#  41 - December 1966 

[The New Zealand Naturist - Summer] Editor: Perc Cousins (Pages: 40 - 2/-)

Contents:-

Editorial
Our Visit to Pineglades by Tom
Junior Section
Peggy 9
Readers Have Their Say
Quote of the Month
Northside Country Club
This is the Life by Joan Treanor
Early Days at Pineglades
The Tindo Club
Health in the Sun
NZSA Notes - 15th National Rally, INF Congress in the Netherlands, Our Christmas Cover, Increased Price Coming Up, Those Holiday Photographs, Travelling Overseas, INF Holiday Guides, For the Older Members
Sun Valley Gardens Nature Park (A Canadian-American Resort)
Sun Clubs in New Zealand - Number 5 - First Aid
Talking About Books
The Ladies by Hamish (a husband)
News From All Over the World - France, Toga, Tunisia, England, America
News from the Clubs (11)
Letter from a Son (No 5)
Directory: (13)

Noted

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THE NEW ZEALAND NATURIST
NEW ZEALAND'S ONLY NATURIST MAGAZINE

A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A BETTER WORLD

 

NEW ZEALAND SUNBATHING ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 6359, WELLINGTON

President		Perc. W. Cousins, Wellington
Vice-Presidents		Roy Clarkson, Christchurch Jock Shoolbread, Auckland
Secretary - Treasurer		Doug. Cousins, Wellington
Public Relations Officer		Gavin Robieson, Wellington
Overseas Correspondent		David Williamson, Auckland
Youth Organiser		Ken Treanor, Christchurch
Women's Representative		Gaynor Robieson, Wellington
Delegates representing all clubs
N.Z. NATURIST
Editor		Perc. W. Cousins
Business Manager		Doug. Cousins
Artist		Bob McIver
Copy Preparation		John Hedley Brown
Advertising		Bernie Gartner

 

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MINI-SKIRTS AND TOPLESS FROCKS

And what, the reader may well ask, have these things to do with nudism? Specifically very little, but generally, perhaps more than we are prepared to admit. Fashion designers will forever think up new ideas, for Madam will spend her last dollar rather than appear out of fashion. As long as the designers continue to bring in the profits to the manufacturers and all the others who are able to enjoy prosperity from the changing trends, all will be well in the trade.

But speaking of trends, it is of interest to note that gradually, but surely, and from time to time, more and more of milady's body is being revealed. While so many put up their hands in horror at some of the innovations, including some of the ladies themselves, in no time at all, they are wearing the very latest and looking down their noses at those less progressive. That is, taking them by and large as a sex.

At one time the sight of an ankle caused a flutter, but nowadays, very few take any notice of a knee. Plunging necklines or no neckline at all are taking a little longer, but it seems safe to assume that it is only a matter of time when these things will be much more accepted than they are today.

"There is a growing appreciation of the sensual," says Dr Bernard Barber, a professor of sociology and whether we agree or not, we must fall in with the statement made by the professor, when he said, "It can't go too far, or it becomes self-defeating. If everyone were nude, it wouldn't be interesting."

Very true and one of the very planks upon which this movement stands. The completely unclothed body does not excite or corrupt when in the confines of a properly conducted nudist camp. Convention-steeped people will not believe this but they are slowly being led to accept the sight of more and more of the human body and the shock of the thought of people mixing in complete nudity is being lessened by the trend-setters in the fashion world. The acceptance of nudity in public places is already commonplace in many parts of Europe and Scandinavia, and does not even raise an eyebrow. These things take time, but today's fashions are surely helping the Grundies and others to adopt a more lenient attitude, and anything that helps break down the many foolish notions about our bodies and their functions, seems to be all to the good.

- PERC. W. COUSINS

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WE STARTED from home on the morning of the 2nd December, 1965, the time being 4.30 a.m. How we got all the camping gear into our car is still, even now, simply amazing. And what's more, we took the budgie in its cage, and a small cardboard carton with two guinea pigs. Then the youngsters, Deidre 15, and Stephen 11, my wife Merle and I all got wedged into our Vanguard somehow, so I upped anchor and set sail at the aforementioned time; early bird that's me.

Here, please let me digress and mention a little of the scenic beauty of our South Island West Coast. Leaving Westport we traversed the well-known Buller Gorge route, passed under Hawkes Crag, where the road is cut through solid rock, leaving an overhang like a big shelter, thence to Inangahua where one may see innumerable pukekos and other birds, then on past Reefton up the Rahu Saddle, where sometimes one may see deer, fawns, etc., and always the traveller will see the defunct forms of dead possums and at night, very much alive ones. The virgin forest with a sprinkling of rata flowers, etc., was all very colourful and a treat for sore eyes.

Okay, let's get back to our trip. I'll skip the rest of our journey and arrive at Pineglades, now at 90 odd in the shade darned hot, I'll say.

The inside of the car was like an oven. Well, the youngsters and I spilled out, grabbed the tent and started erecting same, got the pegs and the poles up any old how, so we could, as I thought, get more shade, but it was just as hot as outside. Merle had the best idea: sitting under a pine tree; cool she was, hot we were.

Just as we were squaring things up, along came the president; very welcome he was, gave me an excuse to cease my labours, said he would show me around the grounds and the facilities, (being dressed, as we were, as yet a bit "iffy"). He showed us the ablution block, cook house, etc., then, oh, wonderful sight: the swimming pool. Excusing myself, I hied me back to the tent, "Come on kids, a swimming pool"; we were then undressed as quick as a lightning streak (not shy now, you'll notice), and spent some time in the water; swimming without costumes being no effort at all.

Admittedly we were all a little apprehensive about disrobing at the camp, our first time remember, but as I say, the heat and the pool was a very deciding factor that first day, and although it was a day or two before Merle could bring herself to be nude, there was no hesitation thereafter.

It was at Pineglades that I was first introduced to volleyball. What a game! I enjoyed every single minute of it, no sticky and sweaty clothes to hamper one's movements and need I say that I, a veritable novice, looked forward to having a go every time someone was on the court. It's a beautiful concrete court, smooth and as level as a bowling green; patience was needed here to get the concrete so even; and as for the people at the camp, one could not wish for a better community spirit anywhere. Everyone was extremely friendly; we were invited to several cabins and to all the functions as if they had known us a lifetime; really it was a little bit of heaven. We had a visit from a couple from Reefton, Dick and Mabel, prior to us going to Pineglades and they gave us a lot of "gen" so we were somewhat prepared.

The visits paid us while we were there were very welcome, it certainly "broke the ice" for us the first day or two and to move around untrammelled was quite a thrill; we shed all our cares when we shed our clothes.

I feel I should say some word about the huge amount of work done to make Pineglades the restful haven it is. Now don't get me wrong, you other clubs, I'm not saying Pineglades is "The Club"; you all may have just as good, and we intend to find out for ourselves in the near future, but get this, we have been fortunate to visit our first club and, as yet, none other, so forgive me if I am full of praise for all those members who put hours and hours of backbreaking work into the project, winter, spring, summer and autumn. We saw for ourselves what the grounds must have been like as we inspected a portion - as yet untouched jungle - and I am told that every bit of the 18 acres was the same. Now where else but at a nudist camp would you get the seemingly endless working bees they must have had, the team spirit? Mind you, they were fortunate in having various tradesmen in their midst, but it was nearly all done by hand. I wish I could have been there all the time to help them.

May I conclude with one small incident regarding my 11 year old Stephen. Weeks before we left home he said he wasn't going to be naked in front of all those other people. Well, let me tell you that he was the first to get undressed, showered and into the pool, and on that same night he said, "Dad, can we come back here again next year?"

Well folks, there are our sentiments exactly and, if what we experienced at Pineglades is the same at other clubs, and I've no doubt it is, let me say, Nudism forever! I hope it will go on forever. May we, Merle, Deidre, Stephen and I say thank you very much Pineglades for the most memorable holiday we have, as a family, ever experienced. •

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CLUB time is with us again, time to build up an all over tan, splash in the pool without the tight uncomfortable swimsuit, and enjoy the pleasure of fun in the sun.

Do you know that at one time the sun was regarded in awe by the ancient civilizations? Everyone agreed that the Gods were very powerful and could do great good or great harm. The Greeks had very clear ideas about what their Gods looked like, they were very wise, but they could not be seen by men until they wanted to show themselves, and then it was not in their true forms.

