Auckland Girls Keep Fit

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1064, 30 August 1930, Page 17

Auckland Girls Keep Fit

The Valuable Community Work of the Inter-House Girls ’ Sports Association

(Written for THE SDN by

MAX P. WHATMAN.)

■I PONSOREDby the I land J Girls’ Sport 3 Association has grown and increased its activities to an extraordinary degree daring the six years of its existence. The actual beginning of the Association was under the wings of the Y.W.C.A. but when the first of the popular sports displays was held in 1924, a committee from the employees of the firms concerned was formed with Miss Jean Stevenson, at that time secretary of the Y.W.C.A., as honorary adviser. The first committee was: Miss Helen Farland, president; Misses G. Clareburt, F. E. Nicolas, E. Fowler, E. Austin, K. Beethan, N. Copeland, I. Scott, O. Weeks, I. Colverd, I. Crossley, C. Rainbow, F. Henry, W. Baker, R. Halliday, A. Hurley, I. Outhbertson, I. Idens, A. Turner, M. Gow, D. Wilson, M. Spraggan, C. MacFarlane, L. McLeay, M. Brown and Mrs. Haswell. Lady Gunson was the first patroness of the association. For many years Miss Farland gave valuable assistance to the association and her retirement was a great loss to the committee. The activities of the association’s first year as an independent body show the vigour with which the new committee plunged into its work. In

December, 1924, following the first sports meeting, a “Learn-to-Swim” week was held in which more than 500 girls enrolled. Thi3 was follorved by the formation of an Interhouse Swimming Club of 200 members which meet weekly through the summer. In the winter, the association had 11 basketball teams playing in the Auckland Association. An Interhouse basketball tourney drew an entry of 15 teams and two hockey teams also Played in competitions. More than 100 girls took part in gymnastic work and there were numerous indoor clubs and

circles which held the attention of the girls during the winter months.

Importance of Display

The annual sports displays continued to be the chief activity of the association until, after six years of effort, the girls were able to open their own clubrooms in the National Mutual Assurance Buildings, Chancery Street. A fund was built up from the Profits of the sports displays and it 'tas found possible to equip and furbish the club on modern and comfortable lines.

The clubrooms occupy 11,000 square icat and include a dance floor capable of accommodating about 400 couples. The lounge was furnished with money donated by the employers of the various soft goods houses and the best Part of the interior decoration has been carried out by the girls themselves. The colour scheme is orange an <l b'ue with appropriate furnishings and there is natural lighting obtained teem windows facing three sides of ibe building. The roof contains floor space measuring 10,000 square feet jind can be illuminated with flood lights There are two tennis courts on the root and basketball can also be played there.

The association has the support of tbe heads of the business houses, who fauognise that the increased mental and physical activity, resulting from 1 6 training the girls receive when breparing for the displays, are reacted in their work. Valuable assistance is also given by Lieutenant

T. P. Laffey and other officers from tho Defence Department in training the girls. Tho objects of the association are threefold;—. Promoting health and recreation among girls employed In Auckland soft-goods houses through physical training, games, competitive sports and such other means as' may be found desirable. Bringing the staffs of the various

houses together in fellowship and cooperation and promoting personal development through literary and musical clubs, combined social events and such other activities.

Raising funds to maintain the club and acquire further equipment to facilitate the work of the association.

There will be another sports display at the end of this year, the seventh of the association’s existence. Training usually starts about two months before the event.

The display is the association’ chief means of revenue and is also th

culmination of the year’s work. It is a great day for the girls, and also for the 15.000 citizens who usually attend; but, from the point of view of the promoters, the best aspect of the display is the benefit to the girls from tho months of training which precede it.

Being taught to march correctly, the girls learn deportment; arms exercises make them brisk and alert and the general standard on the day of the sports display is a revelation to the general public. Visitors to Auckland, who are fortunate enough to see the display, have confessed themselves amazed at the efforts of these working girls. Indeed, following a display held at the Showgrounds in

conjunction with the A. and P. Show of 192 G, the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, was so impressed with the great showing made by the girls that he put off a personal engagement to stay at the grounds uutil tho display was over so that ho could congratulate the girls. Physical Training With the occupation of the clubrooms, the association has been able

to widen the scope of its activities considerably. A physical training class is held weekly under the watchful eye of Mr. Laffey and there is an average attendance of about 130. The instructor uses a special series of corrective exercises, particularly suitable for women. The necessity for daily repetition of the exercises is impressed upon the girls and they show as much enthusiasm over their physical culture as In training for the annual display. For the senior girls, there is a golf school. An expert attends the clubrooms tb give a series of six lectur ettes during the season. The fee for this valuable tuition is 10/6 for the course. Dancing lessons are given for a shilling a session and there is a well-attended dressmaking class. The cafeteria is also popular and hot meals are provided through the w-hole winter. It is run on the buffet principle and there is always a good selection of seasonable foods. Luncheon and tea are the txvo meals for which the cafeteria caters. Dances are held regularly on the club floor and there has lately been started a series of club rallies. Games are

