Olympic Pool Queen Carnival

Eight years of effort to provide Gisborne with a modern Olympic swimming pool complex looks like reaching a successful conclusion in the near future.

The last major fund-raising effort starts on August 28, when a queen carnival will be launched with the object of raising at least the $20,000 required to qualify for a maximum Golden Kiwi grant. The carnival, in which there will be four candidates for the crowning honour, concludes on October 3 with a coronation ball, possibly in the new Archery Club hall.

An earlier queen carnival, in 1963, gave the pool committee its first major funds, and by last year there was $12,000 in hand. This was so far off the target of something like $200,000 that the situation looked rather hopeless until the J. N. Williams Memorial Trust came into the picture with a grant of $100,000. Along with the expected Golden Kiwi grant, and the proceeds from the queen carnival about to be launched, this should be sufficient to see the project well in hand.

The four young ladies who will be competing in the contest

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Miss Kay Coates, the Country Queen. Kay, who is 18 and the daughter of Mr and Mrs R. Coates, Puha, is a photographer's assistant. A keen Rugby fan, she plays tennis and badminton and is fond of the country life.

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Miss Evelyn Tombleeson, the Jaycee Queen. Evelyn is 20, a florist, and is the daughter of Mr and Mrs R. C. A. Tombleson, Waimata Valley. Her interests include music (she is a member of Holy Trinity choir), painting, ballet, tennis and daffodil growing.

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Miss Shona Twisleton, the Swimming Queen. Shona is 17, a ballet dancing teacher, and is the daughter of Mr and Mrs Dick Twisleton, Makaraka. A keen swimmer and ballet and tap dancer, she has been a well-known competitions performer for many years.

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Miss Mary van Helden, 17, is a typist with the Ministry of Transport, and is the daughter of Mr and Mrs C. A. van Helden, 78 Stanley Road. Her interests are swimming, tennis and sewing. Although born in Holland, she has lived in Gisborne for the past 15 years.

There is in existence at the moment no exact plan of the proposed Olympic Pool complex, which is to be sited adjacent to Young Nick's Playground near Midway beach, but the proposals envisage two pools, one 50 metres and the other 33 1-3 metres, both heated, a championship standard diving pit, and a toddlers' pool, and associated amenities. The facilities will offer much greater opportunity for the instruction of children.

The first meeting to promote this project was called by Mrs Beth Meade in 1962, and over the years since then she has remained the driving force behind the effort. Other original members of the committee are Messrs Tom Powell (treasurer), Lloyd Cornish and Bill Hocquard. The first chairman was Mr Jack Howard, followed by Mr Jack McCreedy, Dr. Barry Irvine, and now Mr Eric Adye. For a time Mr David Flavell was secretary, but apart from this Mrs Meade has been secretary since 1962, and at times has been chairman as well.

The Queen Carnival has been organised by a committee with Mr Colin Hacche as chairman and Mrs Meade as secretary. It is to open with a public appearance of the queens and their attendants at the Peel Street intersection on Friday, August 28, and this will be followed by a champagne supper and cabaret in the Power Board building.

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The Mayor, Mr H. H. Barker, who is patron of the Olympic Pool organisation.

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Mr Eric Adye, chairman of the Olympic Pool committee

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Mrs Beth Meade, secretary of the committee, who called the first meeting in 1962.

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The Whangarei pool in the construction stages. It cost $202,000 in 1965.