Enthusiastic Crowds Greet Mrs Johnson In Garden

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31196, 21 October 1966, Page 2

Enthusiastic Crowds Greet Mrs Johnson In Garden

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 20. Mrs Johnson saw Wellington at its best today. Bright, sunny weather and enthusiastic crowds greeted her as she strolled through the Botanical Gardens, announced the gift of a plaque to the city, and rode on the Kelburn cable car.

Security men were very 7 much in evidence as Mrs Johnson, wearing a charcoal, double-breasted coat, seal green roll-neck top and white cap, stepped into a Rolls Royce for a drive through the city 7 to the Lady Norwood rose garden.

The drive through the grounds of Government House was thickly lined with cheering schoolchildren, and waving office workers lined the route through the city.

The rose garden, with fountain playing, was a bowl of warm sunshine as Mrs Johnson was greeted by Cr. R. L. Archibald, chairman of the city couacil parks and reserves department, and Mr I.|

D. Galloway, director of parks and reserves. Mrs Johnson strolled along paths lined with women and children to the begonia house. Outside the house she paused to read aloud the plaque marking the gift of the garden to the city by Sir Charles Norwood in memory of his wife and exclaimed: “What a nice thing! What a wonderful thing to do to express devotion to one's city.” Reporters and photographers crowded closer to Mrs Johnson in the rose garden, but were kept well back by

security men to give her a better view in the begonia house. Mrs Johnson took a special interest in the exotic orchids. She posed in front of some pink begonias, and was almost swamped by reporters. Outside the begonia house, Mrs Johnson announced a gift to the garden of a bronze plaque bearing a blessing—a favourite verse which had a place in the garden of her former home. The plaque, at present being made in the United States, will bear the verse byDorothy Frances Gurney: The kiss of the sun for pardon The song of the birds for mirth You are nearer God’s heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth. Cr. Archibald then presented Mrs Johnson with a book of colour plates of New Zealand parks and reserves. The motorcade wound through cheering clusters of women to the cable-car terminal, and Mrs Johnson, followed by hundreds of spectators, was escorted to a lookout point overlooking Wellington. Filmed View Mrs Johnson took a movie camera from a Secret Service man and filmed the view, commenting: “This is what I really want.” A milling crowd followed the official party to the cable car terminal and gave the First Lady a rousing cheer as the bright-red car, with Mrs

Johnson in the driver’s cabin and reporters clinging to the sides, ground down the slope to the city below. A noisy crowd clogged Lambton quay as Mrs Johnson moved to rejoin the motorcade. She chucked 14-year-old Debra-Ann Terill under the chin and told her: “What nice rosy cheeks.” Several of the crowd, waving small American flags, earned a special wave from Mrs Johnson as the motorcade moved towards the American Embassy. The First Lady paused at the entrance to the embassy to tell a group of small children: “You’re lovely. You’re the nicest welcoming committee I’ve had.” She was joined a few minutes later by the President, and the couple left on the ceremonial drive to Parliament House. Tired From Travel After two days of travelling, Mrs Johnson is tired from responding to exuberant, colourful greetings, but excited about what she has seen and what is ahead. The 9500 miles of travel from Washington since Monday has Mrs Johnson confused about times and dates. “I’m not adjusted yet to what’s night and day. Is this Tuesday about to be Wednesday?” she asked as the international dateline was left behind. She is keeping in touch with her elder daughter, Lynda, who started a magazine job in New York on Monday. After a telephone talk, Mrs Johnson said Lynda’s job was “going to take a lot of learning and getting used to.”