played and the girls dance. A supper of tea and biscuits is provided. The price of admission is sixpence and, at the last rally held, £5 8s was taken at the door. In addition to the accommodation on the roof, three tennis courts are

reserved for the club at the Napier Street School and the tennis club is a flourishing branch of the organisation. Each summer there are interhouse swimming events and, early next year, it is hoped to hold an association swimming tournament, which, as an annual fixture, may add appreciably to the revenue. Girls chosen as leaders in the display have an opportunity to exercise

control on the sports field and in the gymnasium. They can develop their

faculty for leadership with good results in the business world. Another great feature is the fostering of a democratic spirit. Girls from office, factory and shop are brought together in good fellowshij) and find each other’s true worth. There is no doubt that the sports display, as well as the other activities of the association, has come to stay. In the display, Auckland can claim to see the most unique sports event of the southern hemisphere. Apart from

the benefit the girls derive from the training, the spectacle is magnificent and well merits the support the public has been quick to give it. Enthusiasts All To attend a first night of training for the sports and contrast it with the performance of the girls on the great day is to realise what is being done in the attainment of deportment and a better physique. Training for this year'3 display started a few weeks ago. About 300 girls attended but that is not much more than half the number taking part. There were all sorts and sizes of girls in all sorts of costumes. Some of them wore gymnasium frocks, remarkable for their brevity, others wore street dresses and even heavy coats, garments in which it was impossible to attempt any form of strenuous physical exercise. Apart from the sprinkling of "veterans” of other years, the girls had vague ideas of drill—dressing, forming fours, covering and other of the elementary movements were, for them, among life’s great mysteries. All,

however, shared the keenest enthusiasm and a determination to improve and so the instructor, knowing this, was able to make great progress. When a movement was repeated it was iuvariably carried out more smartly than on the previous occasiou. The girls were quick to learn aud their instructor understood his work. Between manoeuvres, he halted his squads, gave the order "Stand easy,” and, while the girls rested, lectured them on discipline, esprit de corps, perseverance and other essentials of a successful display. For the first half hour of the training there was a buzz of feminine voices after each movement, but it

was not long before the girls became as steady as guardsmen. . . They were resting when there came the order "Squad!” and 300 pairs of hands shot behind the backs of their owners. Eyes were fixed steadily ahead and bodies tensed. “Attention!” and the girls sprang to the order as one. "Form fours; right; quick march,” and the squads, one by one, moved off along the parade ground in column of fours. The first file -was composed of four experienced girls who marched steadily, arms swinging, dressing perfect and eyes steadily to the front - “Wheel” and they pivoted round with

the dressing as perfect as ever as the inside girl marked time and her fellows came round to their new alignment. But among the newcomers there was a minor form of chaos. They tried but it was hard to think of dressing, covering, distance and step all at once, even with the trim captains so smartly calling out the time. But they were doing better all the time and, noting the improvement in one short hour’s work, one could see that, by the end of the training, there would be a metamorphosis, complete and little short of amazing.

The actual display is the day of days for the girls. They thoroughly enjoy every moment as they drill with military precision, march with swinging arms and play their games like sportsmen, while 15.000 barrackers. catching the spirit of the

thing, cheer them on. The most effective demonstration of athletic girlhood is given in the massed parade of the various teams. Steady they stand, eyes looking neither to right nor to left and apparently quite unperturbed by the enthusiasm of the crowd.

Another most popular feature is the item arranged by the girls’ brigade, in which 100 “Miss Tommy Atkinses,” clad in smart red uniforms and pillbox hats, jauntily worn, take the field with sloped rifles in drill and marching exhibitions. The two most coveted trophies are the Sharman Cup, presented by Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Sharman to the house gaining the highest aggregate in team events, and the Grand Victory Challenge Cup, which is awarded to the team gaining the most points in the carnival. The events include the 75 yards sprint championship, the hoop teams race, the grand military march, the overhead and tunnel teams race, 50 yards novelty race, physical culture competition, 50 yards skipping race, interhouse relay race, leap-frog teams race, 50 yards hurdles and zig-zag ball-passing teams “race.

One leaves the sports meeting with a full consciousness of the great work that is being done. The girls radiate health and their general deportment, appearance and demeanour is the best possible advertisement for the worth of their training.