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To many of us, the younger ones in particular, Victoria's fighting students are becoming remote, part and parcel of a tradition which passed with Prof. McKenzie and "Scotchy" Adamson. Those of us unblessed by wistful memories of McKenzie's high-pitched waver and ten-gallon sombrero—of Scotchy lecturing sans teeth, are apt to feel of a different world and to lose that sense of personal pride in El Alamein and Mareth which should be ours. Much of this feeling arises directly from lack of news. Our fellows are scattered from England to Madagascar and we hear little of them.
On the Exec, files, however, are dozens of overseas letters expressing thanks for parcels, remembrances of the College, and best wishes to staff and students. Moreover, we have just received a full report of the third V.U.C. reunion in Cairo from Sgt. L. B. Sandford, Public Relations Service; these should bring our overseas students a little nearer to us.
It came off at the New Hotel, Cairo, on the 13th March and attendance was not limited to the thirty-five New Zealanders. Representatives of British and Egyptian Universities, Staff-Sgt. Ford and Dr. Wendall Cleland, joined in the festivities.
Of first importance was the signing of a specially inscribed scroll, and a witty round of self-introductions. Next, a hearty welcome to Miss June Cummins, a former student and the first woman to attend a reunion. The pace thus set for the evening, the standard of speeches was kept at a height only equaled by that of the mortality of bottles.
Presiding was Col. T. D. M. Stout, Chairman of the College Council, although very much in absentia. An excellent thing this, to find our Council Chairman spending an evening mid cheer and song with the boys. Would there were a like spirit here. Col. Stout stated his opinion that after the war our memorial to the fallen should be a new Students' Union Building and the presence of more past students on the Council. We applaud him!
Victoria has no towering spires, no lofty halls, but it is with affection and pride that those soldiers of the Eighth Army recall the queer collection of buildings on the "Old Clay Patch" and the very real benefits they received from them. Prof. Kirk watching football, "Barney" Murphy wisecracking, heckling in the Gym., stormy annual general meetings—they are all remembered, and with the Xmas parcels comes a realisation that their thoughts are returned.
Capt. Wild indeed toasted the old College well, and with it toasted the present students, in gratitude for their remembrance and kindness.
Dr. Wendall Cleland (American University, Cairo) kept all amused by a survey of our debt to the ancient Egyptians. We owed to them the discovery of smelting processes, of our calendar, of pi (Bad Thing), the first correct estimation of the world's diameter plus the development of the wheel. What could we do without the wheel? We should lose at least a very good song.
There were many other speakers, all mellowed by the good malt and with much to say.
"It was a pretty rapid advance. The Italians had left stores and equipment everywhere. This bombardier was looking over the stuff, turning it over and so on, when he called me over. 'You are a Varsity boy, care for this,' he said. It was Barney Murphy's 'Outlines.' I felt really sorry for the Eyeties then."
And again, a story of an outlying enemy provision dump, in an apparently secure position, and hence unguarded. Our boys made merry on tills. They would slip through the lines and fill tunics, packs, sugarsacks, anything, with tins of Italian spaghetti, fruit and wine. All went well until some Scotties became a little too ambitious and connived a truck up to the depot—by what feat of ingenuity no one quite knows. They brought back two tons of officers' delicacies. A guard was set next night.
Great days all right. And great sights, too, if this one was any indication. As the evening drew on the singing began. First College songs, Wikitoria, Weeping and Wailing, and Extrav songs. And then—bit by bit—but you have imaginations too.
Then finally, back to Maadi in the trucks, full and weary, with pleasant thoughts of a common interest—a College which has not forgotten them, and which stands behind them in the fight.
Every day last week students were accosted in the main hall and asked if they would work on the work day for patriotic funds. Every day last week the exec, room was busy with people asking for students to come and dig their gardens or mind their babies, etc.
By Friday some two hundred and fifty students had volunteered to work—one hundred of these were Training College students.
Great difficulty was experienced in allocating jobs, since the majority of jobs were for men and a large number of women volunteered to work. This difficulty was overcome, however, since numbers of our girls were not averse to a little manual labour.
