Reporter’s Diary

Press, 22 July 1976, Page 2

Reporter’s Diary

Omega man OWEN WILKES, one of New Zealand’s leading anti-nuclear activists, will leave in October to take up a year’s fellowship at the Oslo Peace Research Institute in Norway. In Christchurch yesterday Mr Wilkes said he would help document the Omega development in Norway. For several years he has corresponded with the Norwegian institute as a result of his exhaustive research into the proposed Omega communications system for New Zealand. Much of the New Zealand documentation had been sent to the Oslo institute to support its own work in opposing the Omega base now working in Norway. This is not Mr Wilkes’s first overseas research proI ject. Two years ago he I went to Japan to speak on | the New Zealand Omega I experience at a conference I called by the Japanese I Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Weapons. After the conference the council offered him financial assistance to carry out his own field research into military systems in the Pacific. Spreading i THE MAYOR of ChristI church (Mr Hay) is a bit ■ peeved that the Town ; Hall’s distinctive carpet is ■ not exclusive to the Town I Hall after all. He told the Town Hall board of management yesterday that there was carpet with the identical motif in Knox Church. “But I suppose the design is not copyright,” he added, wryly. Safety pictures A PHOTOGRAPHIC competition to promote interest in mountain safety is being run this month by the Canterbury district committee of the National Mountain Safety Council. It wants pictures of people taking part in anv outdoor activities—-camping, rivercrossing, rock climbing,

snowcraft, even camp cooking—so long as they illustrate people practising safe techniques in a happy atmosphere. First prize in the open section is a zoom lens and, in the under-18 section, a flash gun. Entries close on August 1. Library service STEPHEN McCLOY, the American librarian who heads the New Zealand section at the Public Library, is crazy about New Zealand trees and plants. When he lived on the Wes.t Coast he filled his garden with native plants, gathered in the bush. The locals thought he was mad. Now he has done a considerable service to the library’s borrowers and browsers by compiling and printing an annotated list of the most interesting books on the subject. Called “A. Selection of Books on our Remarkable Flora.” the list is designed to give library users an idea of the range of material available. Mr McCloy (who comes from Florida) says the “nice new flashy books” on New Zealand flora are not always the best and the most inter-

esting. He wants people to come and look at such surprising works as Hooker's “Flora Novae-Ze-landiae” with its spectacular hand-coloured plates, which is hardly ever asked for because people don't know the library has it. Mr McCloy plans further annotated book-lists, including one about native birds.

Good shoiv. Biggies THE AIR FORCE’S spaceage aviators had to revert to Tiger Moth techniques when things went wrong over R.N.Z.A.F. Base, Woodbourne, near Blenheim this week. A Devon aircraft coming in to land was unable to get its wheels down and — what made matters worse — it lost radio contact with the tower. The crew resorted

to the World War I practice of attracting attention by dropping messages wrapped around small heavy objects as the Devon made low passes over the field. They even dropped an officer’s flying glove with a message inside. Eventually the trouble righted itself, the wheels came down, and the Devon landed safely.

Not invited WHEN the New Zealand Games organisers invited Russia to send a team to Christchurch for the meeting next January, the Russians’ first question was: “Will South Africa be invited?” The Republic of China (the mainland) was also invited, and the Chinese asked: “Will Taiwan be invited?” The answer to b.uh questions is: “No”; the organisers are now hopeful that both Russia and China will accept their invitations. ‘.S’ ti per sal esni en ’ TWO of the four men interviewed for an article headed “Australia’s supersalesmen” in the July 10 issue of the “Bulletin” were born in New Zealand. They are Robert L. Chambers. aged 53, who has written $5B million worth of new business for the Prudential Assurance Company in 10 years: and Sam Chisolm, aged 36. executive vice-president of a Sydney television channel, TCN9. Evidently, the interviews didn't think to ask either of these “supersalesmen” to comment on the old adage: “Every time a New Zealander crosses the Tasman he raises the average I.Q. in both countries.” Suspicions WAS IT by accident or by mischievous design that ah article on vegetarianism in yesterday's edition of the afternoon newspaper should appear cheek bv carnivorous jowl with Hudson and Hall’s TV2 recipe for marinated leg of lamb? —Garrv Arthur