This explains that although the sun was regarded as a god, the real form of the sun god was never revealed, only the round bright shining object in the sky. Every civilization had its name for the sun god: the Egyptian sun god was called Ra; the Greeks worshipped Apollo "Master of the Sun"; the Norse god of sunlight was Balder; and goodness knows how many names the natives of the world had for this ball of fire in the sky.

Today we could hardly worship the sun as our ancient brothers and sisters, but we can take advantage of the power of the sun. We know that it is no god, but we can imagine why the people in older days regarded it with such mystical powers. Without its presence, crops wouldn't grow, night wouldn't become day, life would cease. Small wonder that it is called a God!

How many junior naturists are fond of gymnastics? Did you know that the word takes its name for the Greek word for naked, as they reckoned that body exercises were of great value in education and used to wear no clothes when they took part in athletic competitions. Gymnastics give young people confidence, agility, suppleness and strength that is useful in all forms of sport.

Why not try it out at the club? The equipment needed can be provided easily, and instructors can be found in most sun clubs. Give it a go, it may be that this is the interest that some of our juniors need in their clubs.

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THE STORY SO FAR Dennis, Peggy's boy friend had had a spill on his bicycle and had been looked after by a Dutch family who were living nearby. He was alarmed to discover that they were nudists and he wanted to get away as soon as possible. Over breakfast, his host explained something of their philosophy end despite his many misgivings, he agreed to accompany the daughter end her twin brothers to "Paradise Island". Overcoming his anxiety, he joined them in a nude swim. As Annie stood on the diving board, poised end naked, Dennis gasped end excitedly called out, "Just a minute. Hold it."

HE SCRAMBLED out to a nearby rock, standing up before her, while he gazed enraptured at the vision before him. This was the first time in his life he had seen a naked woman close to and he was literally swept off his feet. "Just move back slightly will you? That's better. Yes. Now bring your arm a little higher. Just a bit. Whoa! That's right. Chin up. Just a weeny bit. Got it. Good, what a picture with that old tree and those ferns in the background. And your reflection in the water by that rock is just superb. Do you mind if I sketch you, please? And he was sure he must have had entreaty in his voice, for she dived into the water with a cheery "OK."

He suddenly realized what he had done. For a moment he was nonplussed with a terrific embarrassment at his seeming plight. Then in a flash, he saw what a ridiculous lack of logic he had displayed and burst out laughing.

Three rather surprised faces emerged from the depths and gazed at him in amazement. And he supposed they had every right to be surprised, so he proceeded to explain the cause of his apparently unwarranted mirth. "Well, for some stupid reason, convention I suppose, I was feeling embarrassed at my own nudity, while all the time I was admiring the body of another in rapture. It came over me suddenly, why should one body apparently give offence and not be seen at all, while another should take your breath away by its very beauty?" And quick as a flash Annie added, "Perhaps beauty, like vulgarity, is in the mind, and the body of itself never varies."

While the boys pushed off in the boat to try their hand at fishing, he sketched Annie on the diving board. He was living for the first time in his life. He was naked and so was she. They were alone and yet there was a mutual respect and understanding that at that time just defied a reasonable explanation.

When he had finished and they lay side by side chatting, he began to realize how blind and misguided his parents had been. He could just imagine how they would react were they to be suddenly precipitated to that spot: two young people alone, in a secluded place, lying naked in the sun. Merciful heavens! What a scandal! What a sin! How little would they realize how completely innocent the whole affair was in reality.

His lily white skin was beginning to tingle when the fishermen returned, excitedly waving a good sized fish for them to admire. He kept to the shade of the trees, determined not to wear any clothes, while they kindled a fire and prepared lunch. They cleaned the fish and cooked it, balanced on green sticks. It was a bit burnt, but with appetites like theirs it was a dish fit for a king.

And so, with more walks abroad, more swims and lots of chatting, a day came to the close that changed the whole course of his life and one that to this day he will never regret nor forget. As he lay on his pillow that night, he thanked God from the bottom of his heart for His goodness and for having opened his eyes to see and know himself as he is; to know that the only evil, as well as the only good for that matter that ever was, is, or ever will be, is entirely a matter of thinking. "As a man thinketh, so is he," came to mind and, "There is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

And as he lay pondering over the events of the day, he recalled one of Mr Hoekstra's remarks when he said, "You wouldn't dream of having a smoke concert in a church, though in its proper setting it is quite in order and appropriate. In the same way, lust, sex and exhibitionism have no place among genuine nudists. They have their place, but a nudist community is not and never can be the place for such things."

Needless to say, he slept like a log that night and the following morning saw him joining the tenikoit players, feeling in the pink and looking a bit that way too. It was not hard for him to be persuaded to spend the rest of his holiday with these charming people and the pink began to turn to the same shade of tan that was natural to his hosts. The time went all too quickly and the sad time came for him to say goodbye.

As he reluctantly wheeled his cycle through the garden into the roadway, accompanied by the whole family, he felt that he was losing, for the time being at least, people who meant more t him than he was prepared to admit, for his love of beauty had made him forget his own nakedness. Parting was indeed hard, but he was fortified with the invitation to visit them again and renew the joys of a mental and physical freedom he had known nothing about before this meeting, for he knew only too well his chances of indulging at home were nil.

Pedaling back home, his feelings were very mixed. He foresaw difficulties ahead. Nothing, he decided, no nothing, would induce him to exchange the new joys he had discovered and the reception such news would receive from his parents was easy to conjecture. Love his people as much as he may, for the first time in his life he was not happy to be returning to them.

Fortunately, time has corrected all that, for his parents were so grateful to this Dutch family for what they had done and not a little curious about them, they visited them at the first opportunity. With the help of Dennis's enthusiasm these people were able to convince even those die-hards, with the result that, as so often happens, they became very enthusiastic on nudism and set about finding a club to join.

Much to Dennis's delight, they became just another family of nudists, realizing how much they had missed in life but anxious to make up for lost time before it was too late.

And so we now know how Dennis became a nudist and not only convinced his parents that it was good, but brought in my daughter, Peggy and our family. Makes you wonder who will be next. •

 

In a future issue we will commence another adventure, located in a typically New Zealand setting, familiar to those who tramp the byways of this beautiful country.

 

Back numbers 38, 39, 40, 41, including the full story, are available from the NZSA at 7/- the set.

 

 

"True words need not be fine.
 Fine words need not be true."

- Chinese saying

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Readershave their say ... 

 

THE AUSTRALIAN SCENE

There is a big move in naturism over here and I think there will be a big advance or perhaps a big stir up this summer. But there is definitely a big change in the attitude of the general public in our favour, and I think you'll hear quite a lot shortly. There is even a move for a free beach.

I am always interested in your serial "Peggy". It's a pity it couldn't be printed as a serial in one of our leading good type weekly magazines in Australia and New Zealand. If we could only get the good nudist films here instead of the present crop of go-to-bed naked and rape type scene films that are on general view lately.

- Sandy, Australia

OUR ILLUSTRATIONS

As regards photographs in the NZ Naturist, my suggestion (I know nobody asked me) is to publish only NZ club pictures and perhaps a few of special interest from overseas clubs, even though it would mean fewer pictures. Fewer pictures, but all genuine would be better than including pictures of professional models, which seldom reflect the true spirit of nudism.

I am new here, and somewhat a refugee from too much slickness. I know when I get the USA magazines I'll appreciate the NZ Naturist even more than I do now.

- WJA, Dunedin (late of USA)

(Ed. We echo these sentiments heartily.)

 

PRAISE INDEED

Enclosed you will also find a very belated sub. for the magazine, of which, I think, Doug. is the business manager, isn't he? It is a very good magazine, it always was, but has improved out of all knowledge with its new format. Seriously, I think it is the best I have seen in the English language.

- MARY, England

THOUGHTS ON NUDISM

Two friends of mine who had often mentioned their being members of a nudist club had suggested that I join; so I gave it serious thought and decided why not. Being a physical culturist interested in a healthy diet and being somewhat of an epicurean for the simple pleasures of life, it naturally followed that becoming a naturist was getting down to basic fundamentals still further. I talked it over with my wife and she seemed quite enthusiastic, saying it would be especially beneficial to our three children.

So we decided to go along but not without some apprehension. I tried to imagine what kind of people joined nudist clubs. Did they attend them as an expression of their altruistic ideals to help solve the problems of man's inhumanity to man, or was it merely an outlet for their narcissistic tendencies?

