BRITISH COLUMBIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19625, 20 October 1933, Page 5

BRITISH COLUMBIA

LETTER FROM TIMARUVIAN. In a short letter to a friend in Timaru. Mr H. B. McClatchie, formerly of the staff of the Timaru Boys’ High School, but who is now teaching at New Westminster, British Columbia, states that since leaving home, he has travelled 13,000 miles, of which rather more than half were by motor. This he has accomplished in six weeks. Referring to sport. Mr McClatchie estates that Rugby football was about to commence, but interest in it occupied a minor place in the host of competitions conducted in Vancouver. Basketball seemed to be the main winter pastime, with Ice-hockey when players could get it. Through the summer, baseball and lacrosse reigned supreme. Canadian and American football were also popular in winter. Cricket was played, but, like Rugby, did not receive very much support. Mr McClatchie said that Vancouver had extended an invitation to the New Zealand Rugby team to visit British Columbia this season, and he was anxiously awaiting the outcome of the negotiations. As illustrating how little was known about New Zealand, the writer said that he had been rather amused to hear a fellow teacher, when talking about “English Rugby,” as it was known, say that he had much enjoyed the visit of the Australian All Blacks in 1924. It was quite true that many people throughout the Western States still thought that Australians and New Zealanders rowed across the Tasman to visit one another on Sunday afternooons. He had been surprised, however, when in the United States and in Ontario, to find that the people there knew very little about the West (either Washington or British Columbia). Actually he had found himself quite an authority on Seattle and Vancouver.