N.Z. Team Has Informal Meeting With Duke

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27423, 9 August 1954, Page 11

N.Z. Team Has Informal Meeting With Duke

(Rec. 7 p.m.) VANCOUVER, Aug. 7. For a few happy, completely informal minutes last night, the Duke of Edinburgh talked with members of New Zealand’s British Empire Games team outside the Empire Village dining hall. The Duke walked among the New Zealanders, congratulated the medal winners on their performances, and talked and joked with them about the Games. Many members of the team were introduced to him by the New Zealand team manager (Mr Alex Ross). He spoke to each of the New Zealand girls and asked them about their events and the places they came from in New Zealand. When the backstroke bronze medal winner, Jean Stewart, told him she came, from Dunedin, he said: “And you’re a swimmer? Is it ever warm enough to swim in Dunedin?” The Duke looked at the welterweight boxer, Mike Hannah, who has two very black eyes, and asked: “Boxing?” Hannah quipped: “No, sir, I fell out of bed.” The Duke laughed, and when Hannah said: “One of your boys” (an Englishman he fought on Wednesday night) did that,” the Duke said: “But you are all my boys.” The Duke showed the keen interest he was taking in the Games in a remark he made to Jack Stewart, who

took third place in the diving championship. “I have seen vou before you won the diving,” the Duke said. Stewart. told him he did not win, but was third, and the Duke said: “That’s right. I was adding up the

points and I thought you had won till I found I had not counted 10 more points for Peter Heatley.” The Duke met Baillie, who won his peat of the mile and then spent some time talking to the single sculls winner Don Rowlands, of Auckland. The Duke, who saw Rowlands win, congratulated him and then had a few congratulatory words for Don Jowett, the Games furlong champion. Earlier the Duke had dinner in the village dining hall with the Games team managers and representatives of various teams. New Zealand had a party of about 20 in the hall. It included Mr Ross, the assistant-manager (Mr P. N. Robinson), Mrs Lorna Sea-* ger. chaperon, and three of the women competitors. Noeline Swinton, Winifred Griffin, and Joyce Francis. The New Zealand girls and various sections of the team drew lots for tickets to the dinner. Some other teams had all their medal winners, or most of them, present, but in the New Zealand team they were given no preference over others.

The Duke had ordinary camp fare for dinner—soup, grilled salmon and peas, and pie. and he and others at the top table carried their soup plates into the dining hall with them. The Duke seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and talked and joked with Sir Arthur Porritt. chairman of the Fmpire Games Federation, and the .team managers nearest him.

The dinner was completely informal, with no speeches.