| Weekly Review No 260 (1946) Grand National, Dumbo Romps Home: Twenty five thousand people pack Riccarton Park in Christchurch for the running of the Canterbury Jockey Club's Grand National Steeplechase. With 21 jumps in three miles, the race is a test of stamina and courage for both horse and rider. Twelves horses start the race but only four finish, with Dumbo the winner by 14 lengths. 02.30 Hutt and Karori Tree Planting: Hutt Valley school students join a Rotary Club plan for soil conservation throughout New Zealand by planting trees on a barren hillside. On Johnson's Hill overlooking Karori, tree planting is also the focus of Arbour Day activity. 03.35 Marlborough, Wild Goat Menace: Young men of the Pest Control Division of the Internal Affairs Department are learning to become hunters to control the wild goats, pigs and deer that are stripping vegetation leading to severe soil erosion on steep countryside. A training camp is being held near Blenheim where recruits are taught how to live under canvas and be self-supporting when a long way in the backblocks. They learn how to dress goat and deer skins, how to look after their rifles and how to cook bread in a camp oven. In the back country of the Kaikouras, the recruits get their first job - to shoot the goats that are eating the tussock and exposing the top soil. There are an estimated 40 thousand goats in the area and 30 parties of two each should clear it in about 3 months. In this steep country, where the goats are wary, the hunters need to be good long-range shots. Duration 07.38 |
