PARTY FOR CHILDREN

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21687, 25 March 1942, Page 2

PARTY FOR CHILDREN

AIRMEN IN CANADA RETURN FOR HOSPITALITY Enclosed in a letter received by Mrs T. Allen, of Ngahinapouri, from her son, Sergeant-Observer I. J. Allen, is a cutting from a Canadian newspaper telling of a monster Christmas party held by New Zealand airmen of No. 6 Observer School for 2000 Prince Albert children. In this way the airmen expressed their thanks to the people of Prince Albert for the hospitality shown to the courses of New Zealanders now at the school and those who had preceded them since the opening of the training centre. “The mammoth party was acclaimed a huge success,” reads the report, “not only for the delighted children but for the New Zealand airmen, who hail from all parts of the island Dominion, from the Bluff to North Cape. The generous hosts supplied for their little guests 2000 toys, 2000 hats, 2000 whistles, 2000 cups of ice-cream, 2000 bags of candy and peanuts, 4000 cookies and 2000 bottles of pop.” Under the able directorship of Leading-Aircraftman J. Kirk, of Auckland, all members of the school donated freely of their time and money to make the party the success it was, the report stated. Among those in charge of the arrangements was Leading-Aircraft-man Peter Armstrong, of Te Kuiti.