SIGNIFICANCE OF SPORTS RALLY

Southland Times, Issue 24232, 16 September 1940, Page 2

SIGNIFICANCE OF SPORTS RALLY

NATIONAL FITNESS CAMPAIGN

“CHINS-UP” AND “KEEP-FIT” PAGEANT

"No effort is being spared to make the national fitness rally and sports pageant which will be held on Rugby Park on September 28, the finest mass sports fixture that has ever been'held in Southland,” said the chairman of the Invercargill Metropolitan Patriotic Committee (Mr W. Grieve) yesterday. “It will be a ‘chins-up’ and ‘keep-fit’ rally and it should be of great benefit at the present time.” As the date of the rally was between the closing of the winter and the opening of the summer sports seasons, it was hoped that all sporting bodies would see their way clear to keep the afternoon free and so assist the effort to have every sport played in Southland represented on the ground. A particularly attractive programme had been arranged and it included novelty events which had not yet been seen in Invercargill. ' Apart from the attractions the programme would offer, however, the rally would give an opportunity to citizens to recognize in a practical manner the importance of a “keep-fit” and “chinsup” rally in time of war. “Let Rugby Park be packed with tens | of thousands of people on that day,” I said Mr Grieve. “We are now entering ] the second year of the war and every ■ Southlander must be thrilled at the spirit shown by the people of Britain. Let us dedicate this afternoon to show our loyalty and appreciation of the Motherland. Let every person go to Rugby Park and join in with the massed bands in the singing of the National Anthem. May our thoughts and prayers on that afternoon travel across the seas to the people of the British Isles. “A great number of representatives of sporting bodies will be seen marching I and saluting the flag that means so much

to us today and will mean so much to us in the future,” Mr Grieve added. If Rugby Park was filled with spectators it -would make a magnificent picture to send to soldiers at their battle posts. “This is war time and every person engaged in sport has the thought that behind the pleasure of the pastime, there is the main objective of keeping fit so that he may take his place in the battle line wherever and whenever he may be required,” he said. “Then let every person come to Rugby Park on September 28 and may tens of thousands of people with chins up and hearts strong register a vow to do everything in their power to assist the Empire in this hour of trial.”