BON VOYAGE TO MR D. THOMAS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12530, 18 June 1901, Page 3

BON VOYAGE TO MR D. THOMAS.

Mr David Thomas was entertained last night by the Ashburton Amateur Cycling and Athletic' Chib at the Somerset Hotel. *Mr Colin Campbellj captain of the club, referred to the valuable services rendered to sport by Mr Thomas, especially to the Ashburton Amateur Cycling and Athletic Club, of which he had been the backbone for many years. The Chairman, in, the name of the committee, presented Mr Thomas with a handsome shield of photos of the committee. Mr L. J. Hobbs (sub-captain), Mr A. "Whittaker and other speakers bore testimony to the worth of Mr Thomas as a supporter of all kinds of sport. Special reference was made to Mr Thomas’s indefatigable efforts to make the Ashburton Domain what it now is—one of the finest, recreation grounds in the colony. Mr Thomas, in- reply, referred to his love for all kinds of athletics, and said he could boast with some pride, of being, in his day, a champion runner. He also referred to the fact that he bad trained Matson, Moir and Bealey, and took them to Wellington, whore they succeeded in bringing, the banner back ,to Canterbury, although Canterbury’s competitors were much fewer than those from the other provinces. He strongly urged young men to support amateurism, which he characterised as the basis of all sport. He strongly commended to those present the claims of. the Ashburton Amateur Schools’ Athletic Association, which he had helped to found. Mr Thomas’s health was drunk with enthusiasm and musical honours. Other toasts were—“ Mrs Thomas,” “Master Douglas Thomas,” and “Amateur Sport.”