Labour Candidate For Manawatu

Chronicle (Levin), 23 May 1949, Page 3

Labour Candidate For Manawatu

» The - announcement has been made by the national secretary of the New Zealand Labour P'arty, Mr. A. J. McDonald, that the headmaster of the Rongotea School, Mr. Basil Rodgers, has been selecte'd to contest the Manawatu electorate as the official Labour candidate in the 1949 general election. Born in 1905' near Palmerston North,, :Mr. Rodgers: attended the Wellinigton Training College and Victoria College, where he gained the B.A. degree. After a probationary assistantship at the Palmerston North Central School, he taught in many parts of the North Island, mainly in hackcountry areas. He has held, teaching posts at f our native schools an'd at the Marton, Eskview and Rangiwahia District High Schools. Very interested in agricultural clubs, Mr. Rodgers'- pupils at the Rangiwahia District High School were awarded the Henry Lane Shield for the best agricultural club work. He has also taken an active interest in community affairs. He is the secretary of the Rongotea Boxing and Wrestling Club, secretary of the Te Kawau Primary Schools' Sports Association, a member of the executive of the Rongotea Football Club, a member of the Memorial Committee and Horticultural Society. He is a member of the Rongotea branch of the Labour Party and an executive member of the Manawatu Labour Representa^ tive Committee. His great-grandfather arrived in Wellington early in 1840 an'd his grandfather, the late Mr. T. Rodgers, was the first white child born in the province. He is married with three children. His wife is a daughter of the Rev. E. D. Patehett.