Unfortunately Saturday morning was wet, making gardening and other outside jobs uninviting. Some stalwarts, however, turned up and dug in spite of the rain.
The results of the day are not yet available, as all the money has not yet come in, but a considerable sum is expected.
Certain jobs which could not be done last Saturday are available this coming Saturday, and it would help to swell the funds if any students who could not work last Saturday would do these jobs next day. Any who could do this can place their names on the list on the main notice board.
Study for Victory! Have you heard the phrase? It was being bandied around the English Universities earlier this year, and the idea is beginning to spring up out here.
While our country is at war against the most bestial and powerful foe that has threatened our civilisation, we students are privileged to be able to continue our studies.
We are not ladies and gentlemen of leisure who sit round in the libraries and common-rooms of V.U.C. for part of the day, nor do we work by day to come up here for an evening's entertainment. Our University stands for more than that. We have a world tradition to maintain. Who has not heard of the Chinese students who followed their Universities three thousand miles into the interior, or the European students who have struggled constantly against Hitler and his satellites, and all that Nazism stands for?
What should we do?
Study for Victory!
What does this mean?
By this we mean—waste no time, map our your day, your week, and work hard and play hard—in your lab. work or in your job downtown—keep at it! In lectures, in the library, be alert, be critical—you are able to study; do not abuse your opportunity. Because we are fortunate let us use our good fortune for a common good. Keep your swot up to date, hand in your work on time—and find time to help in some war-work. Be active in student affairs—remember we are democratic, and we are responsible not only to ourselves but to fellow students in the forces.
Our staff is hard-worked enough, doing special work for the war effort, so why should we not pull our own weight? Where extra seminars are required, why cannot the projected faculty committees get to work? They could also take a hand and organise groups to help students who are keen to work, but who have for one reason or another got behind in their work. That is our job. That is what we must do.
Study for Victory!
Contributions are again solicited for Spike,
The Executive offers a prize of 10/6 for the best contributions in prose, verse, and the photographic medium.
The judge of the photographic section suggests that prints be on a 16 x 10 inch mount, but will not enforce this as a rule. Similarly it is preferred that competitors carry out their own printing and developing. Please state whether or not this is the case. All prints will be returned.
This year, owing to the difficulty of obtaining photographic materials, we do not expect to have as much material submitted to us as in former years. Therefore we request the contribution of wood-cuts and lino-cuts to supplement the art section of the magazine.
If you have an urge to rhapsodise, to apologise, to compromise, to proselytise, don't inhibit yourself. Write it down (legibly, one side of the paper only) and send it to us.
Spike this year will be reduced in quantity; it is up to you to compensate for this by making its quality the best yet.
What's this about the lower intellectual level of T.C. students? In Norway "Attempts to force students to become members of the Nazi Teachers' Front have been strongly resisted by Oslo students, 2,000 of whom wrote letters of protest to the authorities. Five of them have been arrested as ringleaders of the disturbance."
The intellectual level seems aright to me.
The magnificent response of students at Victoria to the somewhat exacting demands made of them during the Liberty Loan Campaign is something of which we can be justly proud, and lends emphasis to the happy fact that the College is taking its war-time responsibilities seriously. But we cannot afford to relax for a minute in our individual efforts to increase the tempo of the offence against Fascism. Our struggle must be unremitting and no sacrifice we are called upon to make that will further the cause of Liberty can be ignored by us. One of these sacrifices lies in transferring our surplus money to the Government for war expenditure.
There is no need to debate the necessity for National Savings. We all know their importance and facilities are being provided at the College for students to open accounts and pay regular weekly contributions in to them. The organisation of the scheme is in the hands of Jim Winchester, assisted by Lauris Scott, Bev. Williams, Irish O'Brien, Gunther Wachsner and Hylton Burt, one of whom will be in attendance at the Exec. room waiting to do business with You on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 6.30 and 7 to 7.30 p.m.
Already Twenty-Five students have opened accounts and are contributing between them 30/- a week. This is good, but it can only be a beginning. There are 900 students at the College and there is no reason why every one of them should not join the group.
