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[The National Review - Spring] Editor: Stewart Ransom (Pages: 16 - 1/6 per annum)
Contents:-
Editorial
Rally Preparations (Wanganui)
Wallace Arter and F.B.S.C. Comments on a Readers Views
National Organisation - World News, Overseas Penfriends, Newspapers and Nudist Advertising, Public Relations
Sunburn Remedy
The Nudist in the Modern World
News From the Clubs (9)
New Zealand's Fifth National Rally
Nudism in New Zealand, The Present and the Future (Second and third of three articles by Gerald Wakely.)
International News
Customs Department
Editorial |
The sunny hours lengthen and we all begin to look forward to spending more of them enjoying club facilities. Signs forecasting a long dry summer are anxiously sought in the early and possibly profuse flowering of the Cabbage Trees and Rangiora as well as Maori wisdom interpreting natures warnings which might prove favourable for the coming season. Club activities increase and there is a feverish effort to prepare club grounds. A race against time ensues as the temperature rises and efforts conversely respond to the heat of the Sun. Now the cooler winter months seem more suitable for club development and maintenance. Those wasted hours are now regrettable lost for ever; but let this New Year's Resolution be to take more of the season available for the more pleasant club by winter working parties.
National Rally |
It is with warm gratitude that we hear of the Preparations. Wanganui Club's preparations for the National Rally 1957. The prospects of a greater number present has meant a lot of work for Ivan and his members, for it promises to be even better than last year; an exciting speculation for we who enjoyed their hospitality. Although, no doubt each club is now very busy with its own activities, it is hoped that members are giving serious thought to the National Rally and will make every effort to be present, if it is at all possible. It is an unique experience, an enjoyment which cannot be adequately described. We hope to see many of you again and to meet more of our growing numbers.
WALLACE ARTER |
"A Reader's Views on Naturist Activities |
We feel honoured that they have spent some of their valuable time forwarding these comments:-
Eric Offer, Overseas Correspondent of the Federation of British Sun Clubs writes:
"Firstly with reference to the statement that 'many articles in Australian and English magazines..... even state that people over the age of 40 should not be allowed to join a club because their physique is on the down and down,' I don't know to which magazines this refers, but I certainly cannot remember ever reading such a statement in any British magazine. There was an article written by and about North Kent explaining why it had adopted as a temporary measure only restriction as to the age of new members. There was no mention of physique. Merely a matter of common sense. The people who founded the club and the early members were mostly couples in their middle thirties. The club has now been going for nearly ten years, and as the saying is, we are none of us getting any younger. Therefore, to avoid the club getting top-heavy with too many "old-uns" and to ensure that plenty of youngsters were enrolled as new members, last season it was decided to put a limit on new applicants only of 35 if married and with a family, and 30 if married without a family. This I would stress was a temporary policy for one club, of which I happen to be a member.
"There is only one place in this country where competitions for the most perfect body are held, and that establishment is not connected in any way with either the Federation of British Sun Clubs or the British Sunbathing Association. Neither does this sort of exhibitionism meet with our approval. However, being an independent club, there is nothing whatsoever that we can do about it, much as we might deplore it. We have been pleased to see that no publicity has been given to this annual "Venus" competition recently in the more responsible magazines of the movement in this country. If you look through the pages of "Health and Efficiency", I think that you will agree that there are a fair proportion of ordinary club photographs published such as your correspondent mentioned, showing ordinary club activities.
"On the question of trying to enlist the sympathy of Government Officials, Youth Clubs etc., I would refer to the recent appeal by North Kent to the Minister of Town and Country Planning who over-ruled a local authority decision to grant only temporary permission for us to erect a new pavilion, to the local Scout Group who visit our club once a week for a dip in the pool, and the advertisement in our club magazine giving the times of services at two nearby churches. Need I say more."
In a similar vein Wallace Arter comments:
"I dislike this bit from "A Reader's Views." 'Many articles in Australian and English magazines stress the advantages of a good figure end even state that people over 40 should not be allowed to join a club because their physique is on the down and down'."
