A MEMORIAL HUT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 728, 4 April 1933, Page 5

A MEMORIAL HUT.

Tribute to Work of Y.M.C.A in France. NEW ZEALANDER’S GIFT. Work will be started by the Y.M.C.A. shortly towards the establishment, at Wellington, of an association hut. to be devoted to the service of boys and young men. The project had its beginnings while Mr J. L Hay was supervising secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association in France, and it will be completed during his term of office as national president of the association in New Zealand j At the end of the Great War, before their demobilisation, the companies of ! the New Zealand Division, together | with other New Zealanders in camp I fn England, subscribed £I2OO towards I the establishment in New Zealand of i a memorial to the war work of the j association. In this way they hoped j to show their appreciation of the asso- • eiation’s services during the war years. The trustees are Sir Andrew Russell, S Mr Hay and the treasurer of the assoj ciation’s national committee. - The fund has now accumulated to | an amount which it is considered will j meet the cost of erecting and equip- { ping the hut. One proposal is that it j should be built in Petone in order to j serve the boys and young men of the i thickly-populated industrial areas of j Petone and Lower Hutt. j Mr Hay said yesterday that the i building of the hut was one of the j principal reasons why he had accepted the office of national president. As supervising secretary of the New Zealand Young Men’s Christian Association in France and later, during the demobilisation period, in London, he was naturally interested to see the end of a work of which he had also seen the beginnings.