Reporter’s Diary

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 2

Reporter’s Diary

Aircraft appeal THIS PERCIVAL Gull Six, in which the New Zealand aviatrix, Jean Batten, established many records 7n the 19305, may soon take to the air again. It was grounded nine years ago. but now the Shuttleworth Collection of historic aircraft at Biggleswade. Bedfordshire, has launched an £BOOO appeal to restore its fabric cover and wooden frame. Miss Batten, who lives at Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, may travel to Britain for the launching, which will matk the 50th anniversary of the Shuttleworth Collection. Mis<. Batten was the first woman to fly the south Atlantic, in 1935. A year later she became the first to fly solo from England to New Zealand. Sticky end DUTCH Elm disease, which has devastated elm groves and avenues all over Britain and Europe, may at last be overcome — appropriately enough, by scientists from Amsterdam. The weakness of the beetle which spreads the disease is thought to be its sex habits. Beetles of both sexes are attracted by an odour secreted by both male and female when in search of a breeding mate. The Dutch scientists managed to reproduce the scent artificially; the rest was

simple. About 100 elm trees were baited with the attractive odour, and when the eager beetles arrived they flew straight into patches of glue. It may seem a cruel fate, but Amsterdam alon; lost about 200 elm trees last year. Wedding reunion GOLDEN wedding celebrations are no great novelty, but it is a bit unusual to find the entire wedding party gathered together again, 50 years on. Victor Erridge married Rose Falgar at St Saviour’s Church, Sydenham, on April 9, 1928. Victor’s brother, Stan, was the best man; Mr M. B. Anderson, the groomsman; and the bride’s sisters, Liz and Mary, were the bridesmaids. They were all there for the golden wedding celebration on Sunday, with the difference that the best man, Stan, and the chief bridesmaid, Liz, were present as husband and wife. Matched set COINCIDENCE has stretched a tong arm for two Kaiapoi families that have been next-door neighbours for seven

years. Without knowing each other’s plans, the engagements of Barry Tie and Franz Bastings were .-.nnounced. the same day. Coincidences came thick and fast as wedding plans were made. Both young couples decided on April 29 as the day, and then 3 p.m. for their services, which will be held in churches only about 50m apart. Identical invitations were selected for both weddings and the two young men have now learned they have made a common choice of clothing for the day — brown suits. Hazard reduced THE DESIGN of the new Teachers’ college tower block ■at Ham, which is expected to be ready for use by the beginning of the third term, follows closely the design of other New Zealand teachers’ college buildings. The same architects are responsible, but hey have made one or two changes as they have gone along. The art department, for example, will be on the ground floor in the Christchurch building. It was on the top floor of the Hamilton Teachers’ College, but this

had one serious drawback: Sculpture students were inclined to pour unwanted liquid plaster-of Paris down the drains, and before it reached ground level — five floors away — it set solid, clogging the pipes for the whole building. It took a strong dose of acid to unclog them. Not the law

THEY say that you can spot a policeman a mile off. There is something about them that gives the game away, even in the plainest of clothes. But you have to be reasonably wide-awake. A bleary eyed Radio Avon reporter rush ed down to New Brighton early on Sunday morning to report on a shooting incident. The place was alive with policemen, and one of them pointed to a parked police car when the reporter asked who

was in charge. The reporter put his head in the window and asked the sole occupant whether he was the officer in charge. No, he was not, as it happened, said the man. Before he could say more, a phalanx of policemen descended on the reporter and hustled him away from the man, whose handcuffs he had failed to notice. Dirty deed AN ‘ORRIBLE murder committed in the village of Polstead, Suffolk, 150 years ago will be reenacted by the Riccarton Players in the Trinity Centre on April 22. This will be only two days after the exact anniversary of the murder, which is commemorated in the melodrama “Murder in the Red Barn”. The victim was Maria Marten, whose body was found buried in the dirt floor of the barn. The play will run for a week, and to draw attention to it, the performers intend to dress up in the costumes of h;e period ad promenade in Cathedral Square all day on Thursday next week — the anniversary’ of the dirty deed. —Garry Arthur