Letters come in, in ones and twos, by every overseas mail, conveying thanks for parcels, stories of action, reminiscences of College life. There are many addresses—London, Harrow, M.E.F., Malta, all over the world. Here are a few of the comments:
S./Lt. Guy Smith, London, writes: "One compensation for enduring the English climate is that I'm continually knocking into chaps I knew at home—it certainly is remarkable the number of V.U.C. men who have found their way to this island . . ." This is one of the most voiced sentiments in these letters; from all countries we have reports of New Zealanders, Wellingtonians, Victoria College students.
Next from Flying Officer Hugh Drummond, breathing good public school air at Harrow-on-the-Hill. "Thanks a lot for the Christmas parcel, indeed a most welcome supplement to what is from time to time a pretty monotonous diet; although this is the wrong time to say that, as hanging from the tent ridge pole about four feet away is the corpse of a pig which we hope will provide us with several pleasant meals. We bought it from the local French farmer and have been fattening it for the past fortnight—it's not really in perfect condition for the table, but we could wait no longer."
From London, Cedric Wright, proud Sub./Loot in command of H.M. M.G.B.8 (that's bluffed you) states in dashing hand, "As you'll gather from the above I'm in the motor boat trade, Britain's light naval forces. A motor gunboat is a natty little packet not to be confused with an M.T.B. or the slower M.L. I like this England. I've had some pretty good breaks and have seen quite a lot of it—know the South Coast from here to Cornwall pretty well. Did a course last summer in the Western Highlands of Scotland. It was just like a holiday, had a rattling good leave in the Lakes district and spent another in Devon—usually look in on London when the occasion offers, it's a grand spot. Hope to visit Eire soon. Interruption just arrived. Guess I'd better get on with the war!"
Leaving Cedric to hold his end up we hear from Pte. Arthur Ashley-Jones, Egypt. "Life has of course been fairly unsettled lately, and since the beginning of November we have been constantly on the move, covering in our travels enormous tracts of desert. It would be difficult to imagine the monotony of these vast areas of featureless wasteland, so unlike the romantic pictures one sees of rolling sandhills. For the most part it is just a barren stretch of dust, sand, and stones, totally featureless. Still, it has its interest. We have had pleasant spells by the coast and have seen some of the battle-scarred coastal towns, notably Bardia and Tobruk. Both are reduced to pitiful heaps of rubble. The latter is in fact just a pile of crumbled masonry and gaping bomb or shell holes. Not a single house or building stands intact and the surrounding country is a vast scrap heap of wrecked or burnt-out planes, tanks, vehicles and guns, while the shallow harbour is chocked up with the hulks of sunken ships. Tobruk is a picture of complete devastation."
Not a letter comes in without thanks for parcels and praise for those who organise them. Not a letter comes in without interesting news of V.U.C. men and their exploits. This College may well be proud of them—more power to their elbows!
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For two days only was I anywhere where the going was tough, and that eventuated when I went out and relieved one of our officers to give him a spell from the constant shelling.
I was commanding a signal section with one of our field regiments who were situated about a mile south of the height known as Takrouna. You have probably read in the papers of the bloody scrap that took place there between the Maoris and the Italians. It was a tough spot by our guns, as the enemy had located our position by sound and flash ranging and was throwing heavy stuff back at us as fast as he could.
Even after two days of it I felt like a spell. The sharp, continuous bark of our own guns day and night, plus the hellish crump as Jerry's stuff landed nearby certainly kept one from getting any worth-while sleep. I lost two chaps killed and four wounded in those two days. The only consolation we had was to know that for every shell that came over at least ten went back. We far outnumbered the enemy in guns.
He hung on only two days after being completely surrounded, and once he started to crack up the whole front collapsed immediately.
The Italian 1st Army came on the air calling the Eighth Army, and we had the unique, and I must say pleasant, experience of using one of our wireless sets to contact them. I actually heard the Italian Marshal Hesse asking for terms of surrender. Our reply was "Unconditional surrender," which he refused and then went off the air. Shortly after over went swarms of our bombers to help him make up his mind, and the effect was instantaneous. Once again the Italians came on the air and accepted the terms. Their surrender was quickly passed to the other formations of the Eighth Army, and within twenty minutes a deathly silence had settled over the whole front. Our guns had stopped firing and the gunners lay resting next to their weapons.
