Reporter's Diary

Press, 14 November 1977, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

‘Mother Teresa 1 bought THE GROUP reports good sales on the opening night of its very last exhibition at the Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery on Saturday. The most ex* pensive work in the show, a sculpture in tribute to Mother Teresa, of Calcutta, by the Christchurch sculptor, Ria Bancroft, was bought by the Robert McDougall Art Gallery for $BOO. The Govett Brewster Gallery, of New Plymouth, bought “Midnight Tower,” a wall-hanging by Jenny Hunt, for $2OO. Good loser BALMERINO, the New Zealand galloper, almost caused a rupture in New Zealand-United States relations by his failure in the Washington International last week-end. The New Zealand Ambassador to the United States (Mr Lloyd White) met the President’s special trade representative, Mr Robert Strauss, at the track the day of the race. "I confidently forecast Balmerino’s success and Mr Strauss took my advice to back him — and lost his money,” Mr White said. “I gathered later from Mr Strauss that New Zealand would not get any more help from him.” Balmerino’s failure came up at the White House lunch, where the guests joked about Mr Strauss’s punting loss. But the New Zealand horse’s unplaced run did not have any lasting effect on Mr Strauss. Next day he promised Mr Muldoon full support for New Zealand in multi-lat-eral trade negotiations at Geneva on agricultural products. One way only ABEL TASMAN National Park '"Board, which also has jurisdiction over Farewell Spit, recently heard of two unusual methods of moving people on the beach. An ornithological group from Massey University, seeking permission for a 10-day study of birds on the spit.

advised that since they wished to create minimum disturbance, they would use bicycles on the outer beach to reach their investigation area. This brought a few chuckles at the board meeting. Members could plainly visualise cyclists battling against the spit's fearsome winds and being driven backwards. A second letter, from Linblad Travel, Inc., of New York, advised that it was bringing 92 ornithologists to New Zealand in the 2500-ton ship Linblad during its 1979 natural history programme. It advised that to make landfalls at places such as Farewell Spit rub-ber-dinghy craft powered by outboards would be used. Once again, board members visualised the dinghies and occupants breaking through pounding surf, or being stranded at low tide well out from their destination. The corm pany will be informed that like everyone else visiting the spit, it will have to travel in the conventional manner — by four-wheel-drive vehicle. Second opinion DID THE wedding go ahead or did wiser counsel prevail? Gordon Tait, the Christchurch bookseller, is still wondering after seeing a gleaming RollsRoyce in full wedding regalia waiting in a London street outside a Citizens’ Advice Bureau. T rend-setter THE MINISTER of Foreign Affairs (Mr Taiboys) and the delegation which recently accompanied him on a visit to China found casseroled sparrow to be a popular banquet item in Canton. Now a Thai exporter plans to send 100,000 frozen sparrows to restaurant suppliers in Tokyo and says he has received inquiries from potential buyers in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Thai exporter told reporters in Bangkok that “the sky is the limit” for orders additional to that received from Tokyo. Mr Taiboys and his group found that Cantonese liked

to eat the casseroled bird bones — head and all. Another item on the Minister’s Canton banquet menu was "fruit-eating bat” cut into chunky pieces and served with a thick sauce. Spray for sheep THE HORRIBLE blowfly may have met his match at last. A team of Australian scientists have developed a biodegradable insect killer that is such a strong repellant that it could be used to keep some parasitic insects, such as sheep blowflies, away from their host animals and prevent them from breeding. The insecticide, developed by scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, is harmless to humans and animals, and is considered to be of world importance in controlling insect pests, including houseflies, fruitflies, mosquitoes, and various beetles, weevils, and caterpillars. It attacks their nervous system. Dog ban DOGS will be banned from Wellington’s main shopping streets if the City Council accepts a recommendation from its by-laws committee. The committee has decided that dogs should be completely prohibited from streets in the city’s “golden mile” and the Cuba Mall during shop trading hours. The council has the power to enforce the ban under its new dog by-law and it could be extended to , some suburban shopping centres later if necessary. The new by-law, which came into force on November 1, tightens up restrictions on owners whose dogs stray or foul footpaths. It also provides for dogs to be restricted or banned in various areas. Forced entry MOST of us would not dare, but no doubt the former city councillor knew his by-laws. He was noticed in High Street on Saturday evening pushing a bicycle stand out of the way so that he could park his big car in the only remaining gap. —Garry Arthur