Whangarei Spring Races Abandoned

Northern Advocate, 8 October 1941, Page 4

Whangarei Spring Races Abandoned

The Whangarei Racing Club’s spring meeting, scheduled for Friday, October 34, and Saturday, November 1, has been abandoned. Notification has been received from the Military authorities that Kensington Park Racecourse, where a military camp has been established for a long period, will not be available as ic will be required definitely for military purposes. The committee of the club met to discuss the position and decided to abandon the meeting. The autumn meeting early this year was held, the Territorials being evacuated for the two days required. War Effort First “Sportsmen generally fully realise that the war effort must come first,” said the president of the club (Mr. R. G. Hosking) when commenting on the abandonment of the meeting. The latest arrangement by the military authorities necessitated full use of Kensington Park at a period when the races normally would be held, and the club had had no alternative but to cancel the meeting, he continued. The club had always worked in close collaboration with the army authorities and until now it had been possible to race without interfering with the military. This time, however, it had been found impossible to make arrangements and the club had had to abandon the meeting. Too Late for Re-arrangement The committee had considered it inadvisable, at this late hour, to endeavour to explore other fields in an effort to carry on the meeting elsewhere, said Mr. Hosking. Racing dates had been completed and, with nominations for the Whangarei meeting scheduled to close on Friday, no time had been left for making alternative arrangements. “I deeply regret that the Whangarei people will not have this race meeting, which has been a popular attraction for many years,” Mr. Hosking continued. “In these troublous times we have to take things as they are and do the best we can for all.” Personally, he was indebted to the military officers, especially Brigadier P. H. Bell and Major H. P. ConyersBrown, who had done everything possible to facilitate matters, but to conduct the meeting had been hopeless under present conditions.