And so at last it had ended—it seemed hard to believe, and then a couple of hours later enemy transports came bumping down the roads towards our lines, all laden with troops, on their way for the cage—for them the war was over. They looked tired and hungry and seemed pleased that at least they had survived our terrific bombardment and were still alive.
Among them was the German 90th Light Motorised Division, veterans of the desert campaigns, who had fought against the Kiwis so often. It was this division that had completely surrounded us in the retreat in June last year, when we broke out by a headlong charge through the ring of surrounding steel. It cost us dearly then.
Now they came into our lines, beaten and glad to give themselves up. Twelve months ago they were a powerful and tough fighting force. Now, the guts has been slowly eaten out of them. Gradually, one by one, we had knocked out guns which they couldn't replace, taken heavy toll of their armour and men, and at last they were smashed to pieces. I think it represents, on a small scale, just what will happen to the whole German army.
"Plans for Post-war Reconstruction in New Zealand" was the subject discussed at the July meeting of the Social Science Section of the Wellington branch of the Royal Society. Mr. J. S. Reid, speaking in a private capacity, outlined the proposals which are at present being prepared, but their ultimate fulfilment, he stressed, would depend upon the political conditions of the moment. He discussed briefly the conditions which would exist in New Zealand itself and in New Zealand in the world at the peace—the problems of demobilisation, the change-over from war to peacetime economy, the labour problems, and the international contribution New Zealand would be expected to make in feeding the occupied countries.
Rehabilitation at home raised innumerable problems. Old peace-time skills would be partially forgotten; many men would have no skill in which they had received training. War-time appointments would terminate and employers would be bound by regulation to restore their pre-war employees despite changed conditions.
During the change-over it is proposed to continue special rates of pay to those who are temporarily unemployed and to provide all the facilities necessary for men to receive the technical training and education necessary to provide them with permanent work in the future. The temptation from the short-term point of view would be to provide temporary employment, but from the long-term point of view it is essential that the period of transition should be utilised to give men the chance to equip themselves for a permanent and not a blind-alley occupation in the future.
The long-term point of view is also essential for the restoration of a peacetime economy. The temptation of a post-war period is the immediate relaxation of war-time controls and rationing and the provision of commodities which the public has so long been denied. The disastrous effects of post-war laissez-faire after
The period of restoration of capital goods can be utilised in retraining and in educating men and women for permanent peace-time positions and in restoring public utilities and public works that have been neglected for war-time essential industries and be cause of man-power shortages. Comprehensive housing schemes should be inaugurated and farm maintenance restored. To ensure the restoration of capital before consumer goods it will be essential to continue and probably extend war-time controls over industry, rationing and importation. Strict government control, increased cooperation between worker and employer, and long-term planning will be necessary.
As a speaker from the floor pointed out, the Government should acquaint the people of New Zealand with a full knowledge of the difficulties ahead and condition them to expect the continuation of rationing and controls. Well-organised Government
Mr. Reid went on to discuss the necessity of placing disabled men in suitable work immediately—a lesson that had been learnt from the work done by returned men themselves after the last war. The treatment of psyconeurosis presented another comprehensive problem which another speaker from the floor emphasised, can only be successfully dealt with by proper expert care immediately available.
The international position would complicate internal rehabilitation. Specialised production to feed occupied countries, and the impossibility of acquiring necessary machinery from abroad might hinder the restoration of peace-time economy. From the international point of view Lease-lend offers a practical solution to the problem of providing each country with its essential requirements at the peace, the implications of which it is difficult to foretell.
The last exec, meeting was a little disappointing. The business dragged and important issues were held over. However, it was a bleak and inhospitable night, two members were ill and conditions in general did not promote the expected action and initiative.
Agitation for better library hours over the forthcoming holidays proceeded according to plan. Degree exams, draw near and no obstacle to more intensive swot must be allowed. This one can be, should be, and will be removed.
The question of Faculty Committees brought the decision that a special meeting be held to discuss their formation. It should be quite a simple business in practice. To form a production committee in industry a few leading hands approach the management with suggestions for improved organisation, elimination of wasted time or material, and set up a committee to handle details. Similarly a few responsible students will approach the Professor or Dean concerned with proposals for improved curricula, more tutorials, or whatever they feel will benefit their studies.
