RETURN DELAYED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 12

RETURN DELAYED

HEALTH CAMP INCIDENT

CHILDREN'S EXTRA NIGHT

ROUGH WEATHER -IN GULF Because squally weather prevented the steamer Kawau from going alongside the Motuihi "Wharf, 120 Auckland children who were due to return from a fortnight spent at the Community Sunshine Association's health camp unexpectedly had to spend Wednesdaj night on tho island. They had already packed their belongings and gone to tho wharf, but,' instead of hoarding the steamer for Auckland on her ua\ back from Waiheke, they watched liei pass without calling at the island. They then gladly returned to camp, although in the city a crowd of parents was waiting patiently for their arrival. When it was discovered on the island that the steamer was not going to put in to Motuihi, the camp informed tho association by telephone and an officer was sent to tho waterfront to toil th»* parents, who by this time numbered well over 100. Trip Made in Launches Tho children were held in camp until yesterday morning, when a launch was sent to collect them, landing them in the city at about 10 a.m. Another group of 48 children were brought to Auckland by an earlier launch to connect with tho train for Taneatua.

Fortunately for the Community Sunshine Association, it was stated yesterday, the non-arrival of the steamer did not strain the camp's resources. Usually an outgoing batch of children is replaced tho same day by an ingoing group, but this time it had been arranged to send the new arrivals into camp yesterday. New Arrivals at Camp A group of 27 children went into the camp yesterday morning, arriving by bus from the Thames and being taken to the island by boat. A further batch of 40 was brought from Coromandel by steamer and landed on the island last m ln"addition to these children, 100 more arrived by train from Whangarex late yesterday afternoon and were taken to Motuihi by launch. These children, of whom about :J0 per cent are Maoris, havo been collected from various remote districts in the North and include some who have never seen a citv before. With the children from the Thames and Coromandel districts they will remain in camp for three weeks.