FIGHTING SERVICES CLUB

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 28 July 1942, Page 4

FIGHTING SERVICES CLUB

I’ ! THE decision to re-open the Fighting! I» i Services Club will be welcomed by, jl the growing numbers of servicemen! *' stationed in the district. Without such | «“ a centre at which to spend some part *' I* of the liberal leave granted, the city 1 !■ has been a lonely place for many j ** young men in the ranks who havej ■2 j come from other parts of New Zea-‘

land and who have had no friends in' Nelson. The Mayoress has taken the initiative in arranging for the club to be opened on three nights a 1 week; her appeal to-day for equip- j men! and comforts should meet with I a ready response, for obligation to: our men in uniform begins at home! though it does not end there. Some difficulty has been cxperienc- j ed m the past about discovering the) feelings of the men towards dub* facilities. They are precluded by | regulation from expressing thenviews m print but some of them from time to time have made personal representations to "The Mail” and, in the hope these may contribute something towards the successful running of the club, we summarise some of the main points made; 1. Servicemen who have been stationed in other parts of New Zealand, particularly Christchurch, were encouraged to cultivate the club habit and, on being transferred to Nelson, found there was no opportunity in the town to do this. 2. Too much obvious organisation in a club was not to their liking: the nearer the approach to a home away from home the better they would appreciate it. 3. They wore sensitive to any ‘impression of a “patronising atmosphere” and disliked ostentation either in the way of welcome or entertainment. 4. A cafeteria was a necessity. 5. Lady friends of the men must be permitted to accompany them to the club. O’. The best way to make a club serve the needs of the men was to give them a say in its administration. These are a panel of opinions gleaned from a limited number of servicemen though it is evident from what Flying Officer Allison had to say at last week’s meeting of the Provincial Patriotic Committee that some of them at least are widely held among the men. Now that the club is to be re-opened those who control it will doubtless take care to see that it really serves the needs of the men; otherwise there may be a repetition of what happened previously. In their turn the servicemen should remember that its continuance depends on how fully they make use of it.