This is an excellent move. May it prosper!
A hostile letter was received from Sir Thomas, who stated with indignation that the stone block fallen from a wall of the main steps had been three times re-erected and three times overturned before the cement dried. Prof. Kirk denying the crime, it is assumed that some student is responsible. If so, would he, she, they, or it kindly lay off. It not only baffles the architect but also prevents the old college from regaining composure after the recent quakes. Thank you.
A Publicity Officer is required—an appointment which was held over from last meeting. In the past this position has boiled down to that of Poster Painter. This tradition was accepted by half the exec.—the other half demanded something more militant, a Public Relations Officer to advertise the University to the public. We certainly need somebody who can win for Victoria credit in the city. The trouble is personnel. Lacking a suitable person the position stands as before.
In all, not as interesting a meeting as one might have hoped.
In issues of "Critic" dated June 17 and July 1 appeared statements from Mr. Patterson, the Otago University S.A. vice-president, and Miss Alice Thompson, the Dunedin Training College president concerning O.U.s attitude to the remit recommending that Training Colleges be allowed to affiliate to the N.Z.U.S.A. Not only are they both unable to see why Training Colleges should affiliate, but they also introduce a lot of fatuous irrelevancies to show why they should not affiliate. All these completely avoid the issue, as I shall endeavour to show.
The first point that apparently both agree upon is that T.C. students who are taking University subjects are already members of N.Z.U.S.A. There are many hundreds of T.C. students and at the most only 50% of these are also University students.
All the talk about academic standards of T.C. and N.Z.U. is so much eyewash, nor was it ever suggested (as Mr. Patterson so plainly infers) that the invitation to affiliate be extended because T.C. students were interested in or connected with education. The suggestion came from a realisation that they are Students—responsible adult members of a vitally important section of the community. Mr. Patterson destroys his own arguments, for he says: "Obviously the common qualifications must be a certain standard of education" to be assessed, he makes it quite clear, by means of examination prescriptions. Well, the only standard the N.Z.U. requires for entrance is the entrance exam, which is the minimum requirement for admission to T.C. The N.Z.U. or the S.A. cares nothing for your academic progress after admission provided you are willing to continue paying fees. Thus we see that the statement that T.C. standards for common subjects is lower after entrance is not so much undeniable as irrelevant.
Miss Thomson raises one astounding objection to affiliation, for she says: "N.Z. student teachers are paid while training." Well, well, my dear Miss Thomson, so future schoolteachers should be dumbly grateful, they must not do anything that savours of biting the hand that feeds them. Common engineers, carpenters, and all classes of workers not only are paid while training, but they also have the bad taste to join Trade Unions and no one but the employers think ill of them for it. Would it be heresy to suggest that T.C. students are underpaid, and N.Z.U.S.A., Just like a vulgar trade union, might be able to do something about it?
Mr. Patterson and the O.U.S.A., and apparently Miss Thomson also, are unaware of any reasons why Training Colleges should become affiliated, but are willing to reconsider their decision if they "become acquainted with adequate reasons." Allow me to state a few First from the University's viewpoint:—
From the Training College's viewpoint:—
all T.C. students to have a voice in all those important functions of the N.Z.U.S.A., such as: wartime concessions for students, curricula investigation, student health, I.S.S., student rehabilitation, and routine affairs such as debating tours, Joynt Scroll, Bledisloe Medal, and Tournaments.
Are these "adequate" reasons? Perhaps more are required.
A "Gladiator" squadron in the Greek campaign and the marriage of a British officer to a Greek girl. That's all the plot there is to it, and for those seeking romance and heart-beats, look elsewhere. For this is a most realistic book. Short pithy sentences, full of meaning, pages of cryptic dialogue, and behind it, strong feeling. One can feel in turn defeatism, the dispiritedness of men without weapons, the crazy resistance of the Greek people, or the tenseness of an air-battle. The author has seen these things and he has an uncanny power of conveying their meaning to us. The outstanding thought, amidst the turmoil of ideas which form the book, is "Give us the weapons, we can do the rest." In the light of present events, that plea is Justified. If ever there was an army with the dice loaded against it, both by its own commanders and the technical superiority of the enemy, it was the B.E.F. in Greece. And when that army, after two years, has exchanged roles with the enemy, It behoves us to look back on those times, to recall our desperate position, and to be humble. There can hardly be a better book than this to convey the moral of that episode.
