Y.M.C.A. WORK

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 67, 10 June 1927, Page 12

Y.M.C.A. WORK

HELPING THE YOUNGSTERS DEPARTMENT FOR BOYS rPHE impression that the Young Men’s Christian Association is run for the benefit of the men alone will be proved to be a very wrong one, if you pay a visit to the boys’ department any afternoon or One might even say that the most important part of the work of the club is the influence it exerts on the boys. To put them on the royal road to moral and physical health is of more importance to the nation than to bring together the elder youths, whose ideas and principles are already formed, in friendly association. The advantage which the boys’ department of the Y.M.C.A. seems to have over most of the other movements to help the juveniles, is that it is perfectly organised. The superintendents are trained men, as capable of tackling the gymnasium horse as they are of explaining the problems of adolescence. Yesterday was an ‘ invitation” afternoon to school boys. They had been asked to have an afternoon’s enjoyment, and one has only to look at the photograph to realise that they had it. Upstairs they played ping-pong, bagatelle and colorette in the games hall the fittings of which must have cost several hundreds of pounds, and in the gymnasium they competed in noisy rivalry in the team sports, potato, sack and obstacle races. The attraction of the place was proved by the number of lads who rushed there as soon as the “last spell” at school was ended. DISTINGUISHED EX-MEMBERS Since 1910 about 6,000 boys have passed through the department, and the records show that most of them have distinguished themselves, if not by meteoric careers in sport or profession, then by their living up to the “play the game for the side” principle they learnt at the Y.M.C.A. All types, city and suburban schoolboys. Grammar and Technical, and employed lads are eligible for membership, which costs from one penny to three halfpence a week, and nights are set aside for them. Not only the athletic side of the lad is developed. There is instruction, the interesting sort, in citizenship, literature, travel, sportsmanship and debating. The superintendent is proud of the “Group Club” of 15, which belonged to the association in 1914. Now two of them are M.B.’s, three are secondary school teachers with the degrees M.A., B.Sc., and 8.A., two have followed law and are an LL.M. and an LL.B., one is an M.Sc., and one is a surveyor. Among the prominent sportsmen who have gone through the department are Charlie Purdy, the boxer,

Les Fairgray, champion swimmer, Jaci; Mills, representative cricketer. FreLucas, Rugby player, and Athol Garlick, runner.