A New Zealander looks at Scandinavia

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33095, 9 December 1972, Page 6

A New Zealander looks at Scandinavia

During the winter of 1968 Mrs Joyce Reid spent four months in Denmark while her husband, the late Professor John Reid, of the University of Auckland, lectured at Aarhus University. All the while she took notes and recorded impressions for a book, just released and entitled, “It was Better in Winter.”

It is her second travel book —the first was “A Caravan Close Behind” — and one for which she decided to be well prepared. She kept a daily diary and from it has compiled a sympathetic record of the Danes “being themselves.”

Because it was winter her view was far removed from the summertime impressions of most tourists, and of that she is glad. “They have this image of themselves as outdoor people, but its only a very short part of the year

they can be outside so we saw the country as it really was,” she said in Christchurch yesterday. For her it was in many ways much like home — a farming country of comparable size, with only a little larger population and people of similar interests and attitudes. “The Dane likes comfort,” she writes. “If he has a political creed, it is probably ‘Don’t rock the boat.’ NATIONAL PRIDE “In both countries one sees the same rather insecure national pride. Everything Danish is said to be the best in the world — as everything New Zealand is; when such excellence can obviously not be claimed, there is the same apologetic, ‘But we’re only a little country’.” A larger proportion of women than in New Zealand worked, and there were many child-care facilities, she said. In her book she describes seeing a group of nursery school schildren on their morning outing being trundled along in a conveyance that resembled a kingsized cot on wheels. After-school care was provided in child recreation centres where youth educators—who trainned for three years at special colleges — looked after them supervising children from seven to 14 years old in homework, craft classes, and games.

Mrs Reid was struck by the relationship of parents and children. “It didn’t hear a parent speaking roughly to a child, and they are very respectful and polite to their parents. All the little girls curtsy, whiclj looks very pretty,” she said.

Working was also made easier for women because there was a large pool of domestic help available. “In many professions the girls have to have done some domestic work. There is no looking down on the domestic, and there are plenty of intelligent girls available for help,” she said. TRADITIONS UPHELD In spite of the large number of working mothers, the Danish women maintained their traditional needlework, in which even small girls were proficient. Mrs Reid Writes of her efforts to master the traditional cross stitch. Although she was assured it was not difficult she soon gave up.

In dress, appearance, and demeanor the students were much like their New Zealand counterparts, although somewhat older. There was no bursary system, only loans which had to be paid back after graduation. “Students sit their examina-

tions when they feel ready which leads to much putting off the evil day. It’s sad because often the productive years can be wasted. We met one man who had been writing his thesis for 15 years, and was so bored with it he was considering giving it up and starting again. “My husband was very impressed with the standard of their English, and so was I.” ENGLISH SPOKEN English was almost unversal, and Mrs Reid soon abandoned her initial efforts to learn Danish. The Danes were very conscious of the need to communicate with others, as their language was spoken only in Denmark. She believes the people are

basically gentle, and although there were student demonstrations they were not at all violent. In fact, there seemed little violence. The one murder committed during their stay caused a sensation. Mrs Reid also describes visits to Norway and Sweden in her readable, entertaining book. She has an appreciative eye for the historic aspects of Scandinavia. The couple chose to live in an old quarter of Aarhus, enjoying the waterfront view from the dining room window.

Mrs Reid is in Christchurch to promote her book, and the John Cowie Reid Memorial Fund, which was begun by the University of Auckland after her husband’s death in May. Such was the interest that the fund was made public, and to commemorate his wide interests (he was one of the founders of the Mercury Theatre) the funds will be used to assist individuals or organisations of a cultural nature.