Reporter's Diary

Press, 22 August 1979, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Saved the day ONE OF THE early-morn-ing newspaper delivery drivers, who works for "The Press,’’ earned the, praise of a motorist driving out of Christchurch on the northern motorway yesterday morning. Returning from his delivery to Kaikoura, the runner encountered some dangerous black ice on the Waimakariri River bridge on the motorway. So, at the end of the bridge, he pulled his truck up over the median and stopped all the motorists coming the other way, warning them of the danger ahead. They had reason to be grateful to him, a reader reports. Several drivers coming the other way, heading into the city, came to grief on the black ice. "He surely saved the day for those of us going out of town across the bridge,” our informant said.

Long journey ABOUT A YEAR ago, a .West Coast miner had the misfortune to lose his Medi-Care disc, which he ’-as wearing on a bracelet on his wrist while working down the strongman Mine. He had to get a new

one, and now wears it around his neck for safekeeping. A few days ago, he received a letter from a resident of Tawa, near Wellington, who enclosed the lost disc, and explained that he had found it in a bag of coal he had bought. Cost of living

INTENDING trans-Tasman emigrants may be interested to learn that the cost of living in Sydney and Melbourne now ranks among the most expensive in the world. The two Australian cities are, even more expensive places to live than New York, according to the latest world survey on living costs. “Business International” magazine has just published the results of its 1979 survey. On average prices, Melbourne rates 103.1 and Sydney 102.2, compared with New York's base of 100.

Times have changed REMOVING ovaries became big business in the late nineteenth century, according to an article in “Cleo” magazine, which has been reproduced in part in the "New Zealand Family Physician” journal.

Called “Gynaecology: A Curious History,” fhe article surveys some of the more esoteric myths, facts, and fantasies about women’s reproductive systems. “Like the womb, the ovaries were, blamed for all kinds of ills,” it says, “In 1872, an American doctor called Robert Battey recommended ovatectomy for women whose husbands complained of ‘unruly behaviour.’ After their ovaries were removed, said the doctor, they returned home ‘tractable, orderly, and industrious’.” Good party

IN RECOGNITION of fie voluntary work done by those members Wuo helped build the new Returned Services Association clubrooms at Sumner, a big party was thrown in their honour last week-end. Special plaques and certificates were given to the hardworking men, some of whom had put in up to 300 hours of voluntary work on the club-rooms. A good time was had by all, one member reports. In fact, one of their number managed to enjoy himself so much that, when the time came to go home, he took himself off and left his wife behind. And he

did not realise his little lapse until he got all the way home.

Sound idea FOR THE first time in 1500 years, Scotland’s wailing bagpipes have a volume control. Electronic bagpipes have arrived. They are the invention of Mr George Smith, who comes from Mull in West Scotland’s Inner Hebrides chain of islands. “It was complaints from the neighbours while I was practising my own traditional bagpipes that acutally gave me the idea for the electronic version,” Mr Smith said. “I looked for a way to control the volume without sacrificing the quality of the sound.” Good grief!

THE BRIDE was four years old and the groom seven. She was dressed in traditional white and he in green satin hat. Family members agreed it was love at first site. Foxie and Mitzi, each a Pomeranian, were married in the front yard of the Beechwood, Avenue, Connecticut, home of their owners. Joseph and Edna Boucher. The dogs took the event pretty much in their stride. But no-one could find the ring fashioned with a gold hair barette, and the French poodle which was to act as minister apparently refused to go outside.