MAORI AIRMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23881, 4 February 1941, Page 8

MAORI AIRMEN

INCIDENT IN CANADA SISTER'S PEN FRIEND WARM WELCOME RECEIVED FROM TOM MOORE (Copyright) SOMEWHERE IN CANADA. Jan. 24 Many years ago public schools in Canada joined with schools in other parts of tlie world in an international friendship programme. Schoolchildren throughout the world started to write letters to each other. A little Canadian girl, whose homo city has now become

one of the most important centres of the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme, secured the name of a-New-Zealand girl and started correspondence that was kept up for a number of years. The New Zealand girl was Joy Douglas, the Canadian girl Jocelyn Wren.

When the Douglas brothers arrived in Canada, a newspaper mentioned them by name as being among a group of Maoris who were members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force who had just reached this country for further training. Jocelyn Wren's parents read the item and wondered if they might be relatives of their daughter's New Zealand correspondent of the same name. Mr. Wren telephoned to the air training school. He was put in touch with the Douglas boys. Sure enough, Adrian and Wallace were Joys brothers. "Why, we even have pictures ot tho Rocky 'Mountains that, your daughter sent to Joy," the hoys from New Zealand told Mr. Wren. It was one of those coincidences that should happen only in story books, but it provided two Maori boys with some unexpected friends far away from home. Since their meeting, the Wren s have opened their home to the brothers.