NEWS OF THE WEEK

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 77, Issue 6566, 15 September 1948, Page 8

NEWS OF THE WEEK

Card Tournament On Wednesday evening last there was a good attendance at the euchre tournament promoted by the Kawhia Parent and Teacher Association. The prizes were won by M(rs R. McFie and Mr D. Kirk, while Mr A. W. Babbage proved the winner of a competition.

Nesbit Basketball Cup A basketball match for the Nesbit Cup was played on Kawhia Domain on. Saturday Under ideal weather conditions, when Kawhia, holders,were called upon to meet a challenge by Kinohaku. An interesting and keen game eventuated, Kawhia retaining the title by 11 to 8. £>hoools’ Tournament

Circumstances have arisen making it necessary to postpone for a week the primary schools’ tournament. The Rugby seven-a-side and basketball matches will now be held in Kawhia on Friday 24th September. It is also planned to hold a primary schools’ sports gathering at an early date, but the venue, has not yet been decided.

Change of Sports The curtain was rung down on the 1948 Rugby season in the Kawhia district on Saturday last, when the Union staged a seven-a-side tournament at Marokopa. Next Saturday will see the finale of the local basketball matches. Devotees of sum-mer-time sports are now getting busy. The Kawhia Bowling Club held its annual meeting on Mjonday, and the •local Tennis Club will follow suit later in the week. The annual meetings of the country tennis clubs are also planned for an early date.

Oparau School Grounds Some desirable improvements have been and are being made to the school grounds at Oparau. The Education Board has at present contractors at work sealing a path from the road to the school building, it being 45 yards long and one yard wide. Another path to the out-buildings will be similarly treated. A garage is to be built at a later date. Some time ago the pupils, with commendable enthusiasm, top-dressed and otherwise improved the playing areas; and i.the thereon is now coming away beautifully. Blockade Lifted

Nature has relented and lifted the blockade on motor traffic along the beach from the wharf to the Maketu Pa. It will be remembered that some weeks ago a peculiar set of the tides denuded the beach where the road goes up to the pohutukawas of its covering of sand, leaving exposed a soggy mass which proved a veritable trap for the unwary motorist. Last week’s very high spring tides, however, wrought a transformation. A heavy coating of sand was deposited over the mire, and motorists can now traverse the section in confidence and with safety.

Fishing Prospects During the past week spring-like weather conditions have obtained in Kawhia, and these favourable circumstances have encouraged a number to try their luck at fishing in the harbour. ! At this time of the year the sport demands a maximum of patience, but its exercise at times yields dividends, as it did in the case of a party of Taranaki visitors, who the other day landed six beautifully-sized snanoer, caught at The Heads. If favourable /climatic conditions continue, further fishing should soon be the rule. Whitebait, too, will no •doubt become more plentiful, only very small catches being recorded to ■date.

The County Grader Repairs to the county grader, which had been off the road since the last Christmas holidays, were 'completed last week, and on Sunday the engineer, Mr E. R. Hone, himself operated the machine for a number of hours., improving the beach approach to Waiwera Street. On Monday, in charge of Mr P. Green, the grader started work grading the streets of the township.

Two Weather Records Kawhia seems to have achieved two distinct records in regard to weather conditions this year. The summer was one of the longest and best experienced for a long time, and then came the winter, which proved the •wettest for many a day. With the rainfall of 4.64 inches during August, the fall for the year was brought up to a total of 38.98 inches, of which the last five months have accounted for 33.99 inches. A decided change for the better set in last week. The days have been gloriously fine, with a perceptible rise in temperatures. Some people hope that, with such a bad winter passed, we will this year miss the equinoctial gales. Whether the wish will materialise remains to be seen but the fact remains that spring in reality has dawned in Kawhia.

The Dawn of Spring Heralding the dawn of Spring, with its certainty of longer days and hopeful promise of better and brighter climatic conditions than those which have recently obtained, the fruit trees throughout the Kawhia district are sporting magnificent displays of buds and blooms, which in due course should provide bountiful crons of those luscious fruits for which the district is justly famed. The flower gardens, too, are in their spring garb, and many beautiful blooms are to be seen in well-tended plots. As usual, the Oparau Women’s Institute is to the fore with encouragement for those who strive to make the home beautiful with a brilliant display of flowers, and will further the effort by holding its annual flower show on Saturday, 25th September. Taking advantage of this event, it is intended, in connection with the Health Department’s poster competition, to exhibit a number of posters having as their objective the awakening of the interest of the school children in health matters.