If one is to believe the psychologists, 90% of all our actions are motivated by the sexual impulse, and if one does walk around naked it is impossible not to be aware of one's unclothed condition and therefore even more conscious of the proximity of the opposite sex in the same state. But the human figure is a thing of beauty and the unclothed body would be appreciated from a purely asexual point of view unlike the partially clothed figure which almost inevitably works on the imagination. Such were my thoughts as we made our way to the Auckland Sun Club.

On arrival I was pleasantly surprised to find perfectly ordinary people there, quite friendly and apparently completely at ease. As one who ordinarily wore bikini type bathing togs, I was surprised at the sense of freedom bestowed by a complete lack of clothing and it seemed the most normal way to be. Any ideas I had conjured up of people with morbid psychological complexes soon vanished.

Now we are well on the way to becoming confirmed naturists and look forward to any opportunity of popping out to the club.

- SGF, Auckland

ON THE TARGET

As you may have gathered from my first letter, I am genuinely interested and the fact that I might find myself one of a few in a deserted camp would not upset me in the least. However, it would be better to meet other people who feel the same way about real freedom. I suppose you have had to deal with a few jokers who think that wearing clothes is the mark of civilization and anybody who does not is either primitive or odd. My idea on this subject is that civilized people should have nothing to hide from their fellows and that in only a primitive society should people cover themselves in order not to excite so-called animal instincts.

- DAT, Australia

SHOWED IT TO THE PASTOR

Visitors from the Auckland Outdoor Health Club handed us three issues of your NZ Naturist. As soon as I glanced through them I fell in love with these lovely magazines, and once I started reading them, I couldn't stop. They are really something you can be very proud of. I always thought that the magazines in our home country (Germany) were good, but I must say, I like yours even better, meaning the way you approach your readers, there is no doubt about it, nobody could take offence when looking at or reading through your magazines.

As a matter of fact, I got so enthusiastic about the NZ Naturist that I handed one of the issues to our pastor, when he came to visit me. I thought it might do the pastor some good to get to understand us naturists, and I could have never explained everything as well as your magazine can.

I will show the NZ Naturist to our members and I am sure that in time they will want to order it too, as I am doing.

- Secretary, Naturi Sun Club, Australia

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NORTHSIDE COUNTRY CLUB

AUSTRALIA - 1966

by GLENN

A LITTLE over five years ago the proprietors of Victoria's sun club, Sunray, announced with regret that due to increasing land development, resulting in loss of privacy, Sunray would cease to operate as a sun club. A group of ex-members gathered to discuss ways, means, finances, etc. in an endeavour to formulate a new club.

The one main decision reached being that any new site eventually decided upon must be within reasonable travelling time from Melbourne and yet sufficiently private and isolated as to not again be overrun by encroaching land development. With such a problem and very limited resources, the position seemed hopeless and then we had a stroke of luck. For a number of years, Frank, who owned 120 acres of land 40 miles from Melbourne had endeavoured to start a sun club, but without a great deal of success. Frank agreed to grant us a lease of his property and allow us to operate a sun club of our own. This, with a nucleus of 12 members, 120 acres of virgin land, much enthusiasm and very little finance, was the birth of Northside.

The first step taken was an official lease of 7 acres of land situated in the centre of Frank's 120 acre property. Thus whilst enjoying easy access we protected our privacy, as any persons must of necessity trespass in order to reach our club. Frank was most generous in his terms of our lease and the rental was fixed at ²/₃rds of membership fees or £50 per year, whichever was the greater. So there we were with 7 acres of land for the rental of £50 per year. Next our name. Northside was the popular choice due to our situation north of Melbourne.

With hardly any finance it was agreed that to construct a club house at the moment would be out of the question, but no expenditure was required to dig a hole in the ground. That first year a few willing workers arrived every Sunday, unloaded their wheelbarrows, picks, shovels, etc., and went to work. Many blisters, aching backs, muddy feet and a great deal of laughs and good fellowship, later we had a swimming pool, dug out and needing concreting. Our membership and finances had improved a little by then and so with more work and enthusiasm we had a concrete swimming pool.

During the ensuing 5 years, with the same spirit and friendliness, Northside has acquired all the amenities which its members now enjoy. Step by step and with a steady growth of members, we elected our committee, drew up rules and constitution and on the completion of each new amenity made plans for the next.

All work done has been voluntary labour, every member, depending upon their trade or profession have donated their skills and services to the club. So many names come to mind that it is hard to list them all. Plumbing carpentry, painting, gardening, building, filtration, electrical, recall such names as Don, Frank, Gil, Torry, Bill, Peter, Robbie, Tom, Sandy, Graham and a host of others too numerous to mention.

Our chief helper has been Frank, our proprietor, with whom there has never been any question of a landlord and tenant nature. Frank has already extended our lease, given us an option to purchase, returned by way of materials purchased, rentals which we pay, and spent countless hours at his trade of builder in order to assist us. Every child in the club knows that fruit, ice cream, jellies, lemonade, etc., are a child's natural prerogative at Uncle Frank's place.

The main thing is that 5 years after its inception with such a small group of people, Northside's amenities now are: 30ft x l8ft filtered swimming pool, septic toilet blocks, hot showers, laundry, club house, kitchen, electricity connected, volley ball and badminton courts, children's play area, and under construction at the moment, a tennis court and children's wading pool.

This has been achieved on a family group membership fee of only $12.60 per year, donations and any moneys raised through social gatherings.

With such a group spirit activating us, who knows what the next 5 years' results may be? •

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THIS IS THE LIFE

by JOAN TREANOR

WHERE could be a better place for writing an article for our magazine than down at the sun club itself. It is at times like this that not only do I feel sorry for non-members, but also for members, who unlike myself can pop down to the grounds at a moment's notice, weather permitting, during the week. Not only have I the time to do this, but I don't waste precious time with travelling, as I can be at the grounds ten minutes after leaving home.

It's a wonderful feeling to be able to remove all my clothing and to relax completely, and I do find that I relax far more here than I would if I was just sunbathing on a beach. In fact so much, that all the good intentions that I come down with like doing some gardening, cleaning the cabin out and cleaning the windows, don't seem to get done until the last five minutes before leaving and then of course not properly.

Now that the good weather is upon us, I am really looking forward to spending the weekends here again and once more meeting with and talking to the various members. I enjoy the peaceful and restful atmosphere of the club during the week, with perhaps the odd member coming out for a few hours, but then again I look forward to having a good old natter with the folks on the weekend. I really am fortunate that I can have the best out of life, simply by being a nudist and not one that just goes to a beach with the family, but coming out here and meeting people and getting to know them as individuals as well.

It won't be long now to the school holidays when Ken and I and the four children will be packing up and moving down here for the six weeks. This I am really looking forward to, for it means that although I don't get a complete holiday, at least I am getting a break away from the house, and of course there isn't so much work to do in a cabin like in the larger house. And should the weather be unkind to us, then we could always go away for the day for a drive somewhere.

Then again there is the thought that before long I shall be up in Auckland to attend the Rally and once again meet people from all over New Zealand that I have come to know through these rallies. My only disappointment will be that for the first time in years we won't be attending as a full family, for although I applied to the Kiwi Lottery Grant for assistance in fares, they, for some reason didn't think my cause worthy enough.

Just before I go, has anyone any suggestions to make, so that I can lie down and sunbathe and also be able to type too, for I am finding my present position anything but comfortable. Cheerio for now. See you in Auckland.

 

 

Clement D. Johnston, at the end of an address: "Like Lady Godiva at the end of her ride, I'm getting near to my close."

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EARLY DAYS AT PINEGLADES

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    by one who was there

AFTER the usual deep thought that all intending persons put, previous to their application, my husband and I finally took the plunge, to be later visited by three rather shy members whose apprehensive attitude was attributed to the fact that the club had no funds or grounds, but just a very small number of members.

We were approached again, and inquired if we still wanted our application to remain as nothing could really be offered us. Fortunately we decided that we would join these folk and see if we could help the situation in any way.

Very soon a middle-aged couple joined our small band and it is to this couple that the club owes the choice of site and the beginnings of many projects undertaken seen at Pineglades today. Incidentally, this couple possessed the only car amongst the members, and turns were taken in accompanying them. We were fortunate, as at that time we had no children and could get out more often.

Looking at Pineglades today, sitting in the comfort of a sprung armchair in our cabin doorway, out over the grounds, my thoughts often wander to days before. The only approach was from the back road, just a track; in winter a sea of slippery mud after a frost, and the car sliding sideways as much as it managed to wheel spin forward, in through a tiny opening cut into tall gorse and broom, over a log-bridged water-race and along a twisty, bumpy track to a final halt amongst fire blackened and dead trees leaning, propped and fallen at all angles, gorse, broom nd long grass.