"Is that true? I doubt it. I have probab1y written more articles about nudism than any one else in the world. I have certainly stressed the advantages of improving the figure, and the fact of going naked does make one, without thinking, 'hold oneself up, tuck in the tummy, square the shoulders' and leads to a genuine and beneficial effort to improve a physique that has been neglected.
"I have certainly never suggested an age bar and those who have (usually in letters) do not often do so because the physique is on the down and down. It is usually because young folks don't like the idea of mixing with their parent's age-group, until they have learnt better. In any case any attempt to introduce age-bars, or youth and beauty standards, has been promptly challenged by me and others.
"The suggestion that 'a cripple should be shown being helped' the writer must have a poor understanding of the self-consciousness of cripples. I have encouraged the unfit, the disabled, the scarred and the crippled to join the clubs and have repeatedly pointed out that the way to treat them is to ignore their trouble... to help them unobtrusively... not to print pictures of them!
"We do have as many photographs as we can of groups playing swimming, working... can't get enough good printable pictures... but very few people realise how difficult it is to get a printable club photograph. 'Model Pictures' in and out of clubs, are used for a very good reason, (apart from the sales value... I'm not hypocrite enough to ignore that): it is a good thing to show perfection as an example to the less perfect."
Do we all agree? These are serious considerations for those who are still a little diffident in "taking the plunge". Gerald's article encouraging membership of the less fit in the last Issue, makes the above remarks most apposite. Edtr.
NATIONAL ORGANISATION.
WORLD NEWS |
Pending reports of the 5th. International Congress, news of overseas affairs is sparse apart from that to be found in our magazines. Another victory against the U.S.A. Post Office makes good reading and steady growth almost everywhere seems to be the rule. Perhaps this kind of acceptance is better than anything spectacular. The promised world directory of clubs and camps is still coming up. The English "Naturist" has a new look but the general trend inside is much the same.
OVERSEAS PENFRIENDS |
Numbers of people from various parts of the world write in requesting penfriends. While it is not intended to encourage this sort of thing, if anyone is interested and prepared to take the risk of the other party not being genuine, let us know. There is a 19 year old girl in hospital in England on the books at the moment.
NEWSPAPERS AND |
Because of the refusal of some newspapers to accept our advertisements an opinion has been held by many that this ban has been imposed by the newspaper Proprietors' Association. In order to clarify the position, Perc. visited the Secretary at Head Office recently and was assured very definitely that the matter had never been discussed at any of their conferences. The inference, of course, is that any refusal is entirely a matter of individual policy and should therefore be taken up with those controlling the newspapers concerned. It is an anomaly that needs immediate correction by ourselves.
PUBLIC RELATIONS |
Following A.O.H.C.'s lead, the Editor and Perc. were invited to speak at a business men's club in Wellington. The 1½ hours talk was well received as was evidenced by the interesting questions received at the conclusion. Brochures were freely distributed and much goodwill undoubtedly resulted. We can heartily recommend this method of helping to remove those doubts and misunderstandings which exist in the mind of John Citizen.
We frequently receive or hear of items in the N.Z. Press that are not always written in the most favourable light and, more often than not, too long after publication for any reply to be effective. It is very important that EVERY reference to us or our movement be referred to this office immediately, not only to form a file for reference, but so that we can correct any misapprehensions or possible misstatements. If you care to handle the matter that is all to the good, but let us have the cuttings just the same. Be alert and be helpful.
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SUNBURN REMEDY |
A useful health hint for mid-summer burn.
The simplest and most effective treatment for mild sunburn is the application of cold compresses of strong tea. "The tannic acid in the teA often relieves the pain at once and within 24 hours may convert the sunburn into a gratifying tan" says Professor Sigmund S. Greenbaum writing in "Hygeia" health magazine of A.M.A.
The compresses can be made by dipping any clean white cloth into the tea which has been allowed to cool, and wringing out the excess moisture.
