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“Fishbowl Youth Centre Opens at Last”

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Description: These images were taken for the December 17th, 1978, edition of the Tribune weekly newspaper, the first of which was published with the caption: “Major-General Poananga (left) with two of the men who have helped to get Fishbowl established as a youth centre, with the building itself in the background. From left they are Dave Hutchinson, and Alec Gage.”

An excerpt from the article read: “The army's chief of general staff hopes that Palmerston North's Fishbowl Youth Centre will show that young people can make meaningful achievements, despite the belief of the country's leaders that young people ‘aren't all that good’.

Major-General B. M. Poananga, a former Palmerstonian, was opening Fishbowl's new youth centre in the Maori Battalion Hall on Tuesday. He was invited to perform the ceremony because of his links with Palmerston North and his connection with the hall itself - his mother was one of the building's founders. Major-General Poananga said people watched what happened inside a fishbowl - and the same would apply in the case of the Fishbowl youth organisation. As well as his wish that the youth centre would do well, he hoped that the general community would treat the project with good-will.
He added that some people believe the economy is the country's most major concern. But that is not true - the economy represents the use of resources, and the country's prime resource is its people development.”

These images form part of the Manawatū Evening Standard Negative Collection. Unfortunately, only negatives between April and December 1978 are held.