Along the south-western boundary was a thick plantation and during the winter months the club was much warmer than it is today because of the shelter from these trees.

All water was carried out in an interesting array of containers, and a shower in a tree was an ingenious invention of a desperate member who found that he was getting too black and too hot. It consisted of a kerosene tin balanced up in a tree and its function was to daintily sprinkle water on to the body standing beneath it after a bucket of water had been tipped into the tin.

Another step forward was the trip down to Ashburton to collect 3-p1y sheets from a hangar which was being demolished, this being used for screening, as our many trees for this purpose that we planted did not thrive due to lack of water, or rabbits.

The evening indoor meetings with sunlamps because of no grounds, the charcoal blackened bodies that went home, the first game of tenikoit over a row of poplar sticks, the clearing and laying out of the grounds, the building of the club house, well sinking, digging and making of the pool, the building of the roads, clearing of cabin sites, connection of electricity and many more important events at the club we have had joy in helping with or witnessing, all of which were milestones in the formation of a club of which we are proud to be members. •

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THE TINDO  CLUB

An article of special interest to our Australian readers, illustrating how clubs begin.

DURING the latter l930s a small group of nudists enjoyed sunning and swimming at a secluded beach near Adelaide. With men enlisting in the Forces during the second World War, contact between members of the group was lost until today, the only known living person of the original group is Uncle Will, aged 81 years.

Several small groups practised nudism after the war on various secluded beaches near Adelaide. It wasn't until the population explosion of the l950s that any serious attempt was made to form a permanent club in South Australia.

One day, on a beach near Adelaide, Nick and Dodds were enjoying the sun; Dodds was on the beach, with Nick fishing from a boat, in the nude, when another couple came along the beach.

Dodds was waving Nick's shorts to attract his attention as the couple approached. They asked, "Was that your husband's shorts you were waving?" Rather embarrassingly she admitted it was.

"That's OK," exclaimed the couple, "we are nudists also," and so it was that Ron and Joyce met Nick and Dodds, a chance meeting which was later to be the beginning of the Tindo Club.

Nick tells the story of the time, while enjoying the sun with other enthusiasts, he was cleaning out his frypan on some rocks, when a group of people appeared on the cliff some two hundred feet above.

Rather than use the frypan to the best advantage, Nick started to rave in Italian (a language he partly understood) and brandished the frypan in a menacing fashion.

The party made a hasty retreat, obviously convinced that the sun had affected more than Nick's sun-tanned skin.

Later, land was leased at Port Gawler and on May 3rd, 1959, a meeting of eight enthusiasts was held at Burnside to discuss the formation of a sun club in South Australia. Ron suggested the name Tindo, an Adelaide Plains aborigine word for sunshine, and on May 17th, 1959, the first meeting of the Tindo Club was held at Burnside.

It was soon realized by these foundation members that a better and more permanent site would have to be found and an advertisement to this effect appeared in the Adelaide Advertiser on June 2nd, 1959.

In 1960, a suitable site was purchased 30 miles from Adelaide and the foundation members called on the local police constable who noted that a nudist club was being formed in the Barossa Valley. The constable was most helpful on screening, etc., and friendly relations have always been maintained with the police department ever since.

Although town water was laid on to the site, little water would run from a tap, so a new water connection with larger pipes nearer to the main activities area was obtained. Due to the slight uphill lie of the land, water still would not run during hot weather and trees planted around the site died from lack of moisture. Eventually the problem was solved by filling a tank with water and pumping it into the reticulation service.

On children's day, 1964, with the kind co-operation of a neighbour who provided temporary electricity to drive the pump, adequate water to operate the shower and other facilities was available for the first time.

Due to heavy repayment commitments, little progress was made in providing amenities for almost three years from when the land was purchased. At the annual general meeting of 1964, it was decided to re-finance the property and thus provide surplus funds to at least start a swimming pool.

The executive, consisting of husband and wife filling each position, drew up a progress plan for the year, which would solidly establish the Tindo Club.

Electricity was connected to the site, followed by a clubhouse, which was opened in July, 1964, by Glen Western, president of the AFSC.

The clubhouse building used was a steel framed garage, 45ft x 18ft with an additional 9ft x l8ft on one end used as an enclosed barbecue area.

Sunday Mail reporters were invited to attend the opening together with the local police constable. Everyone remained dressed for the occasion and a commendable report of our activities appeared in the Sunday Mail the following day. A large intake of new members resulted from the Sunday Mail article. which provided a solid membership nucleus, with the additional manpower and funds making the task of building the swimming pool a much easier one.

Excavations for the poo1 were commenced in October, 1964. 150 tons of sand were removed entirely by manpower and after reinforcing was in place, the base was poured late in November, 1964, consisting of 40 tons of concrete.

Bricks were laid to form a cavity wall which was filled with concrete and plastered. The size of the pool is 40ft x 20ft x 4ft 6ins deep, which holds 20,000 gallons of water, and with the connection of a suitable filter system, it was placed in use on February 27th, 1965.

Members of the Tindo Club look to the future with optimism for, with a growing membership, and an energetic executive, there appears to be no obstacle insurmountable for continued prosperity. •

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 • SUN TAN SENSE

Don't let the sun SPOIL your holiday!

That is the sensible advice given in a Central Council for Health Education pamphlet. It points out that red faces, sore shoulders and peeling backs are neither pretty nor pleasant. To get brown do it slowly, exposing your skin to the sun in small doses at first:

First day 10 minutes in the sun.
Second day 20 minutes in the sun.
Third day 40 minutes in the sun.
     and so on.

If as an adult you take risks with your own skin you are not likely to do more harm to yourself than spoil your holiday and be very uncomfortable. With children it is different. Babies can become very ill with sunburn. Generally they are entirely at the mercy of their parents and cannot escape the burning rays. So take great care to see that the first day they have no more than 10 minutes front and back. If they do not become red or sore try 20 minutes the next. If they are still comfortable try 30 minutes the next day and so on to a happy holiday.

- Health

 

 • GRAZES AND SMALL CUTS

Clean by washing well with soap and water.

Dry gently and apply an antiseptic lotion.

It is usually wise to avoid applying ointment or covering the cut with sticking plaster for long periods.

-Health

 • LARGER CUTS

Make sure there is nothing in them (e.g., broken glass).

Then clean with antiseptic lotion and press the edges together until the bleeding stops. Apply a dressing and cotton wool pad and bandage firmly.

It is always wise to see your doctor if.the cut is of any size.

REMEMBER that even a trivia1arffiay be the cause of tetanus and everyone should be sure to have their tetanus vaccination.

- Health

 

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New Zealand

Sunbathing Association

Notes

 

15th NATIONAL RALLY

This annual get-together will be held at Oranui, the grounds of the Auckland Outdoor Health Club Inc. from 31st December to 3rd January, 1967.

 

NZSA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 8th Annual General Meeting of the NZSA will be held at Oranui, the grounds of the Auckland Outdoor Health Club Inc. at 9.30 a.m. on Friday, 30th December, 1966.

 

INF CONGRESS IN THE NETHERLANDS

A preliminary report suggests this international gathering was a success and we hope to be able to publish a full report as soon as our delegate returns. He did send us a postcard from the Ile du Levant, which we hope to publish in due course.

 

OUR CHRISTMAS COVER

Readers may have noticed that we have been experimenting with different ideas on our covers and this issue offers something quite new. It is a compromise between an ordinary cover and a full colour one. We hope you like this innovation.

 

INCREASED PRICE COMING UP

The price of this magazine has remained at 2/- for the last three years and during this time vast improvements have been effected and new features introduced with almost every issue. From a 16 page magazine with only 4 pages of pictures, we now have steadily grown to 40 pages of closely packed and smaller type, with anything up to 30 pictures per issue. Further, increased postal rates have advanced our costs, which have risen to something like 400%, but we have still kept, the price down. We have in mind the big changeover to decimal currency next year. A lot of work will be entailed in altering our accounting system, so we are letting the price stand until this change comes about.

We have already raised the price in Australia to 30 cents, (3/-) per copy and it is anticipated a similar change will be made here, possibly with the June issue, 1967. Readers can be assured that the improvements already implemented, will continue, for it is intended to plough back all the profits for this purpose. It may be noted that the increase to 40 pages with the 10th birthday issue, No. 39, is being continued and by today's standards, the magazine will still be a cheap buy. At present it is a gift. We sincerely thank all contributors and readers for their continued co-operation.