THE NUDIST |
By Gerald, Auckland Outdoor Health Club (Inc). |
"There must be no discussion of politics or religion or other controversial matters." This, believe it or not, appeared in the by-laws of our club when Karin and I joined. I'm glad to say it's there no longer.
Free discussion is more important now than at any other time. For we have so little time. So little time to rouse ourselves from the lethargy of materialism to a sense of the values that really matter. Social Security, guaranteed wages end five bob on the double aren't going to isolate us from what's going on in the rest of the world. And nudists, perhaps more than many others, must be aware of all that is at stake.
Nudism stands for freedom. The freedom of the naked body, the freedom that we know and treasure of the wind caressing a body free of the constrictions of clothes, the freedom of water coursing down one's skin, the feel of the sun all over one's body. We have tasted freedom. We are addicts. We stand to lose most.
Nudism as a philosophy, is one of the first to fall to tyranny. National Socialism suppressed nudism, Communism has done so. These dictatorial regimes are directly at loggerheads with our conception of life. They want to turn every man, woman and child into a copy of each other - look at their passion for uniforms for men and women if you disbelieve this. But we know that no one is the same, that the miracle of life is that everyone is different. How could we be allowed to survive in a Communist regime, having such knowledge and keeping it alive through the practice of Nudism?
It is easy to say: "So what? You're getting all boiled up over something that can't affect us. This is little old New Zealand, boy, 'way out in the sticks, no joker's going to take the bother to come and make commies out of us". Aren't they just? To the land-hungry masses in Asia who are our neighbours, ours is a rich country which could support twenty million of them.
To their leaders ours is a civilisation that lacks an ideal. We're ripe for the picking. If you don't believe this, read the speeches of Chou Enlai. Today's international gangsters do us the honour of letting us know well in advance what they're going to do. The only trouble is that we're usually mug enough to think they're bluffing.
How does this affect you?
You should acknowledge now that, if you are a genuine nudist (and by this I mean one who accepts the Philosophy of nudism), then you must be valiant for truth. You personally must campaign to see that the principles of rightness and decency prevail.
It is easy for we nudists who are proud of our tolerance of other points of view to let our tolerance go too far until it becomes apathy. I think that, in not a few cases, this has already happened. It's easy not to uphold our principles; tomorrow's another day.
But if you're with me this far, you nay well ask how one should uphold our principles without compromising our belief that everyone is entitled to his or her outlook. I would be the last to have you jump into a uniform and run away and get a gun.
No. The answer lies in yourself and the way that you live. If your tolerance and your respect for freedom are alive and dynamic then you will be doing in your way what those incredibly brave but forlorn fighters are doing in Hungary - fighting to keep the human spirit alive in the face of the forces of evil. By becoming a nudist you have won a battle, in many cases, over background, upbringing and prejudice to overthrow conventions that seem to you to be worthless. Now you need to call on this same faith that helped you then to come to year aid in this fight that will decide your life and mine will be able to continue in the way that we accept. It will decide whether you will be able to continue to be a nudist. It will decide the future of the human race.
Are you interested - or would you sooner let the other joker do something about it as usual until it's too late to help him?
But what can you actually do?
Firstly and foremost, you can ensure your own personal integrity - if you only live up to your principles when it suits you, you give credence to the view that our way of life is effete and decadent.
If you profess a religion, live it. Much of the contempt in which Europeans are held in Asia - and I say contempt advisedly - can be traced to preaching one thing and living another.
Make the democratic system work by taking an active interest in it. This will mean long boring hours at meetings - councils, unions, societies, even nudist clubs. You won't get much thanks for doing it but you will be playing your part in being there to speak and to vote according to your own conscience and not according to someone else's dictation.
If you are in a position on an elected body take the trouble to study the questions on which you are asked to make a decision. You are there for that purpose - not to get a name for yourself for business contacts. The man - or woman - who first looks at his agenda on sitting down at his place ready for discussion should not be there.
