Reporter's Diary

Press, 27 October 1977, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Jeep rally IT MAY have looked like an American invasion to the people of Waimate, but it was just the South Island Jeep Club having its annual Labour Day Week-end rally at Gunn’s Bush camp. The 11 Jeeps, all painted with United States Army insignia, went on crosscountry expeditions and tested themselves at hillclimbing and river crossing. Their attraction is their record as the most famous vehicles of World War 11. They were the workhorses of all three services, doing everything from reconnaissance and stretcher-bearing to acting as carriers for guns. Some of the 11 Jeeps were used by American

forces during the war; others were brought back from the Pacific Islands. Both the Electricity Department and the Ministry of Works have put them to use in rugged country. Reckless IF ANYONE knows how persistent nesting starlings are, it is the volunteers of the Aviation Historical Society. They give the engines of their United States Navy Dakota a run every two or three weeks, but each time they have to spend more than an hour clearing out starlings’ nests before they can press the button. The starlings seem quite undeterred — the nests were back in the

engines when the society went to start them up on Monday. The old aircraft is getting a little weatherworn, but it is to have a face-lift this summer, thanks to a gift from Lusteroid Paints of enough paint in service colours to do the job — about 20 gallons. “Governor’ helped TELEVISION ONE says that “history was made” on October 2 when 88 per cent of all material screened between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. was of New Zealand origin — much more than the 38 per cent local content now required by the Broadcasting Council of New Zealand. “George and Mildred” was the only foreigner. TVI does not say so in its skite-sheet, but that was the evening when “The Governor” was launched with an extra-long first episode of an hour and a half. The other home-made programmes that evening were the 45-minute “Everything is Beautiful” show, “Country Calendar,” “Sunday's World,” and news and weather. The channel says the average New Zealand content in prime time is now 41 per cent. Neighbours HITLER and Stalin lived just a few streets away from each other when they both lived in Vienna during the early 1900 s. The proximity of the two men. who later became archenemies as leaders of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War 11, was revealed when the Vienna police presented the Mayor with registration forms of 300 famous or notorious residents. Until they left Vienna about two years before World War I, Hitler and Stalin were separated only by railway tracks and a few apartment

blocks in the south-eastern suburbs. Stalin’s registration form, filled out in his original name of Josif Djugashvili, gave his occupation as valet for a man named Herr Petrov. flag day IRISES of a distinctive style have been selected for a centra! display at the Christchurch Iris Circle’s annual show in the Horticultural Hall on November 7 and 8. They are the innominata and dougslaiana varieties native to the Pacific coast of California, hybrids which differ from the tall, bearded irises with a wide range of unusual colourings. Dr M. H. Aiken is preparing a large display of photographs featuring all types of irises, which are named after Iris, the Greek messenger of the gods. More of the same can be seen at Mona Vale, particularly on “Iris Sunday,” November 13. On the air A MOTHER and daughter were having a nice heart-to-heart chat on the telephone in Stoke this week, unaware th°t almost half a million people were eavesdropping on their secrets. As the unidentified pair were talking, workmen accidentally cut through the telejphone cables. Somehow their conversation went to air on Radio Stoke, broadcast around the Midlands by the 8.8. C. The crossed lines interrupted a breakfast bulletin for three minutes, and it was not until they heard the broadcast over the telephone that one of them said; “We’re going out live on radio” and hastily hung up. It is believed to be the first time a private telephone conversation has been broadcast in Britain.

Guilty knowledge REPORTERS who know their places keep very quiet at meetings, but none have kept quieter than the one reporting the first meeting of the new North Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday. Dr Lyn Berry, the board’s medical super-intendent-in-chief, came in and asked the only new board member, Mrs C. B. Cartwright, whether a car parked down below was hers. No, said Mrs Cartwright, she had one of the same make, but a different model. Dr Berry said he told an official not to put a ticket on it, anyway. Our reporter kept his head down and gratefully maintained the traditional silence of the press table. Father’s picture THE CAPTION to yesterday’s photograph was unfortunately mislaid, and the portrait was wrongly identified as that of William Prebble, one of the founders of Prebbleton. It was really his father, James Prebble, who arrived at Petone beach with his family in the Aurora on January 22, 1840. Riddle WHAT is the difference between sending a ton of seed peas from Christchurch to Auckland and sending a ton of seed peas from Christchurch to London? There is no difference, according to a speaker who posed this conundrum at a Federated Fanners meeting yesterday. The cost is the same, which goes a long way towards illustrating Federated Farmers’ grievance about inter-island freight rates.

—Garry Arthur