 

AN ANNUAL REMINDER

Many members will be on the move during the holidays and may we once again remind you to remember to inform the club or clubs you intend to visit. If you are not known, then please bring along your membership card, note from your secretary or some such credential. Better still, get your secretary to inform the host club secretary of your intentions and save embarrassment all round.

 

THOSE HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHS

We would remind you that colour slides and other photographs which include shots of nudes will be processed by the Kodak and Agfa companies, but only if channelled through the NZSA. We will be happy to provide this service for members, but would also remind you that the responsibility is placed upon the NZSA to ensure the pictures comply with good taste. Others may be confiscated. Movies are best airmailed to England, not Australia.

 

SEASONS GREETINGS

The editor and staff join in wishing all our readers and contributors sincere Compliments of the Season and hope that many new readers will be tempted to try our way of life and enjoy the many real benefits to be gained by all sincere nudists.

 

PERC. COUSINS TRUST FUND

This fund is steadily growing, many readers donating change from their subscriptions and/or purchases of magazines, etc. Our first claim has been made against the fund and this will be reported as soon as the NZSA Executive has considered the matter. Our last total was £230/18/5 and donations received since are as follow: ARW, Dunedin £1/8/-; anon £5/14/-; Ivan, Wanganui £1; club levies £12/8/-; EFS, Wellington £1/6/-; JR, Otago £1; WJA, Dunedin £1; ED, Auckland £1; smaller donations 8/6. Present total £256/l2/11. Thank you everybody. You will be helping someone really in need.

 

TRAVELLING OVERSEAS

INF International Passports are essential if you intend visiting overseas clubs. These are available from the NZSA to members only, through their secretaries, at a cost of 5/- per passport and 5/- each annual stamp. Please forward name, address, profession and year of birth. Each adult must have a passport.

 

INF HOLIDAY GUIDES

These booklets are invaluable for travellers, but we regret to inform you that the last printing of these guides is completely sold out and the 1967 issue will not be available until about March in the New Year. We have placed our order and will notify readers as soon as they come to hand. Sorry folks.

 

BADGES AND PENNANTS

We hold stocks of INF badges at 3/6 each in both pin and brooch types. In silver and blue, they are about the size of a sixpenny bit and ideal for the lapel. Pennants for car or tent are also available and orders may be placed at any time. These are 5/- each.

 

FOR THE OLDER MEMBERS

Remember Mary of England, who travelled around NZ in an old bomb and always got there - miraculously? We had a letter from her recently from Spain, where she has the sort of job one dreams about. She is the representative of a London travel agency, where she looks after groups of visitors they send down. At present she is stationed at Posas, which is about 30 miles from France. As there is a club over there, it suits her fine, as nude sunbathing is not tolerated in Spain. She has sent us an article about this club, SERRALONGUE in the Pyrenees and we will print it as soon as space permits. Mary sends her best wishes to all her friends in NZ.

 

 

Rules beget more rules to amplify and modify the rules already made, and it's impossible to mend all the leaks with new rules.

 

 

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SUN VALLEY GARDENS NATURE PARK

by JULIA TODD FORBES

A CANADIAN-AMERICAN NUDIST RESORT

 

THOSE of you whose only knowledge of America is derived from Hollywood films and TV may get the idea that everything there is bigger and better than it is here or any other place in the world. Many Americans will even tell you so themselves but, to borrow one of their phrases, "it ain't necessarily so". And even if it was true, it's a bigger country, so that part is quite natural since they have a bigger population to cater for; but I'm not at all convinced that that makes it "better", which is why I am in New Zealand now and intend to stay.

One thing we'll have to admit is bigger there is the nudist clubs, bigger both in membership and acreage. It is not at all unusual to have several hundred member families in one club, but then they may have several hundred acres too, a couple of pools and a lake or two. One club in Florida has 200 acres and 3 lakes. So on a visit to one of those big clubs with all that acreage, you may not feel any more crowded than in one of our New Zealand clubs.

Fees are higher in America, as they must often cover a larger investment in land and facilities and provide for the payment of a staff to run it.

Also each club which is affiliated with one of the 7 "national" associations must pay a fee per member-family amounting to at least £2 each family unit per year and some of the clubs maintain affiliation with two or more associations. So that I do not know of any club in Canada or America with annual fees of less than £12, and £20 would be an average figure.

In addition, most clubs charge visitors a daily ground fee of about 10/-; they may even charge their own members a grounds fee, but this will be a good deal less than the fee charged non-members and may be in the form of an annual camping fee of about £2. Space for building a bach is usually charged for at about the same annual rate as membership: in other words by paying double the membership fee a family is entitled to space for a bach or a tent platform.

A typical proprietor-owned club is pictured here. Karl Ruehle runs his 11 year old Sun Valley Gardens like a first-class hotel and motel summer resort and puts a large percentage of the profit back into it each year in either advertisement or added facilities. Located in Ontario, near Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and USA, he draws his more than 500 family membership from both countries. This is over 1,500 people and doesn't count the many visitors; and last year he says he added 113 more families as members.

Karl believes in the open door policy and has excellent relations with his neighbours; various groups rent picnic facilities from him and most of the shops and petrol stations in nearby towns advertise in his club bulletins or on his notice board, for which in each case he makes a small charge. He says, "Any reputable person or group is welcome at Sun Valley Gardens and many non-nudists have taken advantage of this policy to stage individual or club functions in complete privacy, and, at the same time, have been introduced into the nudist way of life, many of them to remain as members."

Karl tells all reporters, "Just show your readers some pictures and tell them how to get here (he provides a map which they are welcome to print) and when they arrive, if they are the right kind of people, we'll do the rest when they get here."

With the type of big-club operation he has, he says he has no more to fear from troublemakers or vandals than any other resort hotel operator. In a recent letter he says, "Am presently preparing to rewrite my '1001 Questions and Answers about Nudism', the demand is great." Anyone who has seen this quarto size, 25-page booklet will tell you that it is a mine of information about nudism in general and SVG in particular, as it is made up of the questions non-nudists ask most often and Karl's honest and straightforward answers. He continues: "We advertise heavily. This year I will spend close to $1000 (that's over £300) for ads, but it will bring back three times as much. So it pays to advertise." At least it does in America and in Karl's experience.

Karl and his wife Marlies and their children live all year round at SVG and have visitors throughout the year; in winter the pool, only partly filled and frozen, is used as an ice-skating rink. Their job is a full time one, all year round and in summers of course, they must hire staff to cater for the crowds, as not only their own members are there, but large numbers of tourists from clubs all over America are likely to show up and want accommodation any time from June through September.

It is in September over the Labour Day holiday that they have the annual Anniversaries Day as they call it at SVG and you see a picture here of last September's celebration. The rest of the year is occupied with clerical work and repairs and building new facilities, depending on the weather and snowfall. All of the open-work cement blocks seen here in the picture of the pool (and used elsewhere all over the grounds) were made in mould, one by one, and all by the hands of Karl and Marlies.

It is doubtful if they will ever get rich in money from being owners of SVG, but surely they are rich in the things that matter, like a beautiful place to live in and hundreds of friends, all of whom think that Sun Valley Gardens is the best place to go for their summer holiday. •

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SUN   CLUBS   IN   NEW   ZEALAND

 A  SERIES  OF  VITAL
INTEREST TO READERS

 

 

EVERY sun club shall have an efficient, well-stocked first aid kit ... How I would like to see that particular piece of legislation prominently displayed in future naturist constitutions, but unfortunately it seems that to many clubs a few bandages, the odd tube of antiseptic cream (half squeezed) and a pair of inefficient rusty scissors, chucked in a box and stored away in some unused cupboard, suffices for what should be one of the most important necessities that the club has.

The very fact that our clubs are situated out of the towns and therefore away from the usual medical services emphasises the need for an up-to-date well-equipped first aid kit readily accessible at all times. I'm no pessimist, but accidents do happen and at the most awkward times and places. A good kit is an asset and a good insurance to any club and the small expenditure involved in setting it up will be amply rewarded by the satisfaction of having facilities on hand to deal with any emergency.

Let us have a look at the contents of an average kit:

Bandages: 3 of 1in. roller gauze, 3 of 2in. roller gauze, 3 of 3in. roller gauze, 3 triangular, 1 crepe.