Resist any and every move towards regimentation, however disguised. The public servant under the guise of 'efficiency', wants to centralise everything, to draw power into his hands. He knows that most people find it too much trouble to try to stop him. There are good public servants and bad ones. The bad ones are not just those who are incompetent or who take bribes or who cook the books. The really bad ones are those who seek power for its own sake, who forget that the title of their occupation means 'a servant of the public'. They're the people who think that servant in this context means master. They're dangerous because they will serve any master.
Finally, do your bit an a nudist.
Don't just wait for decent weather and then lay yourself out in the sun like a bloated lobster. Nudism is a philosophy a way of life. It's vital.
Nudism combines the intellectual and physical concepts of freedom. These can rot through your disinterest. Have the courage to see that one of our greatest dangers here in New Zealand is to let our material wellbeing kid us into thinking that all's well with the world and, anyhow, 'it can't happen here'.
Your active support of nudism will be a measure of your belief in democracy. With your support nudism and democracy will win through. If you just sit on the sidelines, you won't have the choice of whether to be a nudist for long.
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NEWS FROM THE CLUBS...
Kaurimu Sun Club (Proprietory), Box 38 Henderson, Auckland.
Auckland Sun Club (Proprietory) Box 2925, Auckland.
With the improvement of the whether, work is, now proceeding on the driveway down to the property, enlarging and screening the play area and sprucing up the clubhouse for the season. New members are reported including that elusive "single girl".
Auckland Outdoor Health Club (Inc.), (Members), Box 2702 Auckld.
The Annual Meeting was held on 7th. October and quite well attended. Gerald, Colin and Beryl continue as President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Hans is Vice-President, new names on the committee (which has been increased to four women and four men) are Elaine, Beverly and Don.
Thanks to Colin's initiative the National Review is being distributed through a local newsagent, which reminds us that we have just issued a 'Newsletter' mainly for local information but if any other club would like a copy they have only to ask for one and will get it if there are any left.
Deposit on our 25 acres has been paid; work goes apace although it is disappointing that the road has been held up due to the bad weather.
The Club's representative on the Management Committee at the National Rally will again be Gerald.
Wanganui Sun Club (Proprietory), Box 410 Wanganui.
A hive of activity with preparations for the National Rally dominates the scene. Sandpits, swings and seesaws have been built for the children. The camping ground is almost ready.
Wellington Sun and Health Society (Inc.)(Members), Box 6359.
The piles for the Clubhouse have been laid and erecting the building is now a priority. The model of the swimming pool was photographed and accompanied "The Dominion"'s article on the Club's progress. The Annual meeting elected Stewart as the new President and Gwen a new member to the committee. The Press report on the Annual meeting has already attracted new applicants.
Canterbury Sun and Health Club (Members) Box 1823, Christchurch.
The purchase of a further 3 acres brings their total up to 9 now and also improves their screening at the same time. The clubhouse is practically finished and a terrace in front of it is now concreted. The foundations are down for a tank stand and shower house and water should be laid on by now. The splash pool is to be concreted soon and a lucky purchase of 12' x 6' plywood and malthoid sections that were a hanger are being nailed to posts to improve the screening still further. We are pleased to receive an offer to sponsor the next National Rally in 1958.
Otago Sun and Health Club (Member), Box 2058, South Dunedin.
The digging of the swimming pool is proceeding apace, following satisfactory negotiations with the owner of the 50 acres put at their disposal.
Waikato Health Club. P.O. Box 32 Hamilton East.
Gisborne Sun Club. c/- Box 6359 Wellington.
Pat. and Dot. have now been transferred to near Wellington but this club is planning outings for the coming season and reports the addition of another couple to swell their small numbers. They have the use of a property not far away.
