The man at the wheel

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32633, 15 June 1971, Page 4

The man at the wheel

Cannonball Selby, the subject of a “Philpott File” programme from CHTV3 next Monday, is one of the men who make or break holidays. He drives a giant touring coach, one of the 200 or so which leave the Leeds depot of the biggest coach tour operators in Britain every Saturday morning. The men who drive these massive vehicles are far more than just drivers. For the 40-odd passengers this is the most important and probably the most expensive week of the year. They booked the trip eight months before—on the popular tours they would have to in order to get a seat —and they have been looking forward to it ever since. The man at the wheel can fill those precious seven days with happiness or with misery. Once out of the depot, the driver is in control. He can decide which route they take, where they stop for tea or coffee, which boat trips they make, which shows they

see, which souvenir shops they visit. He is a man of power and a man of many parts—mechanic, guide, comedian, singer, nursemaid, companion, protector. They are his flock, to tend, to fatten, to satisfy and to bring safely home at last. It is his job to weld them into one contented family, to nip complaints in the bud, to convince them through the rain and through the breakdown, that they are'enjoying every minute of the trip. And first, last and all the time, the experienced coach driver is a business man. With 40-odd people in his care, and all of them in search of a good time, every day presents fresh business opportunities. The experienced tour driver is alive to every one of them. Cannonball Selby has been' in the business for 30 years. The round trip from Yorkshire’s Leeds to Cornwall’s Lands End, the way Cannonball drives it, is about 1000 miles. He knows how to pave every one with gold.

CHTV3 2.00 pun.: Headline news. 2.03: On Camera. 2.45: The Doctors. Drama. 3.11; Portrait of a Lady. First of six parts. (Repeat) 3.55: Country Calendar. (Repeat) 4.13: Men in History—The Vikings. (Repeat) 4.34: The Alvin Show. Cartoon. 4.50: The Magic Roundabout. 5.04: Scooby Doo, Where Are You? Cartoon. 5.26: Headline news, weather. 5.29: Barrier Reef. Adventure. t 5.52: The Andy Griffith Show. Comedy. 6.25: Survival. Natural history. 6.53: Column Comment. With lan Cross. 7.00: Network news. 7.20: Weather. The South Tonight. 7.46: Coronation Street. 8.16: In The Nature of Things.—“ Mysterious Journey.” Science. (Final) 8.33: Room 222— ( 'The Exchange Teacher.” Drama. (Final) 9.01: The Pacemakers—William Davis. Documentary. 9.20: Newsbrief. 9.22: Gallery. Current affairs. 9.50: The Gold Robbers—“ Rough Trade.” Sixth of 13 parts. 10.46: Late news, weather.

NATIONAL LINK (Including 3YA Christchurch (691) kilohertz): 2YA. Wellington <570 kilohertz); 4YA Dunedin <750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth <920 kilohertz) 7 p.m.: N.Z.B.C. Sports News. 7.30: Opening of the Debate on the Budget. 9.30: Weather, News and Checkpoint. 10.0: Jazz Tonight. 10.30: N.Z.B.C, News, Comment, Weather. 10.45: Clean Straw for Nothing (final). 11.0: 8.8. C. News and Commentary. 11.15: Indoor Basketball. 11.18: North Island and New Zealand Dog Trial Championships. 11.21: All Night Personality: Mike Lynch. 12.6 a.m.: Don Richardson Orchestra. 1.0: Startime in Paris. 3.3: Folk Music from Germany. 4.9: Music from the Netherlands. 3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz) 7.5 p.m.: David Galbraith (piano) —: Bach-Liszt: Prelude and Fugue in A minor (N.Z.8.C.). 7.22: Berlioz: Lyric Scene: Cleopatre Jennie Tourel (mezzo-soprano), New York Philharmonic. 7.45: Letter from America. 8.0: Schu-

bert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished). 8.32: Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129. 8.58: Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole. 9.15: Satie: Three Gymnopedies— Frank Glazer (piano). 9.25: Delius: Appalachia, variations on an old slave song. 10.2: Fragments from the Past— A Brief Look at the Otago Goldfields. Three Cheers for the Main Trunk Line. 10.11: Veracini You shall come with me; Respighi—Night; The Folk Singers; Pratella— The White Road; Casella— The Kidnapped Girl; Carnevali—Rose Blossom—Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Gerald Moore (piano). 10.30: Scriabin—Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op 20—Stanislav Neuhaus (piano), U.S.S.R. Symphony Orchestra. 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) 6.45 p.m.: Sheep Dog Trials—Report. 8.2: Motoring with Robbie. 8.30: Take It From Here. 9.4: Sweet Music. 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: Things are Swinging. 9.30: Jazz Scene. 10.0: From the Top Pops.