Reporter's Diary

Press, 29 July 1978, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

MESSAGE (WITH • ’NIGHTLEAD AGNES”): SYDNEY, JULY 26, NZPA — THE FOLLOWING COPY IS THE LAST RECEIVED BY AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS IN SYDNEY ON ONE OF ITS MAIN LINES BEFORE TROPICAL STORM AGNES BROUGHT MOST COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH HONG KONG TO A HALT: (EDS: TEXT) :STORM: HONG KONG, JULY 26, REUTER — HONG KONG BATTENED DOWN TODAY BEFORE A SEVERE TROPICAL STORM SWEEPIN TOWARDS IXCDSUQJF (EDS: ENDS TEXT.) NZPA/SH

Storm teaming HONG KONG may well have “battened down” to prepare for the storm that was about to hit it, but it would appear that the offices of the Press Association there failed to do so. Our cable sub-editor received a garbled message (shown in the photograph) from PA ending abruptly in a blaze of jumbled letters, which gives the impression the storm was so terrifying that the staff in Hong Kong — or the teleprinter there, at the very least — gave up the ghost. Courtroom battle THE KAIKOURA courtrooms have no historic value, according to the Kaikoura County Council. But the New Zealand Historic Places Trust says that they have. The council was told last week that the 70-year-old courtrooms had been listed by the trust as an historic place. But the council was adamant that the rarely-used ageing courtrooms had no points worthy of local interest, and it has decided to write to the trust lodging an objection to the listing. According to Councillor G. D. Gordon, the only people who might have an historic interest in the building would be the “poor unfortunates who had received sen» tences there.” Sober but guilty LAST Saturday night, we hear, at the height of the drunken-driving blitz, a man was stopped in Christchurch on his way home by a traffic officer. “We’re checking warrants of fitness,” the officer told him, and peered inside the car. The motorist, how-

ever, had not been drinking and, apparently satisfied of this, the officer withdrew his head and let the man go. A few miles further down the road, he was stopped again by another traffic officer. “We’re checking warrants of fitness,” he was told again, and again the officer poked his head inside the car and sniffed for the smell of alcohol. Satisfied that he was sober, the second officer let the motorist go on his way. When he got home, the man happened to glance at his warrant of fitness, wondering when it would expire. He noticed, with some amazement, that it had expired three days before. Nudists A MOTORIST on Riccarton Road yesterday afternoon tells us she was most surprised to see two girls frolicking in the old fountain opposite Konini Street. They were both in their birthday suits — absolutely starkers. And they were both two years old. Cuddly kids THE TWO performing goats, starring in the Canterbury Children’s Theatre production of “Heidi,” that were mentioned in the “Diary” yesterday, have been wonderful publicity agents for the play. They have been visiting Christchurch schools and will continue to do so until the “Heidi” season begins in the August holidays. (If any school would like the

goats to visit them in the next two weeks, teachers should telephone 389-286 between 5 and 6 p.m.) According to the publicity officer for Children’s Theatre (Mr Peter Brown) the benefits of these visits work both ways — the children get a chance to hold baby goats and learn about them, and the kids get a chance to become used to adulation of crowds of kids. Checkmate FLEET STREET is mourning the loss of one of its great story tellers, with the death last Friday of Henry Longhurst, golf columnist and a favourite television commentator all over the world. The stories being recalled about him include one about an exchange he had with the late Lord Brabazon, the father of British aviation, some years ago. Lord Brabazon was conducting a long — and longdistance •— chess match by mail with Lady Powercourt In Dublin. The exchange began, as Henry Longhurst remembered it, in mid-summer, when he first asked Lord Brabazon about the progress of the chess match. “I lost a bishop in February,” he was told, and I’ve been in difficulties ever since.” That autumn they met again and, to Mr Longhurst’s inquiry, Lord Brabazon replied: “I was mated last week.” Mr Longhurst recalled later that they had agreed that Lord Brabazon might now add to his many other distinctions that of being the only peer ever