THEOSOPHISTS MEET

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 238, 28 December 1927, Page 13

THEOSOPHISTS MEET

CAMP AND CONVENTION The grounds of the “Vasanta” School at Epsom, which is the property of the New Zealand section of the Theosophical Society, are at present the scene of constant animation, the result of the gathering of some 100 delegates and visitors from all over New Zealand to .the annual convention of the society in the Dominion. The experiment has been tried, and found eminently successful, of making the convention a camp in as many ways as possible, a distinctive feature of which are the camp-fire gatherings in the evenings. The duration of the camp is 10 days, beginning with Christmas Eve, and though the actual business part of the convention occupies only two of them, the time is well filled in -with lectures and meetings of various kinds. The glorious weather, real Auckland Christmas weather, has contributed very largely to the success of the convention, as doubtless it has to the success of dozens of other such gatherings held in various places throughout the Dominion; while on the mundane but necessary side of feeding the multitude Theosophists have been particularly fortunate in having among their numbers an expert cook, a demonstrator on the staff of one of the big city business organisations. At the first session of convention whiph was held on Tuesday afternoon, following the funeral of Mr. W. S. Short, 1.5.0., a valuable and muchloved member of the section, held in the morning, the chief business was the receiving of reports from the various officers of the section. Among other things, these disclose that the present membership of th© New Zealand section is 1,194, while the number of active lodges is 19. Other import-

ant business was the election of officers for 1928. These are: General secretary and national lecturer, the Rev. W. Crawford; assistant general secretary, Miss L. M. Stone; librarian, Miss Bond; editor of magazine ’ Theosophy in New Zealand,” Mrs. Younghusband. The chairman of convention is 'the Rt. Rev. J. R. Thomson.

The chief business of the second session was the consideration of the proposed schem© for the building of a block of flats on the property as a means of providing -additional income for the Theosophical Educational Trust Board and for experimenting with the community living idea. The building, if it materialises, will b© a handsome two-storey block, containing 15 rentable rooms, several small kitchenettes, one large kitchen, communal dining and rest rooms, bath rooms, and electric lighting and heating throughout. The estimated cost is from £3,500 to £4,000, and the building will be of brick and concrete, with tiled roof and

concrete floors. It was decided to appoint a sub-committee, consisting of Miss Hemus, Miss Maindonald. Messrs. Carter, Mason, Tidswell and Bishop Thomson, to go into the question further, with power to carry out the scheme.