Boys' Hostel at Gisborne

Te Ao Hou, December 1963, Page 36

Left to right: at the back, John Kershaw (from Ruatoria), Ray Grace (Te Karaka), and Leroy Evans (Te Araroa). In front, Trevor Leaf (Te Araroa), Du Rangihuna (Te Araroa). Lennie Bartlett (Te Karaka), Punoa Ngarimu (Ruatoria) and Richard Karaitiana (Manutuke). Boys' Hostel at Gisborne These photographs were taken at the Waiteata Maori Youth Hostel at Gisborne, which provides a ‘home from home’ for boys between the ages of 16 and 21 who have come from country districts to work in Gisborne. The hostel was opened last year by the Salvation Army, with a financial subsidy from the Maori Affairs Department. Formerly a guest-house, the building in its renovated form provides comfortable accommodation for 32 boys. The manager, Mr A. Waugh, and Mrs Waugh (formerly Mrs Myrtle King, from Tokomaru Bay) exercise a wise but not overstrict supervision, and make every effort to obviate the loneliness and bewilderment that the boys often feel on their first contact with city life. Apart from the dining room and usual offices, there is a comfortable lounge for the boys' use, and the old ballroom has been converted into a large recreation room, with a piano and facilities for table tennis and other games. Though the hostel is run by the Salvation Army, it is non-denominational, and most denominations are represented by the boys who are there at present. The tariff at the hostel is £3 10s.; this includes all meals.

The boys in this comfortable hostel bedroom are Punoa Ngarimu, Leroy Evans, and Ray Grace. Ans Westra Photography The boys cheerfully take it in turns to do small chores such as dishwashing and lawn-mowing. Here, Punoa Ngarimu, Trevor Leaf and Du Rangihuna give a hand with the washing-up. The hostel cook, Mrs Whangapirita (from Ruatoria) is in the background.