FEILDING AERO CLUB.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 64, 13 February 1936, Page 8

FEILDING AERO CLUB.

ANNUAL MEETING. Mr D. C. Cullinane, the president, was in the cliair at the annual meeting of the Eeilding Aero Club, on Tuesday night, a good number of members being present. The report stated that during the year negotiations were completed with the Deience Department and the Public Works Department for the laying out of the Taonui aerodrome, and the club was pleased to be able to state that the work was well m hand. The property should be available for llying in a few months. The club wfis indebted to Hon. J. G. Cobbe, the Director of Air Services (Squadron-Leader T. M. Wilkes) and Mr E. A. Gibson, aerodrome engineer, and his staff for assistance rendered. Commercial aviation, the report went on, had advanced considerably throughout the Dominion during the past year. The Eeilding Club had not been actively engaged in flying, but it was anticipated that flying would be carried on at Taonui before next summer. The committee had worked harmoniously and well for the benefit of the club. In moving the adoption of the report, Mr Cullinane enlarged on the activities of the club and said he thought the prospects were very bright. He stressed the necessity for the co-operation of the general public to help the club carry out its programme to the full. The report was adopted and officers elected as follow: —Patron, lion. J. G. Cobbe; president, Mr D. C. Cullinane, vice-presidents, the Mayor of Feeding (Mr T. Collins) and the chairmen of the Oroua, lviwiiea, Manawatu, Kairanga and Pohangina counties; lion, treasurer, Mr E. Fair; club captain, Mr J. H. Penney; lion, surgeons, Drs Phillips, Cameron and Salmond; committee, Messrs E. W. Barnett, T. Col-, lins, E. Goodbehere 11. J. Harper, M. E. McLean and \. B. Short; lion, secreetary, Mr T. W. Simpson. Mr It. J. Harper referred to the need for expediting the preparation work at the aerodrome so as to bring it into active use as an aerodrome as soon as possible. At his suggestion it was decided to invite Hon. It, Semple, Minister of Public Works, to endeavour to visit the aerodrome to see the work tliat had been carried out and, if possible, to arrange to have the work speeded up. It was also decided to invite Hon. J. G. Cobbe, the chairmen of the adjacent county councils and the president of the Eeilding Chamber of Commerce to visit the aerodrome with a view to enlisting their further active support. Mr A. J. Kellow enquired what the club’s programme was for the future, the president replying that no definite objective had been drawn up at present, but on the ground coming nearer completion the matter of a programme would be taken up by the committee. The club was now a member of the Middle Districts’ Aero Club, which body would carry out the training of all pilots on the Taonui ground when it was completed.