Antiseptics: 1 tube antiseptic cream, 1 bottle antiseptic solution (1% Cetavlon) for cleaning, 1 bottle disinfectant (Dettol), 1 bottle antiseptic wound solution (Mercurochrome), 1 bottle eye soothing lotion (Argyrol 2%).

Instruments: 1 pair 6in. surgical scissors, 1 pair 6in. dressing forceps, 1 pair small sharp pointed tweezers (for removing splinters), 1 eye loop, 1 eye dropper.

General: Germicidal soap, nail brush, absorbent cotton wool, dressing strips of the Bandaid type, sterile dressings, AP Codeins, adhesive plaster, absorbent gauze, first aid manual.

Optional: Thermometer, kidney bowl, toothache drops.

Now that we have all this equipment, who is to control and look after it? Well, I recommend that one or two members sit a course in first aid at one of the many that the St John people organize each year. Then you will have qualified first aiders capable of treating any calamity that may occur. They, too, can keep the contents of the kit up to date, for some drugs and solutions have a short effective life and must be replaced regularly, and then again new and more powerful preparations are coming in all the time.

Now that we have our kit and responsible people to look after it, we want to house it in a suitable case. This, I advise, should be a strongly-made carrying case which is hung on a wall, with the front forming a tray, when open, but readily removed for taking to the scene of an accident if necessary.

Prominently, displayed in the case should be a list of emergency telephone numbers, i.e., ambulance, nearest doctor, police, and fire brigade.

Well, sunbathers, I hope that this article has awakened a sense of responsibility so that you will help your club to set up and keep a good first aid kit ready at all times. •

 

 

 

---

 

A page from the diary of David of AOHC, of a
small part of a European tour

Taking a slow ship from Rijecka, we stopped at several points on the mainland and some small islands, picking up and putting down passengers and cargo and eventually arriving at Rab in the Dalmatian Islands.

On landing, I found the tourist people had arranged accommodation for me with a Yugoslav family for one week. I was the only English-speaking person they had ever met and it was as well I had picked up a smattering of German.

Each day I crossed by motor boat to the town with its maze of streets and large square and found it to be very cosmopolitan. Every hour small motor boats conveyed people to the free beach where admission is only 50 dinars (about 6d) and where everyone was completely nude.

Although the shore line was pebbly, the water was crystal, clear and blue and the most popular activities were water polo and paddling rubber canoes and mats.

Later I spent 4 days on the idyllic island of Havar, which tops the sunshine for Dalmatia and thoroughly enjoyed a very extensive tour that I can heartily recommend every young New Zealander to experience.

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ON BEING NAILED

by Thomas Sterling

"Since then I've lived with nudity often; squatting with naked pygmies while children clung to their mother's breasts and moved with them like metronomes in the firelight, travelling with men who can get nothing wet when it rains but their elaborate coiffures; and each time I became progressively less certain why people wear clothing.

The obvious reasons are comfort and vanity. But that doesn't explain why men and women are content to wear apparel which is both uncomfortable and ugly. One might also expect clothes to promote sexual morality but apparently they don't. Among groups who wear nothing, or almost nothing, there is no more adultery than there is at Clayton, Missouri, or in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some have suggested that clothes are a way for the aged to protect their dignity, but I've known quite a few old people who went around naked and they lost no respect from the young, or even any personal grace. Old bodies become attenuated and find their own balance. In fact, going without clothes perhaps helps an elderly person to achieve a sort of poise by unconcernedly exposing his physical weakness and concentrating attention on that attribute which gives him a true advantage in the world: the maturity of his mind and heart."

 

NAKED CAME I by David Weiss

"Nothing is more beautiful, stronger or more subtle than the human figure. It conveys a multitude of emotions. When you cover it, you hide, distort, repress.

Nakedness has nothing to do with obscenity or sensuality, but with truth. As in all art one must not conceal anything."

 

GOLDEN DAWNS THE SUN by Elizabeth Messenger

"She laid the revolver down on a tree root looped up from the ground and undid the buttons of her bodice with heat-sticky fingers. She felt the blessed relief as she took the thick bodice off. The white linen underbodice came off too. Then she was tugging at the heavy linsey-woolsey which had felt so snug in the early morning. A spray of leaves brushed across her breasts feeling infinitely cool and she stood there a second with her eyes closed, feeling the joy of coolness and freedom after the restricting, suffocating heat of her clothes."

 

ADOLESCENCE AND MARRIAGE by Robert V. Storer, RSCP, LRCP

The nude is ceasing to be regarded as indecent, and youths and maidens and incidentally, parents with their children of both sexes, are now enjoying their water and sun baths together, without running the risk of going straight down the. road to perdition as was prophesied of them.

It is a startling fact that there is actually very little immodesty among the adherents of the nudist cult in Germany and among the primitive races. What we call modesty is more often a cloak for something we wish to hide; if not physical defect, then perhaps mental indecency. Those who possess the most beautiful bodies are often least ashamed to exposure." •

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WHILST camping at the wonderful Austrian mountain site at Dobein, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised when a group of girl hikers calmly walked through the camp, stripped off and plunged into the lake. When they had finished their swim, sunbathed and eaten a picnic lunch, the girls dressed, shouldered their rucksacks, gave a friendly wave and trudged on up into the mountains. We asked a local if the girls were members. She shrugged, spread her hands and said, "I've never seen them before - but who cares?" At the time we thought what a wonderful attitude this was. For a bunch of girls to be able to walk into a naturist camp, quite unselfconsciously, and enjoy a swim and a sunbathe without carping committee members pressing them for membership cards and fees seemed to us to be the height of natural freedom. But, on reflection, one wonders whether such a freedom is really so desirable. Until the longed-for day when really free beaches are a reality, the naturist has to seek freedom in the club grounds. Would one really welcome a gang of strangers casually dropping in for a swim and then wandering off when they felt like it?
THE   LADIES     by HAMISH (a husband)         Illustrated by the author
Admittedly, the girls in the case above were well behaved and obviously appreciated the break in their hike, but, had they been young men, would they have been allowed to make free with the club's grounds? Or, had they been a rowdy bunch of our typical teenagers, would they have been tolerated in the area?

The average club is a members' affair and, more than that, it is a family affair. Everyone, even non-members, is aware of the usual ban on single men and many support the idea that more single ladies should be recruited to the clubs. Many believe that this would be beneficial to club membership as a whole. But would it? Is it a valid argument to allow a quota of single male membership to offset the numbers of single lady members? In view of the balanced family atmosphere of the typical club this quota system appears to smack of the marriage mart. I have absolutely nothing against single lady members as such, but isn't there a danger of them coming to regard the sun club as a potential hunting ground for a husband?

Of course one can argue that a girl seeking the right kind of husband couldn't do better than to pick herself a naturist bachelor. To say, as many seem to believe, that the average girl is not interested in naturism whereas the average male is, is sheer nonsense. The vast numbers of secret rooftop and garden nude sunbathers, not to mention the thousands who flock to the beaches to bask in bikinis and promptly, although very discreetly, temporarily convert them to monokinis, all indicate a feminine liking for something akin to true naturism.

Even Brigitte Bardot and Carroll Baker, upon whom many young girls model themselves, admit to and have been photographed sunbathing in the nude, yet the ladies have not been unduly shocked or perturbed by the revelation. On the contrary, they seem to evince only a sort of grudging envy for their screen heroines. Make no mistake, the ladies - bless 'em - are just as much, although not so openly, interested in naturism as their male counterparts.

However, the female approach is slightly different. Here one needs to understand the basic psychology of the average woman. Before all else the single girl seeks a husband. To this end she will, perhaps unconsciously, go to any lengths to achieve this aim. Tier whole life and outlook is centred on this one vital factor. She will go to great pains to keep her figure trim in the hope of attracting a young man. She will sun herself, sometimes all over, to improve her appearance in the hope of catching some young bachelor's eye. She will run to the beach in her bikini in the hope of being noticed by an unattached male. Were there no men to attract, it might be a safe bet to say that the average girl wouldn't give two hoots for her figure or her suntan. Once married, however, our young lady promptly develops another typical feminine attitude. Now she has safely caught herself a husband, she feels more secure and is now ready to face life's second great challenge: that of keeping up with the Joneses.

