CURRENT NOTES

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25878, 10 August 1949, Page 2

CURRENT NOTES

The first miniature of Princess Elizabeth she has ever had, and a present to her from her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was painted by the famous miniature portrait painter, Mrs Stella Marks, in the Princess’s sitting room at Buckingham Palace recently. In all there were five sittings, two of 90 minutes and three of one hour. The Princess made no attempt to see the portrait before it was completed. Only when it was near completion did the Duke look at it. i The miniature is in a plain gold frame, set in a white velvet lined case. The dress that the Princess was. wearing for the portrait was white with small blue flowers on it. The background of the portrait is of natural ivory with touches of sky blue. Her Excellency, Lady Freyberg, and Miss Rosemary Eley, her lady-ip-waiting, yesterday spent an hour and a half .visiting the factory of Sutherland and Company. Accompanied by Mr and Mrs R. H. Sutherland, the principals of the company, and Mr R. T. Alston, secretary of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, her Excellency saw all phases of the work of the company, which makes dress and other gloves. Before she left, her Excellency was measured for several pairs of the company’s gloves.

Miss Lesley Housby, of Epsom, who was formerly on the staff of Otahuhu College and has been a student at the Sorbonne, Paris, since November, has passed top of her class m the Cours Pratique. This is a special course for overseas students and includes French literature, history, geography, and art. Miss Housby also gained honourable mention in the Phonetic Institute examination, Paris. More than 1100 garments have been handed in by pupils of the Christchurch Girls’ High School to be sent to the children of Aachen, through the Save the Children fund. Many of the garments are new, and were knitted by the girls themselves. Others, although used, have been mended and cleaned, and all are in good condition. The girls of the school also send gifts of food regularly to a high school in England.

Can the exquisite designs of French and British woollen textiles, the subtle elegance of French fashions, and the intricate beauty of French lace be reproduced by mass production meth’ ods in America? Fifteen women teachers in the fashion and textile departments of 12 leading United States universities visited London recently, trying to find the answer to this question, says the New Zealand Wool Boards news service. They toured the textile and fashion centres of France, and were going to the woollen mills on the Scottish border in pursuit of the answer. The women, one of whom had saved for 30 years to make the trip, are travelling at their own expense.

Topical decorations were used in the Mayfair Lounge where more than 200 persons attended the annual ball of the Christchurch branch of the Air Force Association. The guests of honour for the evening were the president (Mr J. D. Dunstan) and Mrs Dunstan, the Town Clerk (Mr H. S. Feast) and Mrs Feast, and the honori ary secretary (Mr A. E. Lyttle) and Mrs Lyttle. The committee responsible for the success of the ball were Misses K. Lee, L. J. Bradley, Messrs L. G. James (chairman), T. W. Peek, R. Allen, and F. Lithgow. Garden seeds to sow in Fendalton at this time of the year and small shrubs for small gardens were the subjects of a helpful address given to the Fendalton Garden Club yesterday by Mr David Combridge. The meeting was held at the home of Mrs David Orchard and was very well attended. The following were the results of the competitions:—decorative section, Mrs J. Roy Smith 1, Mrs W. M. McClure 2, Mrs E. Somers 3; flower of the month, A section, Mrs Somers 1, Mrs L. Webley 2, Mrs K. Wallace 3; B section, Mrs Roy Smith 1, Mrs George Ashton 2. Mrs P. W. Nicholls 3; best bloom, A grade, Mrs H. Lee 1, Mrs Somers 2; B grade, Mrs Roy Smith, Mrs J. B. Steel, Mrs W. M. McClure.

Appropriate Irish music was played for about 950 guests of the Christchurch Irish National Society at its annual ball held in the Wentworth. During the evening musical items were given by Mrs Rennie, Miss Gallagher, Messrs J. Barry, D. O’Connell. E. Comerford, A. Debenham, and N. McMullan. Among those who were responsible for the success of the gathering were the president (Mr W. Hickey), chairman (Mr J. P. Dowdall). Messrs E. M. Comerford and M. Maunsell.

The New Brighton branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union met recently. A report- on visits to, the mental hospitals was received, and district officers for the ensuing year were nominated. A motion of sympathy with Mrs J. K. Archer in the death of her husband was passed.

The matron of the Cashmere Sanatorium gratefully acknowledges the following gifts received for patients during July:—fruit. tobacco, and matches from the R.S.A.; fruit, tobacco, chocolates, and sweets from the Red Cross Society; fruit, tobacco, matches, and chocolate from the Navy League; sweets and magazines from the Salvation Army; jam, lavender sachets, and magazines from Friends of the Hospital; books and magazines frorfi anonymous donors; magazines from Mrs Cracroft Wilson and Miss Ireland. For the Fresh Air Home:—cakes from the Cashmere Bowling Club, and Mrs Beauvais; birthday cakes from Mrs Armstrong. Mrs Kemp, and Miss Inwood; books, cards, and jig saw puzzle from anonymous donors: poocorn from Mr Beauvais; children’s books from Anne and John Brocket.