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Weir House

A New Year, New Warden, New matron, new faces — but there the novelty practically ended. Life at Weir during 1940 has swung easily through a well-defined cycle of activities.

The house elections threw up a willing executive, led in the early stages of the year by an efficient President, R. G. Bannister, and in recent months by C. C. Aikman, who has allied a self-effacing manner with quiet competence. Though lacking something of aggression and organizing ability prominent in previous years, this committee has, to its special credit, gained student representation at the meetings of the Weir House Management Committee, a long cherished desire.

Freshers, wakened from schoolboy shyness by the now-customary immersion in the nearby trough, participated spiritedly in the early festivities of the year, and gave energy, physical and vocal, to the caperings of the haka party. This group, in its official uniform of green and gold cap and not much more, lent noisy and enthusiastic support to ceremonies of Tournament and Capping Week and have since been seen and heard at all functions where the College's youth and beauty gather.

A popular innovation has been the fortnightly programmes of recorded music selected and presented by Mr A. J. D. Barker who as warden has combined efficiency with tact. Enjoyable and instructive entertainment has been provided by Sunday night discussions led by accomplished invitation speakers. Residents have had the opportunity of hearing Mr W. J. Scott's expose of chicanery in modern advertising, explanations of the intricacies of sex and its problems, an incursion into dialectics led by Mr J. Dyer who spoke with learned eloquence on Communism, observations on life in Australia given by Mr Jenkins, one of the Australian debaters, and the viewpoint of Mr W. E. Barnard on New Zealand's political future.

Politics, incidentally, in the closing weeks of the winter term attracted considerable interest which culminated in the quashing by the committee of a petition to prevent formation of political parties within the House. The support given this petition revealed a rather distressing willingness on the part of many members to sign away privileges which should be regarded as fundamental in an institution so avowedly democratic as Weir.

That intellectuality does not dominate is proved by the keen interest taken in a wide range of sports. Though bewildered by the superior skill, flashing legs and flailing sticks of the Victoria House representatives, the Weir hockey team in regular competition recorded a succession of impressive victories. Each Saturday has seen the departure of an enthusiastic contingent of Rugby players, among them Larkin who has been a regular member of the College first fifteen, and Papps who in several games gave much-needed thrust to the senior backs. Fiery forwards in the College second fifteen have been Innes, Masters and MacLeod (who this year gained a N.Z.U. boxing blue), while Stuckey, Moore, Cummings and Kilpatrick have been especially prominent in junior grades.

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The annual cricket encounter for the Weir Willow was won by North in a game memorable for the clean stroke-play of Masters, the venom-coated lobs of de la Mare, a brief burst of alcoholically-inspired aggression by Te Punga and Whitwell, and the ineptitude of most participants.

Harrying made call on the stamina of several House-members, while movement and dexterity have had ample scope in the official indoor activities of table-tennis and billiards.

Successful dances held in each term provided formal social entertainment and, since the abandonment of the customary "At Home," the only remaining official gathering will be the annual house Dinner with its usual store of ribald reference, hackneyed anecdote and nostalgic reminiscence.

A few companions have forsaken the quiet ways of study to shoulder arms, but for the most part everything in Weir House is as it always was. Still the residents complain about the food and yet eat it voraciously; still they proudly parade their feminine visitors; still they rejoice in the practical joke and the other fellow's discomfort; still they love to sing and scuffle; still they sneer briefly and laugh easily; still they know sudden enmity and forgive quickly; still, when challenged, they show the spirit of the Musketeers.