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All - Day Geriatric Grab

Charity collection this year stands to be a far greater financial success than ever before in Victoria's history. Instead of being allowed to collect only along the procession route, permission has this year been obtained from the City Council for a full-day collection to be held.

The City Council has an inflexible rule that it will allow only one all-day collection per month; and each month for the next two years already has a charity allocated to it. However, discussions between the City Council, the Students' Association, and the Senior Citizens' Club resulted in the Students' Association being granted permission to collect for the Senior Citizens' Club, who had many months ago received permission to hold a full-day collection in May.

Originally the Senior Citizens' Club had intended to collect on May 22; however, it has now been decided by all the parties concerned that the collection will be held on Thursday, May 6. Procession will be held on the same day.

Having an all-day collection should make a great difference to the success of Procession Day. Last year, collecting along the route of procession. Vic. students in little more than half an hour, raised about £300. This was the result of very intensive work by a few students working for a short time. This year, with, it is hoped, many more students collecting, a far greater sum should be raised.

Dennis Paxie, Capping Controller, said to Salient that he was delighted that a full-day collection had been arranged. "In the past," he said, "we have raised very little money for charities. This has not been our fault, for we have had very little opportunity to make a significant impact on the city. This year, however, we are in a position to do something really worthwhile. Last year Canterbury, in the course of their all-day collection, collected over £3000. It is my sincere hope that we at Victoria can, the citizens of Wellington permitting, make a contribution of similar worth to our charity, the Senior Citizens' Club."

Now that the major obstacle in the face of a successful charity has been removed, it remains only to gel sufficient student support to actually go downtown on May 6 and weild collection boxes. In an effort to secure this support, the capping organisers will arrange a booth in a few days' time to take the names of all the students willing to collect on the Thursday. At the same time that names are taken, written material will be handed out giving precise details for all charity collection arrangements. Any questions that students have will be answered at that time.

As to the success of the scheme, Paxie pointed out that this depends almost entirely on the co-operation received from students. "To quote the case of Canterbury again," he said, "I understand that excluding the students who were actively engaged on the procession, over 80 per cent of the students left helped with the charity collection. I can see no reason why we cannot do as well here. I would ask every student to help make this day a highly successful one."