Sebastopol is smaller than Wellington. When the Nazis attacked the number of people there was less than half the population of our city. Like Singapore its guns faced the sea. Yet the Germans (who outnumbered the defenders five to one) left three hundred thousand killed and wounded when they marched into the city and gained a heap of ruins. Read this story written by the men and women who did it, after you finish your swot and before you crawl into your warm bed tomorrow night, and you will have found out why you can still go on swotting and crawling into your warm bed of nights.
The approaching holidays will once again present Varsity sports clubs with their old problem—how to maintain all their teams when so many students have dashed to the outer darkness with nostalgic bleats. Probably it will mean defaulting a game or two with some of the lower grade teams, but it is to be hoped that all senior teams will continue without being greatly weakened. Especially is it to be hoped in the ease of the men's hockey senior team, for this team has an excellent chance of winning the local senior championship, an honour which Varsity has missed for many a long year.
The energetic tramping club has arranged a ten-day trip to Arthur's Pass during the holidays. They say the main attraction is to be the ski-ing, which is no doubt true, but it does seem an outlandish way of spelling it. They would appear to have worthy rivals in the harrier club. The more conscientious younger members of the party are to be seen hanging round the staff common room and similar ill-famed dives armed with little notebooks. Apparently they are building up the extensive repertoire of risque jokes and what might be termed "free verse" (especially limericks) so necessary on these expeditions.
To return the hospitality so often extended to us by other harrier clubs, Varsity invited the Hutt Valley and Combined Church Clubs to run with us from V.U.C. A large number of runners in assorted singlets left the gymnasium on the long climb up to Tinakori Hill. In spite of delays caused by dental nurses, all the fast pack managed to reach the top of Orangi-Kaupapa Roard just in time to see the slim forms of a rival pack ahead. At last we had encountered the women's harrier club! The running became very spirited until we caught them up, and Dickie was even provoked to pass some remark about the fox running third. Our curiosity satisfied, and with minds set on higher thoughts (unfortunate expression) we were soon on our way again and after a short detour through Karori returned to the gym. Thirsts and hungers were satisfied by a plain but no doubt wholesome afternoon tea, followed by a few words of welcome by the club captain.
In almost two weeks' time the annual inter-varsity harrier tournament for the Dixon Trophy will be held in Wellington. Teams representing the four colleges will compete over the 6½ mile course at Silverstream. Victoria has reasonable hopes of winning the Shield, which Otago so narrowly beat us for in
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The problem of accommodation for the visitors is proving rather difficult and we would like to make an appeal to all students to help. Anyone willing to take a guest for Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd should contact Ian McDowell, or sign the list on the notice board.
The Varsity junior team has been playing good football on occasion, and already has a number of wins to its credit.
Two recent matches have produced some especially good football, and the team has been left with one win and one loss.
The game against Petone on 24th July has been immortalised by the "Sports Post" photographer, who was enterprising enough to secure a snap of the play, which was subsequently published on the front page of July 31st's "Sports Post."
Orr played an outstanding game in this match, with Smith and Kurto-vich backing him up well. Twaddle at full-back played his best game, his tackling and line-kicking being very good. Better use might have been made of the back line. Final score: Varsity 8, Petone 3.
Next Saturday the team Journeyed to Upper Hutt to meet the unconquered. They gave the Upper Hutt supporters many anxious moments, especially when they evened the score, 5-5.
Fast and open play resulted in Varsity's only try—Richmond cutting out his man and handing on ta Twaddle, who forced his way over. Te Punga converted with an excellent kick. After this, however, Hutt's superior weight and ability to get away with minor infringements told, and three runs by their brilliant centre-threequarter resulted in as many tries.
