Reporter's Diary

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33932, 27 August 1975, Page 3

Reporter's Diary

ings on the banks of the River Nile. In Greece, during the customary local business shut-down in the afternoons, he trained in Athens round the Acropolis. He trained at 10,000 feet during a stopover in Kenya. In South

Global runner A CHRISTCHURCH woolbroker. Mr Ralph Woodward, who is also a long distance runner, set something of a record for the number of countries in which he trained during a recent business trip overseas. Mr Woodward is president of the Rovers Harrier Club and was training to lead a club team to the forthcoming 26 mile Great Westland Marathon from Hokitika to Greymouth. In spite of a tight business schedule, he managed to train in 33 different countries in 10 weeks. In Egypt he trained in the early morn-

Wales he jogged round the coastal bays past the famous castles of Harlech and Bangor. With the Bingley harriers of Bangor he ran along Hadrian’s Wall, and across the site of the Battle of Marston Moor. “In the long Yorkshire twilight we ran in a wild and beautiful world,” he said. “We were running over history, and the ghosts felt very near in the eerie evening light.” Late letter

THE CANTERBURY Gliding Club is ' not very pleased at the Clean Air Society’s statement in the Environment Centre’s newsletter that it has not yet had a reply to its complaint about noise from tow-planes at weekends. “Until such time as a letter is received, it is impossible to reply,” the club’s president Mr A. W. Black, says. He did not receive the society’s letter until after the statement had been published. “Diary” quoted from the newsletter on August 23, and the society’s letter to the club was dated, and post-marked, August 24. Mr Black has now written back explaining how the club was trying to reduce noise by making more use of “auto-launching” from cars, towing away from built-up areas, and even towing two gliders from one aircraft. “We are most concerned about it ourselves,” Mr Black said.

Metric horses EVEN the extremely tradi-

tional horsey world has bowed to the inevitability of metrication. This year the heights of horses and ponies competing in events at agricultural and pastoral association shows are being given in centimetres instead of the customary “hands.” One reader, who signs himself “Hands Up,” notes this with “sadness and regret.” After reading the Rangiora A. and P. Show schedule, he described the change to metric measurement as “a classic example of pandering to the petty bureaucrats. In an attempt to simplify, they are making the whole thing cumbersome. It is not as if local horses are packed in standard cardboard boxes or exported overseas. The only thing this . ruling achieves is to remove more colour from our already drab lives.” The old “hands” measurement dates back to at least the sixteenth century, and refers to the breadth of the human hand. It has been standardised at 4in, and the measurement is taken at the horse’s shoulder. Overacting SOME women think the age of chivalry should continue to live and, by golly, they will see to it personally. Like the middle-aged woman on the Cashmere bus yesterday afternoon who took vivid exception to a horde of little cubs from Marshland. The youngsters had had a great time frolicking about al! day at Victoria Park under the watchful eye of Akela (the lady cubmaster) and some mothers. On the way back to town the boys occupied

the back seats — about four to a seat — while they recounted the day’s doings. But a woman who boarded the bus further down the route also wanted to sit in a back seat. Pulling herself up to her haughtiest height she declared in a loud voice for all to hear: “A fine lot of scouts you are — making a lady stand while you sit.” Her exhibition did nothing for the promotion of chivalry. There were plenty of vacant seats at the front of the bus. Unconverted

POLICE have converted to metrics, but their figures did not get a sympathetic reception in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. When they gave a car's speed in ’ kilometres an hour, Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., asked them to convert the figures to miles an hour. And when they gave road measurements in metres, Mr Brown told them to spend the morning tea break converting them back to yards, feet and inches. Moving slip

A BIG SLIP blocking the Summit Road appeared to move mysteriously eastwards during the weekend. A report on Friday evening had it near the Rapaki Saddle, about 50 yards wide, and still moving. On Monday the slip was reported to be “between the Sign of the Kiwi and the Bridle Path,” and elsewhere as “near the Bridle Path,” Our office spy donned hiking boots and knapsack to go looking for it in the spring sunshine. He found it had slipped back to its

original position on the western slopes of the Rapaki saddle. Silent speech SO MANY reverend gentlemen wanted to speak on the subject of the proposed 1976 All Black Rugby tour of South Africa at the National Council of Churches’ annual meeting yesterday that the chairman cut them down to four minutes each. The Rev. John Murray of Wellington’s Presbyterian delegation decided not to cram what he wanted to say into the four minutes, and invited the conference to observe four minutes silence instead. Missing pot ORGANISERS of the Canterbury Potters’ Association's recent exhibition are coming reluctantly to the conclusion that they have been “conned" out of a S4O pot. A large sculptural piece by Nola Barron was bought during the exhibition at the C.S.A. gallery. and marked accordingly- On the closing day. August 3. a girl came up to Mrs Denise Welsford, the president, and said she was to collect the pot for a friend. Mrs Ngaire Hewson later presented her receipt for the pot but it had gone. Mrs Welsford says that the accounts show that the pot has been paid for only once, and the girl who collected it had not been back to say it was all a mistake. Nola Barron, the potter, describes it as a distinctive whiteglazed piece which she could easily identify.