PLAY CENTRE AT AHIMIA

Te Ao Hou, March 1965, Page 45

PLAY CENTRE AT AHIMIA the official opening of the Centre was in September 1963. After a talk given by Mr A. Grey, pre-school officer for the Maori Education Foundation, the local headmaster and his wife, together with a group of interested parents, set about discussing ways of setting up the centre and creating interest in the village. Three mothers visited an existing pre-school at Turua, where they gained much practical information on how to run the centre. Equipment at this stage was provided largely from school resources. Since then parents' interest has become so great that all of them are now members of the committee. Mrs B. Renata is the president and Mr H. Connor the secretary-treasurer. Meetings of the committee are held monthly to discuss the centre's progress, equipment and maintenance, and ways and means of fund raising. Fund-raising schemes have included holding stalls, dances and raffles, and at present the committee is holding £30, as well as the £50 received as a government grant when the Centre was affiliated with the parent body in Auckland. Sessions are held weekly on Saturday mornings from 9.30 a.m. to 12 a.m. They are organised by a trained supervisor (the local teacher) and two mother helpers. Altogether there are 13 mother helpers, and they work according to a pre-arranged roster system. Three of the mother helpers, Mesdames Collier, B. Renata and M. Connor, have qualified for their helpers certificates, and these three are now preparing for their assistant supervisor certificates.