TANEATUA SPORTSMEN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 28, 30 November 1945, Page 4

TANEATUA SPORTSMEN

NEW CLUB CREATED ROD AND GUN INTERESTS A general meeting of the old Whakatane Rod and Gun Club was helld at Taneatua last Friday' a large number of sportsmen being present. Before the commencement of the business of the meeting the president Mr W. If. Semmens said that he. regretted to say that since the last meeting of the Club at the commencement of the war, four former members r.-ad passed away. Thev wcre Messrs F. Reynolds, E. W. Webster, T. Wardlaw and the Secretary, A. Motion. The meeting stood in silence as a mark of re,spect to these. An apology was received from Mr C. Eivers President of the Te Teko 9 Gun Club, who, although unable to attend the meeting stated that he hoped shortly to revive the Te Teko Club. In his opening remarks, the President said that he was pleased to see so many old members present. It showed t/he number \\ ho had been in accord with the resolution made at the commencement of the war name- ' 9 ly, that there would be no further activities until Peace was declared. Continuing, he explained that there was now another club in Whakatane entitled the Whakatane Rod and Gun Club, and as it was not advisable to have two clubs under the same name and as Tancatua had J been the headquarters of the old club for 35 years, he proposed that the name be altered to the Taneatua Rod and Gun Club. The meeting decided to adopt the President's suggestion and the Club was renamed accordingly. The election of officers took place as under:—• Patron: Mr Fred Burt (Matata). President: Mr W. H. Semmens. Secretary: Mr A. Cradwick. Viec-presidents: Messrs L. Sisam B. Sladden, Clilf McCuiloch and A. Mitchell. Committee: Messrs D. King, W. Howat R. S. Rickett J. Lawn C. 9 9 9 Timbs W. Hammond F. Peebles, 9 1 Shooting Committee: Messrs C. Timbs, W. liowat, D. King. Fishing Committee: Messrs R. S. Rickett W. Hammond J. Lawn. 5 9 Anditor: Mr J. Moody. Correspondence from Mr A. Ivcan, Conservator of Fish and Game Ilotorna showed the frv, duck and '9 pheasants liberated in the Bay during the last year as follows: Fry— Whakatane 60,000: Tarawera 114,000; Waimana 180,000; Whirinaki 36,000; Rangitaiki 142,000. Ducks—ll9. Pheasants —178. It was evident, the President stated, that the Department of Internal Affairs had done an excellent job throughout the war. It was carried unanimously that every member of the Club should act as an honorary ranger and assist the Government, ranger by way of notifying him of poaching. It was also decided to write Mr Kean, asking him to endeavour to have as much game as possible liberated, on property closed to shooting. A further decision of the Club, was that each year the sum of one

guinea be given to the member dis-. playing the largest number of Black Ring Shag's heads. The President draw attention to the fact that this did not include heads oL' Grey Coast Shags. It was thought that the prize of one guinea together with the Government bounty ol' two shillings per head should encourage shooters sufficient to keep the pest down. It was also decided to award a prize of one guinea for the largest trout caught in the Waimana, Tarawera, Whakatane or Rangitaiki Rivers. The following were decided upon as officials to weigh trout: Whakatane Whakatane Hardware; Te Teko Glen's Store; Taneatua, R. S. Rickctts; Waimana, Bell and •Hodgson. Clay Bird Shooting With regard to Clay Bird Shooting, the Club decided to hold a preliminary opening day mainly for the encouragement of new members, it was decided to hold tin's in Mr Rore's paddock Pe'katahi, on December 2. It was also resolved that the conference which was to have been held before the war and which was to have included the Rotorua, Te Teko, Opotiki and Taneatua Clubs be held at Tancatua on a date to be fixed at the next meeting of the Club. A motion that any new members; wishing to join the Club' must be proposed and seconded by members was carried. The financial position of the Club was shown to be sound, whilst the present membership stood at fifty.