Reporter's Diary

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

l\’oble beast THE HONOURS are considered to have gone to the North Island in a little exchange between a Southlander and a Masterton man in the Wairarapa “Times-Age.” “Sir,” began the first letter, “as a visitor from Invercargill, I visited the deer park and was disgusted at the condition of one of the stags. He was virtually skin and bone. Surely, if wild animals are to be kept in captivity they should be given adequate food to keep them in a healthy and contented condition. I would suggest that the Wairarapa Deerstalkers’ Association take another look at the conditions in which these noble animals are being kept.” In reply, Mr Roy Brazier, vice-presi dent of the New Zealand Deer-stalkers' Association, wrote: “Sir, How unfortunate that the writer’s knowledge of the ‘noble animal' fails to match his enthusiasm for writing let-< ters to the editor. As most knowledgeable persons know, the red stag has just completed his annual rutting period. This animal, after building up his condition in the late summer and early autumn, has just spent over two months zealously performing his harem duties. In this time of almost continuous activity little food is taken, as the animal draws on his built-up reserves. At the end of this period he consequently looks rather jaded. Can I assure readers that the ladies look pleased, and ‘Rusty’ is resting after his exertions and enjoying plenty of nourishment. I wonder how our complainant would look if he had just completed such a strenuous season?” Quite safe IT WAS like one of the more sinister scenes from

“Sleeping Dogs” — graduate nurses waiting to go into a lecture theatre yesterday were startled to find a crowd of large Maori men armed with rifles trooping out when the doors opened. Their squeals of alarm were unfounded — the men were trade trainees who had been listening to a liberal studies lecture about firearm safety. Wants to lead POLICEMAN Antonio Adamo, aged 59, has asked the courts in Genoa, Italy, to annul his marriage of 30 years, saying that new constitutional provisions guaranteeing equality of men and women have stripped the family of its leader. “Since I am no longer in command I want my marriage annulled,” Mr Adamo said in his petition to the city family court. “It is as if a nation were deprived of its leader, a company or foundation of its president, an army of its general,” he said. Mr Adamo, whose request will be considered by the Court in October, married in 1948. Too dark to sleep MOST of the winter team at Scott Base are finding it difficult to get a good night’s sleep now that the short twilight has given way to a long period of perpetual night. They have the same trouble in the summer, when the sun ; stays above the horizon , day and night, a condition ■ which the Americans have dubbed “the big eye.” Most outdoor activities have been brought to an < end by the onset of 24hour darkness, including the weekly run which was i part of the routine of < John Lythgoe, of Wellington, the winter leader. He 1 was running from Scott ' Base to Williams Field, 1 the airstrip, and back — a 1 distance of about 10km — I

in temperatures ranging from minus 28 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees. He ran every Sunday until the middle of last month. Now he and the base’s lone Australian, Warwick Williams, keep fit by doing circuits of the gymnasium at McMurdo Station, 4km away over the hill. A ring-in HALF-WAY through the second day of the New Zealand indoor bowls championships, an official was summoned to a mat in the southern corner of Cowles Stadium and asked to explain exactly what it was that was being used as the jack (the little white ball that bowlers aim at). The official gave it a close examination and had to make the embarrassed confession that it was not a , real jack at all — it was a | billiard ball that had lost its , shine. A similar “please explain” is expected any dayj at some Christchurch bil- : liard table. j A merry chase A DOG chased a hare across j a building site in Aarhus, ( Denmark. The dog’s owner ] chased both. A building site ( watchdog chased hare, dog . and man. A watchman ; chased them all, and was in ‘ turn chased by a police pat- j rol, with dogs. Only the hare ( got away. It all happened } because a man walking his ( dog had unleashed the pet. , Passing by the building site, j the dog saw the hare, took j pursuit, and triggered the j chase of chasers’ being j chased. The watchman mis- , took the dog’s owner for a £ possible thief, and called in ( the police before starting his ( own pursuit. Next thing, the police were chasing him, while he was chasing the man who was chasing the dog which was chasing the 1 hare. The police said no-one s was injured, and everything ‘ was settled amicably when « the chasers caught up with j the chasers after the chased hare escaped.

Filling in time WHO watches the watchdogs? That is what two young women asked themselves yesterday as they sat in a queue of traffic behind a television delivery van. Inside the van was a young guard dog, whose role presumably was to prevent any harm coming to the television sets. The delay was a long one and the dog was evidently getting bored: he , amused himself by chewing ' up the leads at the back of . a television set. Seal appeal 1 SO PLEASED are the members of the Sumner Redcliffs Historic Society with the old Sumner Borough Council seal-press which one of them recovered from the dump, that they would now like to find one that they can use for their own society seal. Mr George Roberts, a committee member, said yesterday that the borough seal-press could not be used for other seals, but the society would like to get its own seal made, for embossing such things as the certificates of honorary life members. They asked Mr Maurice Hayes, the former I Christchurch Town Clerk i (and New Brighton T jwn; Clerk before that) but he could not recall the hiding places of any seal-presses. Mr Roberts thinks there may be some lying about in lawyers’ attics or insurance company vaults, and would be glad to hear of any, at telephone 265-134. The society does not yet have a museum, but it has a growing collection of artefacts from the district in safekeeping at the Sumner Community Centre, which was once the borough council chambers. It hopes to have a display available for public viewing once a week. Advance notice TIMID graffiti foundscrawled in our basement: “The meek shall inherit the earth (if that’s all right with you).” —Garry Arthur