Reporter's Diary

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Spotters guide THE ABILITY to recognise instantly the silhouette of a distant ship was carefully taught to sailors during World War I, and those skills are making a comeback today. The Ministry of Fisheries has issued sailors . and fliers with a booklet' that describes the main types of Japanese, Soviet, Korean, Taiwanese, and American fishing and support vessels which may be seen in our new 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Ships and aircraft have been asked to report the presence of any ships identified from the booklet. Ships illustrated range from 150-tonne Korean long-liners to 10,000-tonne Soviet reefer ships, and from American superseiners to Japanese whalers. Ships are asked to provide information about refuelling at sea, oil spillage. and other activities such as transferring catches. Their mountain PADDY FREANEY, of Arthur’s Pass, reports a very appropriate climb of Mount Rolleston (7453 ft which was named after William Rolleston, a provincial superintendent of Canterbury. Mrs Marion Rolleston, whose husband, Dr George Rolleston, is a direct descendant of William Rolleston, realised a long-held ambition when she climbed the family mountain on Saturday. Early travellers through Arthur’s Pass named the mountain, but she is the first member of the family to climb it. Mr Freaney guided Mrs Rolleston to the top. together with her son, Humphrey, and her niece. Gay. Worth revalued? THE MATRIMONIAL Properties Act, 1976, was one of the subjects studied by the Canterbury division of the Institute of Management during the year. Mr Laurie O’Reilly, a Christchurch solicitor, spoke to the institute

about the effects of the act, which broadly requires divorcing couples to split their assets between them. Mr O’Reilly’s talk, says the institute’s annual report, may have been responsible for many members’ wives getting breakfast in bed the next day. The moa hunt

THOSE Japanese television cameramen are serious about moas. They have placed an advertise-

ment in the Queenstown publication, “Mountain Scene”, seeking “new information about the last sighting of the live moa.” Those in the know about the big bird are asked to get in touch with the film unit at an address in Orewa, north of Auckland. Backstage

THE HISTORIC malthouse in Colombo Street, near the Heathcote River, will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday when the Canterbury Children’s Theatre holds an open day to show what has been done over the years to restore and preserve the building. The 120-year-old malthouse is owned by the Childrens Theatre, which uses it as its headquarters for re-

hearsing and preparing the plays which it presents at city theatres in school holidays. Visitors will be shown where sets and properties are stored, and children will be able to meet characters from past plays, and see a demonstration of stage make-up. Caught the cash FRANK HAY took up salmon fishing only two months ago, encouraged perhaps by reports of huge fish being caught in Canterbury rivers. But he had no luck at all, until last Friday. He was one of about 100 fishing at the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and was having his usual luck, when he saw a dollar note floating by, about 3m out from the bank. “I thought: if I can’t catch a fish, I’ll catch a dollar,” he said, and hooked it on his third cast. His salmon-fishing luck remained unchanged; others continued to catch salmon all round him. ‘Week’ unsung ONE OF 3ZB’s listeners has nominated the station’s newsroom for a Humphrey Award on “A Week of It,” the prizewinning satirical television programme. Stuart Bryant says he listened to 3ZB' recite all the Feltex Awards yesterday morning, except for the three awards won by “A Week of It” — best light comedy, best actor, and best actress. He even telephoned 3ZB to protest, but says the first girl he spoke to in the newsroom had never heard of the programme. She put him on to someone who blamed the omission on whoever compiled the news bulletin in Wellington. Alpine V.F.O. AN UNIDENTIfied flying object was seen by an unidentified travelling man near Arthur’s Pass about midnight on Monday. He said he did not wish to give his name for fear of ridicule, but he wondered whether the driver of another car which he passed about the time also saw the object. He was about a kilometre west of the Craigieburn Stream when he saw a bright object

apparently falling from a great height. It was about 400 m away from him, and he could see it clearly against the backdrop of hills. The object was bright yellow on top and orange underneath. He slowed to watch it hit the ground, but it “just disappeared” when about 100 m up. Comforter “ARE YOU nervous?” asked a policeman who called at a Christchurch house this week to investigate a burglary. “Yes, I am,” said the young housewife. “My husband is away.” There were two things she could do, said the constable. She could ask the M.E.D. to floodlight her house with spotlights, or she could pray to God to turn night into day. He had done it once before, said the policeman, without quoting Biblical authority, and there was no doubt He could do it again. — Garry Arthur