Reporter's Diary

Press, 27 May 1978, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Three art forms THE WOMAN in this picture is listening to one of Bruce Harvey’s paintings in the C.S.A. gallery. He has a useful combination of talents which enables him to paint as he writes as he composes, and he calls the results “Harvonics.” This one, called “Dying Owl Suite,” is one of many striking bird studies in the exhibition, and is accompanied by music which can be heard through the nearby headphones, and followed on the musical score which makes up a large part of the picture. The price tag is $3OOO. Mr Harvey says the music will be dedicated to the buyer. Golden oldie “I KNOW a good New Zealand song for that South Pacific song contest,” said an elderly caller this week. ‘‘My sister used to sing it about 80 years ago.” Yes, 80 years ago. Mrs Ivy Hammer is now 91, and her sister Kate, sang this patriotic song when little Ivy was about 10. “Shajl I sing it for you?” she asked, then kindly warbled these verses over the telephone: ‘‘l love bonny Scotland and England’s fair shores,

But I love the fair land of the Maori far more, Where labour’s a blessing and health reigns supreme, Where peace and contentment imbues every scene; With its flax and its ferns and its rare cabbage trees, Blue shirts and sunbonnets — New Zealand for me.” It was not the first time recently that Mrs Hammer had sung her sister’s song. She visited the R.S.A.’s Rannerdale Home the other day and sang it for the entertainment of the residents. “It’s typical of the old New Zealand,” she said. “When I was a girl, lots of men wore blue shirts and the girls wore sunbonnets.” Wine scare THOSE involved in the production of the do-it-yourself programme, “Of Course You Can Do It,” have been popping their corks this week over a suggestion that advice given about wine-making was downright dangerous. It had been recommended on the programme, screened by TVI on Sunday mornings, that homemade wine could be strained through paper towels. But an Auckland man who strained five

gallons of honey wine through paper towels was warned against it by a friend, who said the towels were treated with chemicals. Tl.e winemaker was told that the substance contained mercury. TVI in Dunedin was advised of this, and immediately made inquiries of the D.S.I.R. Barrie Garden, who presents the programme, said yesterday that the possible danger was still being investigated, but the D.S.I.R.’s chief chemist had assured TVI that there was nothing to worry about. A compound containing mercury was used to clean machinery for the paper-towel making process, but this practice had been stopped in 1972. Mr Garden added that if the rumour of danger was getting round among winemakers, it might be necessary to give some explanation soon to viewers of the programme. Nice one

A CROWD of sportsmen returning from a game were on a recent Mount Cook Airlines flight to Christchurch. They were full of high spirits, as you might say, and began playing with some of the cabin equipment, such as the emergency oxygen gear. The purser asked them to take care, adding that they would have to bear the expense of any damage. Then he noticed that one man had inflated the life-jacket under his seat. The purser knew from experience that this spelled the end of the lifejacket — they don’t recover from being inflated in such a confined space, apparently. The aircraft’s captain advised him to get the sportsman’s name and address. The sportsman did not seem very concerned. His organisation would pay, he said, but as a matter of interest, what would it cost? A new lifejacket would be $9O, said the purser. “Whew, that’s expensive,” said the sportsman. “Well,” said the purser, “that’s inflation.” Family planning IT WAS a great disappointment to a young Christchurch woman when she learned that her closest friend was not able to attend her wedding. The reason, said her friend, was that the August wedding came right at lambing time and she would be needed on her husband’s farm at Oteramika, Southland. The bride-to-be had to start considering others for the role of bridesmaid, but then came

another letter from Oteramika. Her friend would be coming after all. Her husband had held a planning meeting with his shepherds, and they had agreed to hold the rams back for a week. Firm friends now SOME old soldiers attending next week-end’s national reunion of the 23rd Battalion may still harbour hard feelings towards their old enemies, but not Keith Burtt. An incident which he now rather regrets has led to a very warm friendship with a German who was once his prisoner. Captain Burtt, as he was then, took part in a dusk attack on a wooded hill at Sora in northern Italy towards the end of World War 11. After the barrage went in, some German soldiers in houses at the foot of the hill came out and surrendered. They were searched, and Captain Burtt got down on one man’s pocket watch. He had some regrets about it, but says someone else would have kept it if he had not. It was inscribed, “For 24 years’ service,” and with the word “Idar,” which he learned several years later stood for the town of Idar-Oberstein. A friend visiting relatives in Germany tried to find the owner, and the German newspapers took up the story. There was a twopage spread about the one watch returned of millions purloined from German prisoners, and this publicity produced the owner — Reinhard Gemmel, a manufacturing jeweller. Mr Burtt and his former prisoner began corresponding, and in 1970 Mr Burtt went to Germany and stayed with Mr Gemmel for four days. He and others of his family have been treated most hospitably since. Mr Gemmel is convinced that by taking him prisoner, Mr Burtt saved his life. Getting his silver watch back was a bonus. Public-spirited ONE of the jurymen who reported for service at the Supreme Court in Christchurch this week came all the way from Waimate. It turned out that he used to live in Christchurch, and his summons to do jury service had been forwarded to his new address. He obeyed it, not noticing the let-out on the back which said he was automatically excused if he lived more than 30km from the courthouse. The man was paid his expenses and sent home. — Garry Arthur