BOYS AND GIRLS’ CLUBS

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1934, Page 3

BOYS AND GIRLS’ CLUBS

CALF REARING JUDGING INNOVATION IN OKOKE DISTRICT CHILDREN’S OWN CQMMITTEE. Residents of the Okoke district have always taken a keen interest in the activities of the. Boys and-Girls Agricultural Club movement, but the field day held in connection with the judging of the calves in the calf-rearing competition held additional interest yesterday because the school children themselves had formed a boys and girls’ club committee, and the splendid ari’angements showed that they were, well grounded in organisation, an experience that should prove invaluable in future life. The teacher. Mrs. C. Fitzgerald, is to be complimented on giving the children the opportunity of learning a useful phase of activities. The children had elected their own committee, which comprised Verna Darke (president), Ray Potier (secretary), Tom Lawrence, Des Hargraves and Bob Wereta. By means of penny concerts given by the classes in the school they raised money to buy valuable trophies for the local prizes. They organised the luncheon arrangements and issued the necessary invitations. The innovation proved successful, attracting a very large gathering of parents and the majority of the school committee, Messrs. G. C. Whitaker (chairman), H. McLellan, A. Jones and T. Wright. ‘The judges were Messrs. A. E. Washer, president of the Boys and Girls’ Club executive, and J. M. Ferriday, of the stock division of the Agricultural Department. At the conclusion of the judging Mr. Washer congratulated the competition and the quality of the calves, which, he said, were on a par with the splendid exhibits of the past. An improvement could be effected in the method of leading by using a halter instead of a rope around the neck. He congratulated the school on its forward move in setting up a committee of the children to control the field day, an innovation that had been adopted since by some larger schools, and he thanked the secretary for the manly letter that he had forwarded to the executive.

Mr. Washer stressed the necessity of the children’s not losing sight of the calf they had reared, and in that connection thanked Mr. Wyn Hargraves for having donated a valuable cup for competition among. the. same calves as yearlings and as two-year-olds. He would like to see the competition go farther and include the testing of the animal when it came into profit. In some schools the master tested the cows and the children were very keenly interested. He demonstrated why the points were given.

Mr. Ferriday congratulated the children on the condition of the calves. He made it clear that the judges had now adopted a uniform standard of judging condition and would give the award to the bestconditioned calves. The children deserved great credit for the manner in which they had fed their calves and taught them to lead. He agreed that a very useful purpose would be served if the same animals could be brought forward year after year, and, if possible, later some of their progeny, with a view to checking their productive and reproductive capabilities.

Tire prizes, which were awarded for condition and manners, were presented as follows: Senior, T. Lawrence 1, R. Potier 2, Rex Hargraves 3; junior, under nine years old, Esther Whitaker 1, Pauline Hargraves and Pamela Grylls equal 2. Luncheon provided by the-parents was dispensed by the children under a sycamore tree on the school lawn. Mr. G. C. Whitaker, chairman of the school committee, thanked the judges for their attention and expressed appreciation at such a large attendance, which showed that the committee had been justified in deciding to make the field day an annual one. KEEN INTEREST AT URENUI. RESULTS OF THE AWARDS. Keen interest was also evinced in the judging at Urenui in the afternoon, there being a large attendance of parents, including Messrs. C. W. Henwood (chairman), S. A. Managh (secretary), A. Smith and H. Taylor, members of the school committee. Mr. Washer gave a demonstration, remarking that he was very pleased with the type of calf entered. He had had an exceedingly hard job to decide the winning calves. He gave the children some hints on leading. Referring to the progress made by the clubs he said the executive could not do much unless it had the parents, the teachers and the supervision behind it, as was unquestionably the case at Urenui, and he paid a tribute to the work of the supervisor, Mr. A. Northcutt, arid the teachers, Misses Jones (head), Wooldridge and Rawson. Mr. Washer presented framed certificates won last year as follows: — Shorthom-Friesian: First and championship in dairy type, first in dairy condition, Margaret Smith. Jersey-Ayrshire: First in dairy type, Max Bramald. District prizes for awards made yesterday were presented as follows:— Jersey-Ayrshire: Dairy type and condition, Robert Scott 1 (medal), Jean Andrews 2, Neville Pulford 3. Shorthom-Friesian: Dairy type and condition, Cyril Smith 1 (medal), Jim Smith 2. Junior, under nine years: lan Andrews (medal) 1, Nancy Taylor 2, Pat Scott 3. Mrs. C. W. Henwood presented consolation prizes' to the second and third in each class and to Dulcie Clarke, Lily Baker, Betty Graham, Martin Dowman, Keith White, Cedric Taylor, Don Baker and Ron Clarke. An adjournment was made to the school for afternoon tea, which was provider! by the parents and dispensed by the children. Mr. Ferriday expressed appreciation of the manner in which the children were, interesting themselves in the work of the clubs. It must, he said, be very gratifying to Mr. Washer, who had been interested in the work since its inception, to see the movement continuing to advance. RECORD AT KAIPIKARI. 100 PER CENT. OF ENTRANTS. Kaipikari, a small school in the Urenui district, must surely have established a record with 100'per cent, entries in the competition, each of the 14 scholars entering a calf. The interest shown by the parents and committee was manifest by the representative attendance on Monday afternoon, together with the fact that the district had provided cash prizes for the three competitors placed in each event. The judges expressed themselves as very pleased with the standard of the calves, and congratulated the district on the enthusiasm displayed. They presented the prizes to the winners as follows:— Jersey - Ayrshire: Type, Margaret Strachan 1, Betty Hatcher 2, Alec Strachan 3; condition, Betty Hatcher 1, Jack Jones 2, Jack Davidson 3. Shorthom-Friesian: Type, Sylvia Andresen 1, Clifford Hatcher 2, Douglas Newton 3; condition, Douglas Newton 1,

Clifford Hatcher 2, Sylvia Andreson 3. All present were entertained at afternoon tea. JUDGING AT WAIAU. FINE CALVES ENTERED. The judges visited Waiau in the morning and judged a number of fine calves, The teachers. Miss Peacock and Mrs. Court, and the children took keen interest in the judging, the results of which will be made known later,