Reporters Diary

Press, 28 August 1979, Page 2

Reporters Diary

Freeing the city? VIKING raiders will arrive in longboats, disembark on the shores of Victoria Lake, and fight against Imperialists this week-end, all to liberate Christchurch. With about 40 warriors on each side, the Viking Raiding Party, led by the high chieftain (Lars Leyden) will fight a mock battle against Alf’s Imperial Army, led by the Wizard on the shores of Victoria Lake, not far from the Armagh Street Bridge. We are assured that the weapons will not be lethal. Flour bombs and paper swords will comprise most of the armaments, although the Viking raiders say they have “an ultimate secret weapon” in reserve to ensure they realise their aim of “liberating Christchurch from the Imperialists.” After the battle, which will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Mr Leyden says the Wizard and his army of Imperialists will have to apply to the Viking Raiding Party for permission to speak in Cathedral Square. After all, he says, bv then, the Vikings will have liberated the city. Tea total LIBRARIANS at . the Canterbury Public Library could be in for a dry time. In their budget for the 12

months to next March they were allowed $450 for morning and afternoon teas, but after only four months, they have spent almost three-quarters of that sum. Only $ll7 is left to cover the remaining eight months, so it could be dry biscuits and halfcuppas only to eke out the kitty. According to figures presented to the Christchurch City Council’s cultural committee yesterday, however, total library spending is running well inside the $500,000 allowed this year. So perhaps discussions during the tea breaks have provided other economies. Woolly headed? THE IMAGE of New Zealanders overseas is hard to escape. In the July issue of the “New’ Yorker” magazine, a cartoon shows us as others see us. One man in the cartoon is in New York City, asking for directions and information. The other man replies: “I’m afraid I can’t help you. I’m from New Zealand and all I know is sheep.” Earned his freedom THE RUGGED reptile racer, Wrong Note, became the 1979 world champion shingleback lizard with a surprise win in Eulo’s Queen’s Hotel backyard championships, 1200 km west of Brisbane,

on Sunday. Although Wrong Note’s 35-second run was well outside the 2.2-second record set by Herbie in 1971, he outclassed the opposition. Australia’s only lizard race caller and auctioneer, Brian Flower, said that Wrong Note had been generally overlooked by bidders at the pre-race auction. All starters in the championship had to be auctioned to temporary owners immediately before the event. “It is a credit to Wrong Note’s owners that they spotted and stayed with a rank outsider,” Mr Flower said. For their loyalty, the syndicate received $2OO prize-money and the coveted World Champion Lizard trophy. He said that Wrong Note and the other 74 lizards that ran in the five races would receive the prize of freedom in the bush the next day. First book MARK D. SADLER — twice a candidate for Parliament on the ticket of his Keynesian Progressive Party, a frequent writer of letters to the editor of “The Press” and a familiar figure cycling about Christchurch for the last 20 years — has published a book. “The Possibilities of Man” is described by its author as a popular account. of experiments in psychology which he did at the University of Canterbury in the 19505. Mr Sadler /describes himself as “an individual adventurer in science.” He »ays he decided “the scii

ence of the mind was greatly in need of improvement” and “The Possibilities of Man,” priced at $6, is the result. This book is described by the author as “Volume I” and two more volumes are promised. Superfluous THE CANTERBURY under-12 soccer team re-, turned home triumphant at the week-end after winning all its games in the national tournament in Auckland. Canterbury scored 19 goals while only having one goal scored against it — and even that was a free kick. The only member of the team who was not exactly overjoyed with the success was the goalkeeper. Looking disgruntled when he returned home, he said, “I don’t know what I went for. They didn’t need me at all.” Fair comment! WAY BACK in 1960, according to the University of Canterbury “Chronicle,” the University of Otago had an honorary lecturer in vital statistics. This little-known fact, the “Chronicle” says, is recorded in the University of New Zealand Calendar for that year. “Since Otago does' not now appear to have such a position,” the newsletter says, “one can only assume it has gone bust, wasted away," or turned hippy.” I