Competition is the spice of life to women of all ages. I may be asking for trouble here but I would hazard a guess that even in the sun clubs most of the lady members, whilst enjoying the benefits of naturism 'for themselves and their families, are really watching Mrs Jones. Jones produces a new tent. Jones has a darker tan. Jones has a trimmer figure. The Jones children are growing strong and healthy. Jones spends every weekend at the club. Even when married the ladies still feel this need to compete. Aimless though it may be, the urge to be one up on their neighbours is a driving force in their lives. The naturist family, of course, is always one up on their old fashioned neighbours and, in a way, this is a good thing. At least it encourages a. progressively better home life for the children and also ensures their healthy upbringing.

Is it therefore fair to invite single ladies to join this contest when the poor creatures haven't yet succeeded in winning the first competition? Time enough for them to become good club members when they are able to join with a husband safely in tow. So, old fashioned I may be, but I don't think there is a desperate need to recruit single ladies to the sun clubs. There may be, however, a need to attract more married ladies with their families.

The problem of the 'reluctant wife' is a fairly real one and more effort could be made to bring these unhappy ladies into the fold. The problem here, I believe, is not so much a matter of morals, decency or convention, but one of social awareness and being in the swim. In this day and age the average progressive young mother tolerates, and maybe even practises, a certain amount of restricted naturism within the family. Very, very few, see any harm in allowing their children to be naked once in a while and the practice of seeing Mummy in the bath is becoming almost commonplace. Whilst in full agreement with the basic principles of naturism many of these young women, just cannot bring themselves to take that initial plunge into club life.

Women are notoriously interested in other women, this manifests itself to the full in the pages of any women's magazine. If a woman thought that she was missing something that other women enjoy, she would soon be agitating for an equal share of that enjoyment. This is where the lady members could do a lot to ensure the more complete acceptance of naturism by the public at large. Through the medium of women's magazines, meetings, coffee parties and all the other exclusively feminine fields of exchanging news and ideas, lady members, by example and persuasion (at which most are past masters) could arouse the interest of other wives and mothers.

As it is, unfortunately, most people do not readily connect the family with naturism. The ancient myth of 'nudist colonies' inhabited by cranky professors, vegetarian spinsters and buxom showgirls still springs to the public mind. Possibly this in itself deters many a young wife and mother and must surely seem as dull as ditchwater to the young. More emphasis can still be made of the beneficial atmosphere to be found in the sun club, and the best way to impart this information is at family level. 'Mum' is, to all intents and purposes, the family, and 'Mum' can only be convinced by other 'Mums'. Very few 'Mums' go out of their way to buy naturist magazines but nearly every 'Mum' takes at least one women's magazine per week.

There, possibly, is the key. To raise the status of naturism at family level until the average 'Mum' sees nothing odd or funny in the idea of complete families enjoying naturism together with other happy families. Then, and then only, will naturism become an accepted part of the contemporary scene. When that is achieved nobody will be upset if their daughter walks on to a free beach to enjoy a swim and a sunbathe.

I headed this article 'The Ladies' since it would be sure to attract the attention of our lady readers. It is a 99% certainty that the lady reader will herself be an active club member. So, dear reader, what about it? You and your family obviously enjoy naturism, are you going to be selfish enough to leave it at that? What about Mrs So-and-so, your neighbour? You're good friends so why not try to persuade her to bring the kiddies to the club one day? Why not a letter to your favourite magazine; let the other readers know why you finally decided to join the sun club. You ladies can do an awful lot of good for the clubs, and people, especially other women, are more likely to take notice of you than your poor overworked husbands. •

 

 

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NEWS & VIEWS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

 

INTERNATIONAL NATURIST FEDERATION                

Several new clubs have been organized during the last year. LA TUQUE was opened by the INF President as nudist swimming grounds. The park of 250 acres known as GYMKHANA at an elevation of 1,000 metres, has large camping areas and plots are available for erecting bungalows.

NAUTENA is an international club, promoting all kinds of aquatic sports, including canoeing, motor boat trips, sailing and yachting. Their grounds include a harbour for yachts.

SOLIEL de GEX is on French soil, but is affiliated to both the French and Swiss Naturist organizations.

More than 6,000 nudist guests thronged the huge naturist park at MONTALIVET on the 10th August last year. The total number of guests who spent their summer holidays in 1965 amounted to 13,000. The camping area was doubled in size and it is planned to build a huge restaurant capable of serving 1,000 meals daily.

A new holiday centre FLORIDE, being built by the French Government, will permit nude mixed bathing facilities to continue. It may well be that protests lodged by the INF favourably influenced these decisions.

The CLUB du SOLIEL opened an information centre in Paris on the 15th December last. It is open all day from Monday to Friday.

The grounds at CARRIERES S/SEINE are situated in a quarry and include an old monastery.

A report indicates that the former French protectorate and present state of Toga has permitted natives and French citizens to set up a nudist club at a time when nakedness is forbidden practically everywhere in Africa. Coloured members may bathe naked at will on the beach, protected as they are by the pigment of their skins, while the white members have to rub oil in carefully and obtain sufficient suntan to withstand the strong radiation of the tropics.

Sun and Health No. 302 reports about a naturist excursion to the cliff island of ZEMBRETTA, 12 miles off the Tunisian coast.

We learn that six British clubs have successfully booked municipal swimming pools for nude swimming, while a seventh is finalising its negotiations. While pool authorities appear quite unperturbed, in one case, the local populace got all het-up and raised petitions, but to no avail. It was obvious they did not know what they were doing.

That up and coming, bright-idea club, Glen Eden, tried something new that has not been attempted in any other nudist club before. They staged a caravan and trailer display and threw it open to the public. Some 50 firms exhibited their homes on wheels and all sorts of camping equipment, tents, etc. The weekend was a great success and received an excellent writeup in an American magazine devoted to trailer living. It was a factual account, devoid of innuendo or sensationalism and we would like to quote the concluding lines of the article, written by a non-nudist visitor.

"The sun was warm; the people were friendly; and the experience was enlightening. We left Glen Eden with a live-and-let-live attitude as we went through the last gate and re-entered a more or less fully-clothed society which doesn't relax quite like the people back in that olive grove."

 

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N E W S F R O M  T H E C L U B S I N  N. Z.

 

Is it advancing years or a short memory which makes each winter seem longer and bleaker than the last? To CANTERBURY SUN AND HEALTH CLUB members the eventual arrival of spring was particularly welcome after several false starts followed by blizzards and hailstorms and the lowest recorded level of sunshine in August for many years.

The pattern of work at the club grounds was different from that followed last winter, for with a tractor a going concern, smaller groups are able to make effective inroads on areas of gorse as weather permits, rather than arranging for a general workday once a month.

In preparation for opening day the pool committee and helpers set ut to repaint the pool, in what proved to be record time. Perhaps the arrival of a threatening mass of clouds from the south-west contributed to the pool painting record because a frantic burst of energy saw the last area of cement covered barely fifteen minutes before the rain fell.

During early September, the national president and his wife visited the grounds one Sunday to meet members, and opportunity was taken during this brief stopover to have informal discussion with the committee regarding matters of mutual interest.

Continued inclement weather has hindered activities at Fiveacres during the off-season, but nevertheless the hardy few of the WELLINGTON SUN AND HEALTH SOCIETY have turned out to complete the tree planting programme, finish the filling of the septic soakage pit and dig a trench right through the grounds and out to the road in anticipation of linking up with mains water supply. However, full scale activities will be well under way by the time this appears in print and visitors will be welcome during the holiday period, but do write and let them know you are coming.

The WAIKATO OUTDOOR SOCIETY has a prospective site in view and is at present negotiating with the Lands and Survey Dept. It is about 11 acres in extent with lots of scrub and trees, plus a stream running t1rough it. The site is about 30 miles from Hamilton. The first steps toward incorporation have been taken and following some very favourable publicity in the local press, applications for membership have been coming in, and a smaller number accepted as members.

The TARANAKI OUTDOOR CLUB is still a small group and after losing two couples before winter, they did not get themselves organized before the off-season hit them. Now, with summer upon them, they hope to get themselves gathered and enjoy more outings like those they had last season. They have the task of finding new and secluded spots for sunbathing, as their last places proved too popular with the local folk: there was more watching from the other bank than there was of their enjoying the water and the sunbathing. At the moment the children outnumber the adults, but they are hopeful that with the sunshine will come more members.

At the HAWKES BAY SUN CLUB work started on providing a hot shower in the clubhouse, with a chip heater to supply the hot water. This project has been shelved until more finance is available. Visitors to Hawkes Bay will remember a row of huge pine trees, but these are only a memory now, except for the firewood. Firewood lies everywhere. All members have been filling their cars with pine cones and branches each weekend and the club house open fire, which must consume about a bag of firewood per hour, has made no impression on the supply.