NEW ZEALND'S FIFTH |
This year's "Big Do" will be held in the grounds of the Wanganui Sun Club, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of January 1957. |
| Admission: | A minimum of 2/6 per adult per day. |
| Attendance: | All members of Clubs and recognised enthusiasts are cordially invited. If you have not attended a National Rally at Wanganui before, contact this office for information and your admission card.<br> Club Secretaries should apply for these cards for all members they know will be coming. Admission for these members will be by official card ONLY. |
| Accommodation: | There is ample camping and trailer space available but you must provide your own food. Hotels 2 miles away. Stare nearby. You can park your car right in the grounds. |
| Entertainment: | Teniquoits, Volley ball, quoits, darts, etc., are available as well as a shower and splash pool, soft drinks etc. Fun for the kiddies and evening entertainments in "Covent Garden" are always a highlight. These include displays, films, sketch games and fun. Also dancing on the lawn if weather suitable. Remember the inter-club tenikoit tournament for the Perc. Cousins Trophy. |
| Business: | Reports and matters of interest will be discussed, but will be kept to a minimum. Future national policy should be of interest to us all. |
| Photography: | Official photographers are appointed to cover the event, so please leave your camera at home. Prints may be seen and purchased. |
| Information: | A circular giving full information is now being prepared and will be available on request to this Office. You can't afford to miss this annual event. Come and have the time of your life. |
NUDISM IN |
By Gerald of Auckland Outdoor Health Club (Inc.) |
Details of proposed Organisation.
The core of our suggestion was that the present organisation of nudism in New Zealand should recognise that it has made such a success of publicising nudism that it has become too snail for the movement,
There comes a time with every organisation that succeeds when the person who has run it has to go into the corner for a while and think. Problem number one is to get him to do this. If he can be persuaded to do this, then he must think how his business or organisation is doing and whether it is getting all the chances it should. Is he by any chance keeping too much to himself and stopping the show going ahead faster merely because there's a limit to what one man can do, even though he himself might not think so?
We feel that this time has cone to the nudist movement. We were criticised at the last National Rally for being twenty years ahead of our time. So might someone at Queen Victoria's funeral have said if it was suggested that people would soon be leaving the ground in heavier-than-air machines.
The very fact that our movement gets on the whole a favourable Press in New Zealand shows that there is a good deal of sympathy, much of it latent and unexpressed but all of it capable of being introduced to nudism in practice. This can best be done by people on the spot sacked up by an efficient news information and secretarial service in a central place.
If you, whether you are a member of a Club or on your own, approach your local paper or other organisations you will bear more weight, because they can see you personally and get to know you, than someone in Wellington. If you get together a committee to tackle this sort of thing you can make it easier for yourself, you can put more total effort into it and, at the same time, you could help out a central office better.
We proposed such a committee in every district where there are nudists. Then we proposed that the office of the National Organiser should be expanded to eight people: a President (the National Organiser) and seven members, each of whom would have a 'portfolio' which would mean, in effect, that every aspect of nudist affairs would receive the full attention of one person, backed up by his local committee and encouraged by the President.
We saw the President as the co-ordinator of the activities of the 'portfolio' holders, possibly also responsible for such aspects as parliamentary and central government liaison and legal natters. As the portfolio holders would be scattered throughout the country his would be no sinecure.
Before going on to comment on the jobs of the 'portfolio' holders it would be as well to make a point about the distribution of them.
Provincialism is surely one of the greatest weaknesses of New Zealand. Although it is 80 years since government was fully centralised, listening to an Aucklander talking about Wellington or anyone from the three other centres talking about Auckland one could be forgiven for wondering if this is really so. The nudist movement is as bedevilled by this as other aspects of life and other organisations - to our loss. It was to defeat this antagonism that we envisaged the 'portfolio' holders as being distributed throughout different parts of the country and so able to contribute the views of their part of the country to general discussions as well as getting a country-wide view of their particular aspect of affairs.
