Physical Training Scheme: Widespread Progress

Northern Advocate, 26 May 1941, Page 8

Physical Training Scheme: Widespread Progress

“The physical training scheme lor Home Guard units continues to make good progress throughout the Dominion,” states the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon: W. E. Parry) in a review of officers’ reports for the past month.

“Men in country districts are remarkably eager to take advantage of the exercises conducted by the numerous instructors trained by the department’s officers. For example, in the Marlborough Sounds district all the Home Guardsmen are in the physical training classes. In the Whangarei area 4000 of the 5000 Guardsmen enrolled are members of similar classes. In the scattered Poverty Bay-Wairoa district there are 190 instructors for 3600 men; in the Waikato 162 instructors for about 6000 men; in South Canterbury 140 instructors for 3600 men; in Southland (not including Invercargill) 242 instructors for 7500 men. These instructors are all voluntary workers. Instructional Officers

“At present the department has only 23 men officers, who are kept very busy indeed,” says Mr. Parry. "The demand for their expert services in the general field of recreation as well as in the training of Home Guar 1 instructors has grown so greatly that additional appointments have become necessary.

“Successful innovations in several areas were in the appointment of liaison officers by Home Guard commanders to act in the interests of physical training and recreation between the instructors (trained by the department’s officers) and the Home Guard officers in the localities concerned.

“In several places the department’s officers are giving physical training courses to staffs of fire brigades. “Community services of the men officers have included valuable help in the formation of sports clubs and the training of teams. In the Nelson district groups of instructors have formed themselves into clubs for physical welfare and recreation purposes in addition to the ordinary parades of Home Guard units. In Taranaki the physical training scheme has been the means of reviving defunct clubs. “Progress is being made in Auckland in the organising of lunch-hour recreation for staff's of industrial and commercial firms. A good start has been made in Wellington with a lunch-hour recreational class for businessmen.

More Leaders Trained

“The past few weeks have brought a great increase in the number of leaders trained by the department’s officers for the formation and maintenance of keep-fit classes of Women’s War Service Auxiliary units. The officers and the leaders are also hoping importantly in the promotion of various recreational activities for women and girls. These achievements include Happiness Clubs and Girls’ Life Brigades. “Although the war has increased manual tasks for women in country districts because of the enlistment of farm workers, they are managing to find time to attend keep-fit classes. A typical example of their keenness was seen recently in Kaitaia, about a hundred miles north of Whangarei. At very short notice more than two hundred came to a keep-fit night. They were so interested that it was necessary to take them again the following night. “An interesting experiment is being made in Wellington -with suitable warm-up exercises for a class of shopgirls before they begin work during the winter.”