PHYSICAL SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26693, 12 February 1948, Page 8

PHYSICAL SCHOOL

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO COURSE OPENS NEXT MONTH The new School of Physical Education of Otago University will open on March 1 at the beginning of the University term. The director of the school, Mr P. A. Smithells, told' the Daily Times in an interview yesterday that the 30 students who had been selected for the course would be drawn from all parts of New Zealand. The physical education course will be a three-year full-time course, and camps will be held during the two long vacations at which the students will be taught camp craft and also how to run educational camps. These camps will be held in various parts of the South Island, and the training given in them will be a feature of the course. It is also hoped to give the students opportunities ,■ for tramping, ski-ing and skating. ’ Mir Smithells said that the students who had been selected for the course included some who had just left school. There were six returned servicemen, and several teachers. After the course was completed they would go to educational or recreational work. Wide Scope of Training The first two years of the course would consist of training in theory and practice, and in the third year the students wbuld specialise in subjects according to the type of work which they intended to undertake, Mr Smithells added. The training would cover not only a wide range of related academic subjects, but stich practical work as swimming and lifesaving, all types of gymnastics, major and minor games, athletics, dance, and Maori activities, the Otago school being the only school of physical education in the world teaching this. New activities such as archery and sling ball would also be included. “ The students will be given opportunities r for experience in practical teaching with clubs, and it is hoped also with schools,” said Mr Smithells. “ Otago should derive benefit by _an increase of the athletic sense, and the school will be willing to co-operate with any recreational agencies whatever, including, of course, the Physical Education Branch, under Mr A P. Roydhouse, and the Physical Welfare Branch, under Mr R. O. Johnson. He added that already .it had had offers of co-operation from Dunedin fencing C *The course was not similar to any other advanced course in physical education Mr Smithells continued, and its components would be drawn from Britain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark Estonia, Finland, Russia, Germany, Austria, the United States of America, Brazil, and New Zealand. The students should go out with a thorough practical training, he said, as there were enough clubs in Dunedin to give them a widely diversified experience before they left the school. Community Interest Mr Smithells said the school was very anxious to help -the community in every way it could, and he had been < amazed at the interest taken by the general public in its activities. S ln addition to Mr Smithells therewill be two other members of the pi ofessional staff. Mrs J. C. Bellwood will have charge of the women s side, and Mr P. F. Robertson, formerly a member of the Education Departments staff, will be a lecturer. Mrs Bellwood was formerly the leading physical educationist in Estonia, and Ms worked m Finland, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Britain in all branches of physical eduction activity. She is a very good lineuist able to speak six languages,, so that ’the new school will be able to keep in touch with developments ail ° V &KXon has made a. mor. comnrehensive tour of Britain than any other New Zealand physical education excel' t has yet undertaken and was very higWy praised for. the lectures he gave in the course of his visit. g are a great many problems in nhvsical education that requre research’’Mr Smithells said, “and we i .+„ start early in our first year on P research worls as well as training the students.”