Reporter's Diary

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

! Cornered j WHILE having stitches removed from a leg in the accident and emergency department of Christchurch Hospital this week, one of our reporters felt quite helpless when the doctors asked him if he wanted to buy a raffle ticket. There he was, he said, pinned derwn on the j hospital couch, at the i mercy of the two young j doctors who were taking [ out the stitches. He was ! so amused about his predicament that he bought a ticket in the raffle — against his better judgment. Leapt first \ A SPORTS administrator I who stormed into a j Christchurch importer’s

offices last week complaining loudly, would have done well to have looked before he leapt, according to a man who saw the incident. “What are you going to do about this?” the aggrieved man shouted, pointing to an ink stain on his otherwise immaculate suit. The importers calmed him and promised to replace the suit and the offending ballpoint pen. They were insured against this sort of thing, he was told, and would be fully reimbursed. But on closer inspection, the pen proved to be one that was not the importers. It was of much cheaper quality than the pens they import. What is more, our informant tells us, the people responsible for the leaky ballpoint were not insured against

such unfortunate occurrances. Branching out ? A NEW acquisition by the North Canterbury Hospital Board made one board member ask others if they were branching out into the liquor trade. At a meeting of the board’s finance committee, approval was given to pay §7600 for part of the car-park at the Black Horse Hotel, in Lincoln Road. Frances Hodgkins NOW that he has finished working on his forthcoming publication of the life and works of Van der Velden, Dr T. L. Rodney Wilson, a senior lecturer in art history at the University of Canterbury, plans to produce a catalogue of the work of Frances Hodg-« kins. Dr Wilson would like to hear from owners of paintings and drawings by Frances Hodgkins, a New Zealand-born artist who died in 1947, and who spent most of her adult life in Britain. He is ad’ vertising throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom in an effort to trace as much of her work as possible, and promises to keep the owners’ names a secret if they wish. Dr Wilson hopes to be able to have the paintings photographed to illustrate his catalogue. Van der Velden’s catalogue, which will be released at the beginning of next year, has 1087 works listed, all illustrated, as well as a biography and reprints of letters written by the artist. Dr Wilson says his proposed catalogue on Frances Hodgkins will differ from the one of Van der Velden in that it will not have a biography or

letters. Two other New Zealand art historians have already published these. Dr Wilson, who describes himself as a local “art history detective,” will travel to Australia and Britain on a study grant next year to locate further art works by Frances Hodgkins. Hospital fish SEVERAL new residents will soon move into the Timaru Hospital’s occupational therapy department. A fish tank will be installed in the department, complete with plants and fish. “Goldfish are relaxing to look at,” according to the occupational therapist in charge (Miss Linda Hanson). Fair exchange? ADVERTISING staff at “The Press” are puzzled about a letter they re* ceived recently asking them to place an advertisement in the paper, and enclosing £l5 to pay for as many repeats of it as possible. They are not sure if the writer of the letter is serious. She says she wants to swap her house, in the centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a farm or house somewhere in New Zealand. Anywhere will do, she says. Sick pay MODERN medicine has successfully wiped the disease smallpox off the face of the Earth, it seems. In the last two years, not one smallpox sufferer has been found. Medical researchers, eager to trace a case somewhere in the world for them to study, are now offering a §5OO reward for anyone who comes forward with the highly contagious disease.