Lament for Teka

Te Ao Hou, June 1965, Page 55

Lament for Teka by Frederick C. ParméAe You placed the sacred food of love to my lips when the fish of summer swam in our pool. But you do not remember. Is then the city's hunting so fine that you do not remember? The heavy wood-smoke scent of you hangs about this place. for no wind moves it on. Why then do you not remember? Does your heart's canoe glide the city streets on some conquest new? Or do you fish the painted waters of some glassy bright lagoon far from me? Take care that you do not hook one by the belly—I cannot wait forever!

A group of girls at Queen Victoria School in Auckland have formed a highly successful Swords Club, and made a big impact in last year's provincial tournaments of the sport. Their club captain, Emlyn Lawson, is now training to become a coach. Though there are some other Maoris in fencing clubs they are not numerous, and the Wikitoria Swords Club is thought to be the first all-Maori fencing club in the country. Their club coach, Mr Donald Watson, says that Maoris have a natural talent for fencing, a sport that demands a relaxed and supple body, a sense of rhythm and balance and good co-ordination of hand, eye and brain. Oromahoe maori school in the Bay of Islands now has a learners' swimming pool, the result of five years' planning and raising of funds by the school's Maori and Pakeha supporters. A maori community centre is planned for the Gonville-Castlecliff area of Wanganui, where in the last five years there has been a 45 per cent increase in the Maori population. Mr t. mokomoko, a teacher at Te Reinga Maori School, was recently engaged as a temporary bushcraft instructor at the Cobham Outward Bound School. The first Maori to go to the school as an insrtuctor, he was most impressed with the work of Outward Bound. ‘It has to be seen to be believed,’ he says, ‘Just how effective the course is in bringing out latent qualities in individual boys.’ So far, three per cent of the boys attending the course have been Maori. John wehipeihana of Raumati, at present studying at Wisconsin University, U.S.A., with a Rotary International Scholarship, has had a warm reception at America Rotary Clubs at which he has spoken about the Maori people and demonstrated their culture. John tells Te Ao Hou that recently he has been in contact with Whata Winiata of Levin, who is studying at the University of Michigan. Whata, his wife Frances and their small sons Pakake and Huia are in the best of health. Whata is now working on the final stages of a Ph.D. in business administration.