The new discovery, R. E. Pottinger, led the forwards well, and Benseman and MacLennan performed well in the tight. The latter appears particularly fond of tight play. MacLennan also provided one of the highlights of the Journey out, and his thrilling dash for a ticket at Petone was watched with great interest.
No article on the team would be complete without a mention of the excellent captaincy of Buck Ryder, who is the guiding hand of the team on the field. Final score: Upper Hutt 23, Varsity 5.
Te Aute.—A team from the Junior and third grade teams will be travelling to Te Aute on 27th August. Full particulars may be obtained from coaches Caird and King.
The Varsity A-Fort Dorset match was the big game of the season for the men's hockey club. It had been generally held by hockey critics that the Dorset team would defeat University, which they very nearly did. The University eleven played the best game to date. Every member of the team was on top of his form and they were called on to victory by a haka party from the lower teams.
Dorset opened the attacking right at the start. Diprose, the Dorset centre-forward, scored after about four minutes' play. This was a bad start for a game on which the championship depended. At the bully-off Diprose once again beat Ivor Ting for the ball and the speedy Dorset forwards carried the ball to the Varsity circle, where a University back obstructed and Dorset were awarded a penalty corner. Michael Benge stopped the ball on his pads only to have the rebound snapped up by the inrushing forwards and shot into the net, making the score 2 nil after about seven minutes' play. Things were looking decidedly black.
George Ray opened the University score from a scuffle and this was followed immediately by two goals from Ivor Ting from passes by John Nichols. The score now was University 3, Dorset 2, and remained the same up till half-time.
After ten minutes of the second half Diprose netted a very fine goal, making the score 3 all. Ivor Ting shortly afterwards missed an open goal. Ting played a very fine game but, like all the other players, appeared to be too excited. The play during the second half was fairly even and extremely fast. Graham Speight at centre-half played a very fine game, but the climax of the match was when George Ray at left inside scored the winning goal. He cut between the two defending full backs and ran in at the goal. The goalkeeper ran out, whereupon Ray changed his direction and put the ball behind the goalkeeper, who was caught right out of position. This made the score 4-3. The game ended about five minutes later.
The University A team is now first equal with the Dorset team in the championship, but has two matches in hand.
(Last Saturday University A defeated Karori by four goals to two, but as Dorset walloped Training College 12-0 the championship position is unchanged.—Ed.)
•
Commencing in foul but finishing in fine weather, seven stalwarts successfully crossed from Wairongomai to Silverstream two week-ends back, and thus avenged the calamitous defeat suffered three years ago.
On Saturday, after two hours of flat bush track and wading in Icy water, accompanied by an intermittent drizzle, Wairongomai Forks is reached. Tents pop up and a cheerful fire warms tingling fingers while the billy bolls. Scrambling up the south branch of the stream fills in the rest of the afternoon, and the evening discussion is most intellectual—early to bed with stars shining in the sky.
At 5.20 a.m. the air is chill, but, thank God, there is no rain. The day is young as we commence to toil up the ridge to Orongorongo. Gradually, as the height increases, so does the cold—everything is wet and moss-covered—patches of snow appear, covering logs and branches. Orongorongo at last—the mist envelops us. A pause before plunging down again into more wet bush.
Two hours later the cloud has disappeared, the sun shines forth, warming benumbed fingers and feet. Lunch is the tale of a primus which would not go, and an appetising billy-mixture from tins of many different labels.
Then followed two hours of road walking—I for one have sore feet as a result.
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Weaknesses in the senior team were shown up strikingly in its last match against T.O.G. In the forwards the worst fault was a tendency to pass practically straight across the field instead of gaining ground by forward hits. Understanding among the backs was not much in evidence. The full backs did not play far enough up the field so that if the halves were drawn out of position the opposing forwards had a clear run in front of them. This was partly due to a change over in positions owing to the absence of one of the usual players.
The Juniors were unfortunate in being two short, which probably accounted for their losing 2-0 to Wellington Tech. The forward line in particular was affected so that the game was mainly defensive in the first spell. In the second half the ball was in Tech.'s territory most of the time and our team was unlucky not to score.
The intermediate won its last match by default, only 6 of St. Joseph's turning up.
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