New Zealand architects who recently returned from a short visit to the Dominion, passed through London on their way to Rome to take up their architectural studies. Mr. Connell, of course is the holder of the Rome Scholarship, and Mr. Ward, having |failed to obtain the Jarvis Scholarship on account of a technicality, is the holder of a special scholarship for one year, granted by the British Architectural Association.

Prior to leaving London they had a chat with a representative of the Daily Mail, and they told of their ambition to qualify for the architectural scholarships and of the way in which they worked their passages to England in the first place. Mr. Ward said: “We left Wellington three years ago with practically no money in our pockets, to come to Ehgland to study architecture, vowing that we would both secure places in the Rome Scholarship examination. We came over as stokers. In London we got work in architects’ offices, and studied for the scholarship for nearly three years in our spare time. In June, When the results were announced, Connell was awarded the Rome Scholarship of £250 a ye at, and I received a Jarvis studentship of the same examination. We had six months to wait before the scholarships became tenable, so we decided to see our relatives again. 1 got a position as bath steward in the Commonwealth liner Port Dunedin. Connell, however, was not so' fortunate.”

Mr. Connell said: “The only job I could get was steward in the emigrant quarters in the White' Star liner lonic. I had 37 adults and three babies fo attend to, and they were about as badly off financially as I was myself. At Colon I was remaining on board, as I had no money, but the emigrants subscribed 7s 6d so that I could go ashore for the day.” The Daily Mail remarked: “In New Zealand a change of fortune awaited the travellers. They were entertained, and the Government having made a contribution towards their expenses they were able to travel to England together as third-class passengers.’’