Time out after training
Life was strenuous at Camp Mackay. A hall on this site gave the young Marines somewhere to relax in the evening, to watch movies or to attend concerts and dances.
The recreation hall (Norm Hatch Collection)
Marines were welcomed in New Zealand homes for meals and holidays. The American Red Cross employed New Zealanders to organise events at the camps. Young women from the region volunteered to be dance partners. At war’s end, over 1000 New Zealand women travelled to the United States as war brides.
