TROPHIES PRESENTED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 50, 2 March 1943, Page 3

TROPHIES PRESENTED

MARCHING CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS Trophies to the successful competitors at the Wanganui Marching Championships on Saturday were presented at a ceremony on Cook’s Gardens on Sunday morning the Mayor, Hon. W. J. Rogers, M.L.C., officiating. Referring to the physical benefits derived from such exercise Mr. Rogers thanked the visiting teams for travelling such long distances, and said that he hoped they would find time to see some of Wanganui’s beauty spots before they left. The president of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, Mr. C. S. Jeffs, also welcomed the teams and expressed his disappointment at not being able to arrange a sight-seeing tour for the visitors because of the petrol restrictions. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the organisers of the contest, atid I hope all of you will be back in Wanganui again for the victory march in 1944,” said Mr. Jeffs., . The president of the Wanganui Marching Association, Mr. A. C. Bourgeois, also spoke, thanking teams for attending and saying that he hoped they would invite Wanganui teams to their centres if they arranged competitions. He also paid tribute to the association secretary, Mr. C. A. Moosman.

Mr. K. Waite, manager of the winning team (McGruer's, Gisborne), said that he was proud of the girls, who had travelled 700 miles in 48 hours to attend the meeting. He expressed the hope that his team would be back in Wanganui next year to defend the title.

The managers of other visiting teams also spoke, complimenting the organisers on what thev described as one of the finest marching contests they had ever seen.