THE MAGIC OF SPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3861, 23 October 1928, Page 1

THE MAGIC OF SPORT.

SPEECHES AT BANQUET TO ALL BLACKS. Not the least memorable of the events connected with the visit of the All Blacks to Port Elizabeth will be, there is very little doubt, the happy gathering at the Hotel Elizabeth on August 11, on the occasion of the banquet given by the president and committee of the Eastern Province Rugby Football Union in honour of the visitors. In the speeches, the predominant note lingered upon the great value of sport as a potent link' in the chain of Empire friendship and solidarity. Sport was taken to a high level of importance in Imperial relationships and regarded as one of the most satisfactory solvents of many difficulties that contested the ability of statesmanship. The utterances in this respect were .altogether happy and the banquet was, therefore, an event of much significance. THE MAYOR’S WELCOME.

The Mayor (Mr. A. H. Brookes), who extended an extremely warm welcome “to our brothers, the New Zealanders,” said that his welcome was of a double-barrelled nature. He welcomed the All Blacks firstly as representatives of one of those States which formed the greatest union that the world had eveP known (hear, hear), the League of the British Nations. He welcomed them also as ruggerites, as sportsmen, and it was his keen wish that they would have an enjoyable stay iii the city. He felt convinced that the citizens of Port Elizabeth would welcome them with the hospitality for which South Africa was renowned. “We have only given you a taste of football (laughter); there is no knowing what /inay happen later on.” The Mayor then dwelt upon sport, clean, great sport as a supremely important factor in uniting the peoples of the nation, He instanced the charge of foreigners that the British indulged too much in' sport, that they devoted too much time to games. He did not, of course, agree with them and he did not suppose that anybody in that room would endorse the accusation. (“No! No!”). “I say,” he claimed, “that our British sport, clean, manly, with the motto of play the game, has done more to build up this great Empire of ours than anything else.” (Applause). He took them back to August, 1914, “when little England sent out an S.O.S. What was that S.O.S. 1 ? It was: British play the game; and the result Britishers from all parts of the Empire threw down their tools and made tracks for England. They gathered around the goal posts to prevent the invaders from scoring. Our sport has been the greatest bulwark that the nation could have had. Not only did the men of the Empire answer the call, but its women flocked to the banner of Freedom (hear, hear), and proved themselves true sportswomen. (Hear, hear). The enemy in those days banked upon the fact that we are not a military nation. But he forgot one great thing, that we are sportsmen. Always fit and in training, Britishers had been, in fact, in their sport, preparing for the defence of the Empire and it is sport that is strengthening the ties of the Empire. (Hear, hear). Prince Bismarck, a great soldier and a -great statesman, declared, on a memorable occasion, that ii the youth of Germany took sport in the same way that the British did, he would in time have one of the strongest forces the world had ever seen. (Hear, hear). The Mayor expressed the hope that the New Zealanders would go back with happy memories of their trip, through South Africa and of their stay in Port Elizabeth. “We are a small community in this country,” he said, “but we occupy a very great country.” He thought that they would have been disappointed in travelling through South Africa at the meagre gates. (Cries of ‘No! no!’). “We have tried in Port Elizabeth to do our best.” (Applause). The toast was greeted with musical honours. AMONG FRIENDS AND SPORTSMr M. Brownlie rose to a hearty reception to make reply, expressing straight away his sincere thanks and those of the team for the generous welcome extended to them so kindly proposed by the chairman. They were delighted to meet good sportsmen in the field, around the dinner table, or at the bar. (Laughter). “I have been vastly struck,’ he said, “by the youthful enthusiasm over Rugger that prevails in the coastal towns. The boys have an extraordinary good grasp of Rugger. They seem to know a tremen-

dous lot, about the game and the way it should be played. It seems to me that this is going to be a factor in the future of South Africa. (Hear, hear). This tremendous enthusiasm for football which exists here is one of the strongest things that must count in the development and betterment of your country. (Applause). “I do feel that the difficulties that will present themselves will be solved under the influence of sport and sportsmen. Nothing, in my mind can do more to bind a people together than a permanent indulgence in sport. (Applause). “I can assure you we will have cherished memories of the associations which we have made in Port Elizabeth. Somehow, the moment we came here we felt at home. (Applause). I can sincerely say that when the time comes for us to leave we will be reluctant to go.” (Applause).