RETURNED SERVICES CLUB AT MATAURA

Southland Times, Issue 25748, 11 August 1945, Page 9

RETURNED SERVICES CLUB AT MATAURA

Strong Support Given For Proposal

The project to form a returned services’ club at Mataura received strong support at a meeting of the Mataura R.S.A., the following committee, with power to add, being set up to proceed with the preparations for establishing a club:—Messrs V. Ball (chairman), I. Cullen and I. Buchanan (joint secretaries), I. Maslin, L. McKelvie, R. Pryde, H. Wards, M. Wilson, J. Robson, J. McCallum, W. T. Browning, G. Holland, F. H. Bryant, R. Hutton, C. Cruickshank, A. Wright, T. Telfer and Sister I. Y. Scott.

The opinion was expressed by Mr Cullen that Mataura was capable of establishing a club measuring up to the standard of the one at Gore, about which favourable reports were heard throughout New Zealand. The main essential was money. The indications were that citizens would not be niggardly in giving donations. At the time of the annual meeting of the club the amount in hand was £125, which had been subscribed from the public. There was a realization that the club would be of benefit not only to returned servicemen, but to the town generally, he said. The previous day £3700 had been subscribed for a club at Wyndham, with £5OOO in sight. Members of the Mataura R.S.A. had paid their subscriptions regularly, but had seen nothing for their expenditure. A club established now would be of 'benefit both to the members and to their children later. The membership at present was 165, with the possibility that it • would reach 220 before the end of the year. The fact that the project had been mentioned at the last three annual meetings was recalled by Mr L. MeKelvie. In his opinion, Mataura was big enough to support a club. There were no other clubs at Mataura that were open clubs. Although the proposed services club would be primarily for returned men, honorary membership would also be accepted. One of the questions to be considered was whether the club would be strong enough financially to support a caretaker. Like the Goi'e organization, Mataura would have to start in a small way. With the war at its present stage, he did not think that any money raised would affect the war effort. Continuing, Mr McKelvie said he did not favour the idea of making the club rooms a war memorial. It would be primarily for returned servicemen; a war memorial was for the whole community. Other speakers also supported the project, a decision being made to hold a debutantes ball for the daughters of returned servicemen as a means of assisting to raise money towards the establishment of a club.