PERMANENT HEALTH CAMP

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 11 June 1936, Page 6

PERMANENT HEALTH CAMP

SITE AND TAHUNA BEACH SUGGESTED REPRESENTATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL The establishment of a permament Children’s Health Camp site at Tahuna beach was suggested at the annual meeting of the Nelson Health Camp Association last evening, and it was decided to make representations to the City Council for the setting aside of a suitable area. On Mr A. Robinson asking where the camp would be held this year, the president, Mr H. J. Savage replied that as the majority of the children came from the country, he would like to see the camp nearer the city, preferably at Tahuna Beach. The country children rarely saw the sea, and on the occasion of the last camp the children had greatly enjoyed thenvisit to Tahuna. As the City Council and- the Sands Association were at present reviewing a' scheme for' the;, improvement of Tahuna, it might be possible to have an area allocated so that permanent camp facilities, such as buildings, etc., could be provided for future health camps. This would not come this year but he hoped it would come about in the near future. The Mayor (Mr G. L. Page): “Would the Tahuna School be as suitable for a camp as the Wakefield School?” The president replied that there were not cooking facilities at Tahuna School, also there was the water and sanitation problem. Dr E. Irwin said that the Wakefield School was ideal for a health camp. Mr S. W. Street thought that it was premature to think of Tahuna owing to the water and cooking difficulties. Mr A. Robinson thought that if the committee had the means, the children could be brought into town more often. Mr W. Bateman said that he would like to see Nelson combine with Blenheim and the West Coast and form a permanent camp similar to that at Otaki. Mrs J. S. Tennant was of the opinion that Tahuna was an ideal site for a camp. The association should look to the future, and she thought that as the Sands Association was approaching the City Council with a view to having a motor camp established on the beach the committee should endeavour to have a site set aside for a health camp. Mrs Tennant then moved that the City Council be approached with a view to having a, site at Tahuna Beach marked off as a health camp. The Mayor (Mr G. L. Page) speaking to the motion, said that it was a splendid idea to endeavour to obtain a permanent health camp site. The spot which appealed to him was the area behind the sand hills down towards Golf Road, and at some future date he hoped to see this area levelled off. A camp there would be reasonably isolated from the general public and would not interfere with the motorists’ camp. The suggestion that they should approach the Council was a good one. Of course nothing could be done until Tahuna had a good water supply, but he could safely say that within two years the township would be supplied with water. The motion was carried.