Big party thrown

Press, 11 June 1977, Page 4

Big party thrown

From

JOHN ROSS

The New Zealand High; Commissioner in London, Mr! D. J. Carter, who becomes! Sir Douglas in the Queens': Birthday Honours, threw in i London last evening, prob- ! ably the biggest and most prestigious party accorded a New Zealand knight. Mr and Mrs Carter were i due to host a Maori cere-,: momal welcome to Common-i wealth heads of State attend- ; I ing the Commonwealth Con-11 ference in London, and toj members of the MaAn Bat- <

talion pilgrimage at the Newl Zealand High Commission. About 50 delegates from, the heads of Government; meetings were expected toj attend the hui, including the’ Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), who becomes a Companion of! Honour, and Mrs Muldoon. "I am pleased, excited, and sad about it." said Mr Car-, ter. "All my life I have been simply Doug Carter. I hope it stays that way, but you lose something. An honour like this has an effect on ‘ people sometimes. That I don’t like.

| "But of course it is a recI ognition by my colleagues i j that they think I do a good ; job, and that is most gratiI fy>ng. ; “I started off as a farmer, .[then a politician, and now ’this. I suppose one is a lot better with it than without it, but you lose some of your i ordinariness.” As well as the Commoni wealth Prime Ministers, a big turnout of television and news journalists also attended—and Mr Carter’s elevation will undoubtedly receive ’ excellent coverage.