After a long silence, it appears that the SOUTHERN SUN AND HEALTH CLUB have not been idle. They report that in order to be in a legal position to sign up for a Government plot of land ideal for their purpose, it was necessary for them to become incorporated. We are pleased to announce that this provision has now been complied with and still another incorporated society is now affiliated to the NZSA. We will be expecting big things from our southernmost club in the near future.

Members in ROTORUA are now scouring the countryside for a suitable site and several have been inspected recently. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could organize a hot pool within their boundaries, for this could well become the most popular club in the country?

During the winter months a dedicated group of AUCKLAND OUTDOOR HEALTH CLUB members have been busy constructing their new ablution building, which is attached to their magnificent swimming pool. Financing of this project was made possible due to the generous offer by Arthur and the fact that at Oranui they have as members skilled tradesmen, able and willing to do the plumbing, blocklaying, tiling and electrical work at no cost to the club for labour.

Within the club grounds much work has been carried out to improve the sports area, sunbathing lawns and camping sites. Rapidly increasing membership had created a problem regarding the power supply, so that after a slight mishap, it was decided to lay a much larger cable, capable of running the electric stove, deep-freeze, fridge, etc. in the clubhouse, which will be flat out during the NZSA Rally at New Year. At the time of writing, all arrangements had been made for the Auckland rally on 23rd October, which would have been a repeat of the highly successful rally held earlier this year, when over 300 naturists attended at Oranui for a very pleasant day.

AUCKLAND SUN CLUB reports an attempt to organize a swim evening on the lines of those described in England, but they were given the thumbs down at the last moment. Despite this refusal, they are trying to build up good relations to overcome this attitude.

Following the report on the geodesic dome at KAURIMU about damage by vandals in the last issue, we have received complaints from people living in the district who are concerned at the suggestion that young people could be responsible for the vandalism referred to. We are concerned too, and as the builder creditably does not wish readers to blame the innocent, he has asked us to print the following explanation: "I was the vandal who hastily (in two hours) dismantled the dome on the same day (22 Dec.) that Eric told Julia that we were no longer welcome on his property and that his decision was permanent and final as proprietor and secretary of Kaurimu Club. This was before important alterations as specified in my building permit application could be effected by me, a job I'd planned to spend my whole 3-week Christmas holiday doing. I could not leave the property and the geodesic dome as it stood without violating Waitemata Building Code Ordinance and international Patent Agreements, both of which required my presence as builder on the property. I am not in any way responsible for the structure referred to (last issue) which Eric says has been erected on the same site and which uses the connecting discs, the bolts and some of the ideas and timber from the original geodesic structure. - A. Forbes."

Thank you Al and we trust this explanation clarifies the whole matter and that any slur on the good name of the district will remain unspotted.

The WANGANUI SUN CLUB reports several changes which have caused, more or less, a reorganization of the club and at the moment there are encouraging signs of a furtherance of interest in our beliefs and activities. One of the pleasing features in hand is an improvement in the surround of their pool. Several members have been working well, building a block wall wind shelter and sun trap at one end and this should provide almost as much warmth as a sauna, with the added advantage of being alongside the pool.

One very important event for those involved and of interest to us all has been the wedding of two of their young members, to which Ivan was cordially invited. The young couple are about their most active members, and we all wish them the very best. These comments simply support the club's belief that marital status has no bearing on the acceptability of applicants, and in this case, the young man has been instrumental in bringing in two young ladies and another young married couple, when all the time he was classified as a "single".

Whangarei and Tauranga are silent this issue, but we hope to be able to report progress there next issue. The sunshine we expect may bring news from Otago too. Haven't heard from them for ages.

And remember, these notes were typed at the end of September, and lots of changes and progress will be evident since then.

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The fifth of seven letters

 

Dear Mum and Dad,

We were most disappointed to receive your last letter and to realize that you wouldn't be joining us at our naturist club - yet. Yes, we had jumped to conclusions a bit in thinking you'd really be coming.

Dad, you say how we used to spend days on the beach and have picnics together when I was young and what was wrong with that? Dad, nothing was wrong. You ask in what way do our nudist outings improve on that; how could our present club outings be better than those days. Well, Dad, I'll tell you. It's simply this. Nowhere else in the whole wide world do you find the great hand of friendship extended to you like you find it in a nudist society. We all realize we're a minority group as yet and we stay tightly knit because of just that.

When we went on our outings in my young days both you and all those friends and relatives who came with us so neatly dressed were on edge all day, weren't you? In case we should muss up our clothes. In case we should run off and get wet. In case we were out of your sight for a few seconds. In case we climbed over a fence and met up with a bull or a dog or an angry farmer or some such. Weren't you? Honestly?

Now compare that with our nudist camp outings. All the youngsters play happily together and generally in a fairly circumscribed group. There's always some adult close by watching what they're doing and keeping an eye open on them, so parents relax, go and join in the organized or disorganized games, swim in the pool, do a bit of gardening or have a yarn without the perpetual worry of watching the kids at every moment. And we know they can't stray far away, can't raid someone's orchard or taunt a bull or get bitten by a dog because they, in nature's suits only, must be limited to a certain area. You're missing such a lot by not joining us. Will you come?

Our love to you both - as ever.

                        HELEN and JIM

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CLUB DIRECTORY The secretaries of the clubs listed below will be pleased to hear from genuine enquirers. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. NORTHLAND SUN SEEKERS P.O. Box 4126, Kamo. AUCKLAND OUTDOOR HEALTH CLUB Inc. P.O. Box 2702, Auckland. AUCKLAND SUN CLUB Inc. P.O. Box 2925, Auckland. KAURIMU SUN CLUB P.O. Box 20015, Glen Eden, Auckland. WAIKATO OUTDOOR SOCIETY P.O. Box 619, Hamilton TAURANGA SUN CLUB P.O. Box 3028, Greerton, Tauranga. HAWKE'S BAY SUN CLUB P.O. Box 551, Napier. TARANAKI OUTDOOR SOCIETY P.O. Box 3046, Fitzroy, New Plymouth WANGANUI SUN CLUB P.O. Box 410, Wanganui. WELLINGTON SUN & HEALTH SOCIETY Inc. P.O. Box 2854, Wellington. CANTERBURY SUN & HEALTH CLUB Inc. P.O. Box 1823, Christchurch. OTAGO SUN & HEALTH CLUB P.O. Box 2058, South Dunedin. SOUTHERN SUN & HEALTH CLUB P.O. Box 486, Invercargill. If you are not close to any of the above clubs you may like to know that other naturists are ready to form clubs in the following areas: Gisborne (PO Box 126) Rotorua Nelson Stratford Blenheim Palmerston North Westport Masterton Timaru     To contact them, write to:         N.Z. Sunbathing Association,         P.O. Box 6359, Wellington

SOLAR incorporating SUN REVIEW        AUSTRALIA'S NATURIST MAGAZINE Profusely illustrated From your newsagent or direct from the publishers 35c per copy (NZ 3/6d) GOLDRAY PUBLICATIONS Box 2, P.O., Austral, N.S.W, Australia Read and enjoy                         Health & Efficiency The   world's   greatest   100 page  sunbathing  magazine  SCORES OF PLATES in every issue PLUS the official news and pictures of  all  British  Naturist  Clubs Full Colour Cover 16 issues yearly including 4 special DOUBLE SIZE extra numbers Send NOW for specimen copy, 3/- post paid or 50/- post paid for 12 months HEALTH & EFFICIENCY PLANT NEWS LTD 43 Shoe Lane London, E.C.4, England

 

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Noted:- 

Early Days at Pineglades

Hamish (a husband): The Ladies

15th Rally Auckland - 1967

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WENDY OF THE NORTHSIDE
COUNTRY CLUB, AUSTRALIA

DOUG. TAKES A LOOK AT THE
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS, NEAR RAGLAN

CONTEMPLATION AMONG THE BUSHES
NEAR ROTORUA

A QUIET POOL NEAR RAGLAN

RESTING BY THE RIVER NEAR GISBORNE

LOOKING DOWN ON THE RUAPEKE BEACH

A BOILING POOL NEAR ROTORUA

TENIKOIT AT FIVEACRES

DOES IT TELL THE TIME OR WHAT? GEOMETRY AT ORANUI

NORTH KENT'S LOVELY TILED POOL

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