General News

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28927, 22 June 1959, Page 10

General News

Three Rugby Records

The opening match of the British Lions’ New Zealand tour at Napier on Saturday created at least three records. Their 52-12 victory was the highest ever by an international side in New Zealand, the 21,000 people who watched the match formed the. largest crowd ever to see a sports event in the province, and the gate of £10,430 beat the previous best for Hawke’s Bay by almost £2OOO. —(P.A.) New Fish Story The crew of the whale-chaser Colville, based on Great Barrier Island, have a new fish story. Seeing a Mako shark circling two whales which had been harpooned, crow’s nest boy, Joseph Epperley, son of the manager of the company, Mr Charles Epperley, grabed an oar and struck the Mako on the nose. Enraged, the shark attacked the object nearest at hand—a cork lifebuoy used as a marker. It bit the buoy in two.— (P.A.) Mid-Winter Dinner Antarctic veterans sat down to dinner in Wellington last night to celebrate mid-winter night. During the evening greetings were exchanged by telephone with the wintering-over parties at Scott Base and Cape Hallett. The toastmaster was Mr L. H. Pollock, and the guests included Commander Chester Knowles, the Antarctic liaison officer with the United States embassy and a veteran of Admiral Byrd’s “high jump” expedition, Dr. R. A. Falla, and Dr. Ritchie Simmers, who were with Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1929-31 expedition, and members of the Cape expedition.—(P.A.) Rail-Car Derailed The articulated section of a Gisborne-bound rail-car was derailed about 16 miles from Gisborne at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday. The railcar was gathering speed after a crossing with a southbound railcar when the articulated section lurched off the lines, but remained upright. No-one was injured. The 40 passengers were taken to Gisborne in a steam train. They arrived 2j hours late.—(P.A.) W eek-End Frosts The week-end has been foggy with early frosts, but mild days followed the cold nights. Saturday s frost of 7.2 degrees at the Christchurch airport and 5.6 degrees at the Botanic Gardens was accompanied by a heavy fog, which cleared to give way to a sunny morning. By 9 p.m. on Saturday the air temperature had fallen to 34 degrees. Again the night was foggy, and yesterday morning the maximum frost recorded was 7.4 degrees at the airport and 6.3 degrees at the Botanic Gardens. The fog cleared between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and another mild day followed. Students’ Meeting The exclusion of Maoris from the All Black Rugby team to tour South Africa will be discussed at a special general meeting of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association to be held this evening. It is understood that resolutions will be discussed condemning the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Union, calling on members of the University Rugby Club to dissociate themselves from the decision and calling on all Rugby players likely to be selected for the tour, to refuse to make themselves available unless discrimination against the Maoris is stopped. Children’s Choir The Brisbane Eisteddfod Junior Choir of 60 children will make a three-weeks concert tour of New Zealand in February, the choir president. Mr Lytton Robinson, has announced. Mr Robinson said arrangements had been made with the Adult Education Departments in Wellington and Auckland and the Christchurch Civic Music Council, to have the tour sponsored. New Zealand organisations will pay the internal expenses in New Zealand and will arrange for billets for the children.—Brisbane. June 21. Lake Ida About 60 persons skated on two acres of firm, smooth black ice at Lake Ida yesterday. The wind was gusty from the north-west and blew spray on to the ice. but at no time during the day did it spoil the hard surface Little Lake Ida is completely covered with smooth ice, and was also used by skaters yesterday.