CUT SHORT

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33959, 27 September 1975, Page 21

CUT SHORT

Beneath the sometimes frivolous exterior of the young woman of today there will often be dwelling a finely developed social conscience. No parade of deep thinking may be expected, but a normally breathless and inconsequential girl may suddenly enter the argument with: “Yes, but surely the existence or not of the missiles in Turkey has a crucial effect on the whole of EuropeanAsian strategy.” One young woman in Christchurch persistently gave the impression that the only two concerns in her life were the style of her hair and the colour of her nail polish. In fact, she ran a little unisex hairdressing salon; so that those concerns could easily be taken as part of her working life. Although she looked too

well-groomed and careful of her appearance ever to wear coarse clothes and engage in vigorous activity she was, indeed, an enthusiastic tramper and skier. She had a real love for the back country and a strong sentimental interest in the animals that live there. She had seen deer and thar in the wild and she thought that such magnificent animals had as much right as anyone else to enjoy their life along the ranges. One day there came to her salon a man with hair that was extremely long and shaggy even by modern standards. He explained that he had been for months in the back of beyond, working. She was interested, of course, and they fell to chatting while she snipped. The details began to

come out. Deer shooting. Oh, well, she rather admired deerstalkers, who had a love of the back country and were really only controlling the herds. Not exactly deer stalking. Deer culling. She had by now cropped about one-third of his head — on one side. What kind of culling, exactly? From helicopters? You mean you are one of those who fly around the mountains slaughtering deer for their carcases? “Out!” she said. She whipped off the sheet and indicated the door. “Out!” There’s no charge.” He took the other two-thirds of his haircut into the street and looked for another salon.