Reply:

First I must express gratitude for your criticism of the review, short though it was, of the visit of the Australian athletes. Often a sports writer feels that at Victoria the interest is not in the achievements of our members as members of the university but as individuals. However, I must point out that your criticism is for the most part quite invalid.

Firstly, we should keep in mind that it is a review of one day's activity and so only the results of that day will concern us. That is to say, that even though there may have been in the team some very competent performers it is only their performances on the actual day that we are to appraise. Also, it would be appropriate if I mentioned here that I was present on that day.

Secondly my criticism of F. Walkey. I think that I, personally, am in a better position to judge his performance than most, having run against him and seen a lot of his competitive running since 1951. It was by this standard that I felt that I could judge him as harshly as I did.

As far as R. Irwin is concerned I rather suspect that you were in such a frame of mind at reading the review that you had come, quite naturally I grant you, to think that I could not say anything good about members of that team. This was, however, not the case but as I was interested in the team as a whole I did not single out persons for praise as this had been done quite adequately by the daily papers. It was rather to give students an overall picture of performance by the Victoria team.

One would suppose, in the light of Mr. Joyce's letter that Victoria had a very high standard of athletics but this seems to be contradicted by the fact that at 1956, 1957, 1958 Easter tournaments Victoria has always been in last place. It is for that reason as well as those that I have set out that I think that Mr. Joyce has little basis in fact for his outburst.

Sports Editor.