Some of the 'portfolios' were fairly easy ones, others somewhat onerous; they were:
| Membership - | responsible for increasing membership throughout the country and for acting as a 'post box' for putting enquirers in touch with their nearest Club, much as the National 0rganiser does now. Also responsible for organising membership of the National Association, of which more in a minute. |
| Press Relations - | responsible for preparation of material of nudist news, etc. i.e., public relations, by and large. |
| Advertising - | general advertising policy and information on papers accepting advertising and vice-versa. |
| Publications - | responsible for the publication of the 'National Review' and any other general publications that might be put out. |
| Rallies - | responsible for the organising of rallies with host club(s), of business and social sessions, circulation of agendas, notices etc., arrangements for any meetings of national councils. |
| Future policy - | research and preparation of matter to assist in future planning. |
| Special affairs - | rather like a 'Minister Assistant' for the President. |
This set-up would need money, and more money than is put into the kitty now. We proposed a National Association to which all nudists, whether club members or not, would belong and who would pay an annual subscription of, say, 5/-. This could give individual nudists a chance of meeting up with others throughout the country, although individual clubs should still be allowed the right to say whether a person would be accepted as a visitor or not. Later, there might be more tangible benefits which can often be organised for a larger body of people, such as co-operative marketing and so on.
Hans will be able to tell you that a similar Association works very well in Switzerland: are we so far behind the Swiss that we couldn't make it work here?
We presume that you are a nudist because you believe that there is some good in nudism. If you think that, surely you must want others to benefit from it as well, without necessarily going and forcing it down their throats as other peddlers of ideas and ideologies are apt to do. But, granted that you want others to experience what does you so much good then you must organise to cope with them. If a club that expects to double its membership in two years buys a new property that is barely big enough for its existing membership, it deserves to founder. So with the national organisation. If we are to be able to cope with the extra membership that increased tolerance will bring, then we must have the machinery ready and waiting and not have to resort to improvisation at the last moment.
Summing-up and how to go about the organisation.
The preceding paragraph is really a summing up, in so far as it puts the issue of why we should do something about this NOW instead of in 20 years time. This seems to be the point at which most people jib. O.K. - but why not give it a go - at least if you have the organisation in being you won't be caught napping. It's rather like civil defence. We all of us hope that nobody will drop another bomb on top of us but we shall be much better prepared for it if we recognise that it is a practical possibility and do something about organising ourselves to be ready for it when it does cone. 'Laisser faire' is all very well but, if you will pardon my taxing your French, those who laisser too damned much will never faire anything.
At the next Rally to be held this coming New Year I hope that there will be sufficient interest in the affairs of nudism in general throughout the country for there to be a working group of, say, the management committee plus one or two others who are particularly interested to give this scheme of ours a thorough study during, say, one morning or afternoon and that they will then be able to report to the general meeting with recommendations as to what should be done and how the scheme could be got under way. The idea of doing some constructive work at these Rallies should be accepted as one of the reasons for going there - have you heard of any other conventions that does not meet expressly for the purpose of getting down to work.
This is your big chance to put nudism on the map by introducing big thinking - it's up to you to insist that the management committee directs first that this matter be discussed by a working group and that then this group reports to the business session with its recommendations. Anything less will be tantamount to saying that nudists in New Zealand are dumb from the neck up - are you ?
S T O P P R E S S
INTERNATIONAL NEWS.
It was unfortunate that bad weather marred the outdoor programme of the 5th. International Naturist Congress held in Hanover, Germany during August. Reports indicate that the Congress was most successful, most of the major countries being represented. The international aspect was maintained with the President (Denmark), Secretary (Austria), Treasurer (Germany), Vice-Presidents (Germany, France, Switzerland, and Holland), Councillors (U.S.A. and Austria), and the Legal Committee (Switzerland, Belgium and Great Britain).
M. Weber, the Lord Mayor of Hanover and one of his Senators M. Lehnhof, officially welcomed the delegates from different countries, the latter pointing out that Naturism is "accepted at court" in his part of the world.
On the invitation of the B.S.B.A. it was decided to hold the 6th. Congress in England in 1958.
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CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT.
As no ruling has come to hand regarding the seizure of our magazines, Perc has been in touch with the Asst. Comptroller in an endeavour to get this matter clarified. The Department is making efforts to give a fair and equitable ruling and is exploring every avenue to make this possible. We have offered to visit them in order to present our case and an invitation to do so may be forthcoming in the immediate future. Everything is being done, so let us wait as patiently as possible.
Noted:-
Gerald Wakley: The Nudist in the Modern World; Nudism in N.Z. the Present and future [articles: 2&3]; Editors