Tauranga Compass and Compassettes

In Tauranga, in 1966 approximately, Tauranga Jaycees targeted youth in Tauranga and decided that a group should be set up to have some similarities to Outward Bound. A large group of us had already been through Outward Bound, Lee Jordan, Laurie Sanders, I think Kent Edwards and a few others.

We discussed with Accountant Graham Ingham (of Lellman Ingham fame) and decided to set up a group called Compass Youth Organisation.  We invited Don Clarke (who was a well known All Black Full-back as a guest speaker and drew a rather large crowd – which resulted in about 40 members for the organisation. 

We were shown by Jaycees how to register our organisation and how to conduct meetings, look after money, set up a Committee etc. And we were away. Within month the local girls were asking if they could also join. We said they should set up their own group – which they did and called themselves Compassettes. Eventually both groups had around 60 members each.

A great abseiling site was found just off Welcome Bay road up Waitao Road. This was the scene of many abseiling adventures, initiations for many. We conducted fundraising drives – Wood deliveries, Scrap Steel collections which were sent off to Pacific Steel in Glenbrook, Raft Races, and the thoroughly enjoyable “Shipwreck Dance” afterwards..

From the fundraisers, we purchased fibreglass canoes, abseiling gear and other needed equipment. A trip to the Chateau was also planned and the objective was to cli9omb to the top. But a weather change brought us down just in time to avoid a white-out. Canoeing was done at Ruahihi by the bridge, and also in the Tauranga Estuary off Turret Road. 

A monthly newsletter was compiled on an old-fashioned gestetner (the wind up type) and these were very popular. A lot of youngsters benefited from this organisation which lasted a few years until the old crew retired and the new ones did not have quite the same motivation so it gracefully folded up. 

But for a few years we all had a positive input around Tauranga. None of us caused any trouble and there may be a few pensioners left who recall our free firewood deliveries as part of our community support. Each year we entered a float in the Orange Festival Flat Parade and sometimes we won our class. An example of one success was the big boot promoting Compass as a “step in the right direction”. 

We worked well with Compassettes on both projects and on social activities, and because of our bush experience (at Outward Bound) we were called up to the top of the Kaimai Range at 11pm one night to try and locate some English tourists who had not returned from their bush walk. We walked through the night but failed to find them. They popped out of the bush somewhere else, not far away. We were on the right track but just a bit behind them!

Funnily enough we tried to set up the same organisation in Rotorua but even with a great guest speaker, no one seemed really interested, in that city.

Laurie Sanders (2013 09)