Reporters Diary

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 2

Reporters Diary

Big circus WHEN the Great International Circus comes to Christchurch over the summer holidays, 200 deserving children will see the opening performance free of charge, through the generosity of Michael

Edgely International and with ’ the assistance of community service clubs. Similar schemes are being planned in the four main centres of New Zealand, where the children will be the guests of U.N.I.C.E.F. and the International Year of the Child organisations.

Adopted out

THE FOUR homeless puppies pictured in “The Press” yesterday have all been found adoptive families. They were born a few weeks ago under a house in Scarborough where their pregnant mother, Dior, had been dumped by her previous owner. Mrs Barbara Bellerby, under whose house Dior was found, said she received many calls yesterday as a result of our plea and has found suitable homes for all the puppies — with several would-be puppy owners to spare. Mrs Bellerby said that her neighbours had decided to keep Dior, as they had grown quite fond of her since she had arrived in the area and there had been no firm offer from anyone to take the pups’ mother. Considerations THOSE tell-tale bundles of feathers on the highway or the street are graphic evidence of the fate of many ducks and ducklings at this time of the year: they have failed to avoid the oncoming traffic. Some motorists, however, do have feelings for the ducks — like the motorist along the Main West Road at West Melton a few days ago. Seeing a duck and her brood attempting to cross the road, he stopped, and put on his hazard lights. Traffic from both directions also stopped, and mother duck ana her family duty made it safely to the stream at the side of the highway.

Milk bar

NOT EVERY cow would put up with feeding a dozen or so hungry lambs twice a day. But Betty, a quiet, unassuming Jersey cow on Wainuioru station, near Masterton, seems to enjoy her role as the Wairarapa moving milk bar. The owners of the station are thankful that Betty is able to save them the trouble of milking the cow and then feeding the lambs from bottles. The only problem, they have found, has been the necessity to revise their explanation of the birds and the bees to their two-year-old daughter. Lambs, after all, do not come from cows. Circum navigation A WELLINGTON woman is trying to establish a world record for circumnavigation of the North Island. Ms Jacqui Barber will attempt the non-stop 10-hour flight next December in a single-engine, sixseater Cessna 206. The flight has been done several times, but in each case there was no official record and the flights were no non-stop. Ms Barber had polio as a child and has little movement in one foot, in spite of a number of operations. She will fly the plane and two other private pilots will act as co-pilot and navigator. Ms Barber is an experienced flyer, having logged 200 flying hours. Beehive landing WHEN Telma Paiva. a 21-year-old Rio de Janeiro woman, made her first parachute jump this week, she pulled the wrong control line on her parachute and landed on a beehive. As a result she had to spend six hours in hospital having 150 bee stings removed from her body.

Christmas person ? AN advertisement in yesterday’s edition of “The Press” prompted a reader to complain that, in view of the Human Rights Commission Act, she felt she was being dis-

criminated against. The job advertisement was for a Father Christmas for a city shopping centre. “It’s not fair,” she said. “Why can’t they have a Mother Christmas?” Or even a Christmas Person? Somehow in spite of the act, anything other than a Father Christmas would seem to spoil the age-old traditional role of Santa. Mainly for men A GIFT for the man who has everything, the advertisement says. It is the first Male Chauvinist Pig diary, produced in Britain, by M.C.P. Publications and it includes instructions on how to crush feminists. “When accused of being crude, insensitive and selfish, respond by being more crude, insensitive and selfish. Never give in,” the diary advises. It is also laced with quotations aimed at shoring up the egos of males who feel in need of such props. “Since a woman must wear chains, I would have the pleasure of hearing ’em rattle a little,” is a quote from George Farquhar that is reproduced faithfully for the practising or aspiring M.C.P. But although the diary is intended to be mainly for men, the company reports that, so far, most of its sales have been to women. Some excuse!

A YOUNG burglary suspect in New York had a novel explanation when he was caught in the act last Friday night. A police officer, passing a small, branch police station, spotted a broken window and went inside to investigate. There he found a 16-year-old ransacking lockers and desks. The boy told the policeman that he was looking for a job application form because he wanted to be a policeman. Man for the job THE NEW London credit controller for the Diners’ Club is Mr John Spendlove. —Felicity Price