Reporter's Diary

Press, 15 March 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

OFFICIAL recognition at last? Christchurch’s famous Wizard . (alias lan Brackenbdry Channel) is being seHt tb Melbourne by the Government Tourist Bureau to help promote New Zealand. For a whole week, Cathedral Square will rest in peace white tlie voluble Wizard is Biisy in Melbourne haranguing the crowds. He will leave on March 21 and will spfehd the week practising his own kind of vterbal fisticuffs with the Aussies, in an effort to lure them to the New Zealand stand at the “Holidays . ’BO . Tourism and Travel Show,” which begins in Melbourne .on March 26, The New ZeaHand Government Tourist Bureau is co-Oidinatmg the. Stand on behalf of New. Zealand tour Q P er 7 atorsj. Air New Zealand and Qantas. .The bureaus .Melbourne office thought it woilld be a good idea to have such a-. -novelty.. as the Wizard-.blowing New Zealand’s trumpet as Well 4s W bwri. as a -bbild-UB .to,. the “Holidays; ,;80’. •’‘Sndw, '■ which will be pro.ftibting Victorian , holiday attractions, as well as i tbdrism; ift rciherhAustraT. lian states and overseas.

Early birds . . . IN THE middle of having his breakfast yesterday morning, the Mayor of Westport (Mr J. Dellaca) was interrupted by a group of swimmers protesting about the water temperature in the town’s municipal'pool. The swimmers train at the pool at six o’clock every morning. Yesterday, the pool was too cold and so the swimmers made a protest, said their coach, Mr T. .Marsters. The pool caretaker (Mrs Jean Perkins) said that the pool was hard tb heat because of leaks and the mass of concrete round it. The heating system was not properly designed, she said, and tb top this off, it had not b'een Working properly recently. Mr Dellaca said that the council would look into the problem immediately and, if it could be righted before the-biid of the season, then" this would be done. “I really admire the enthusiasm of swimmers who get up early every morning .to train,” he said. IP Heels THE YOUNG arid young at heart are. all. invited to turn up with their wheels On, Sunday riiorning to take part in the Festival of Wheels procession. running in Cdnjunclioh with the Christchurch Arts Festival. The organisers are expecting a big turn-biit in Latihaer Square at 11 a.m; of people of all ages and their. wheels — be they wheelchairs,'. bicycles, tricycles, skateboards, scooters or skatbs. Many of the children 'will be dressed as thdir favourite television character arid most Of the wheels will be decbrdted. There will be prizes for the best deco-: • rated wheels and for the best costume, and when the procession .has, wound its way through' the city tp ; _North Hagley_ ; Park . there will be a prize for

the person who is the first to find the “Gorilla.” Soriiebne will be dressed in a gorilla suit and will be hidden somewhere in North Hagley Park — up a tree, in a bush, or behind a building — and the object of the treasure hunt is to find him. There is a chance, however, that he will be dressed tip in something other than a gorilla suit, as the organisers were having,some difficulty iri finding one.

Cdiirtesy. A BOUQUET for the Post Office, iri contrast to the many brickbats heaped iipoh it in this column and elsewhere, has corrib dur way frdrn a reader who pbstecl riri dir-mail letter to England this week. Two days later, a card drrivbd from the Post Office saying that there had been insufficient. postage on his letter, but to save him trite embarrassment of the person in England having to pay the double deficiency, the Post Office had added stamps to bring the postage up ,tb the correct amount. Would he pleaste therefore attach stamps for this amount and send the card back to the Post Office, the note said. There was. even a “Postage Paid” addressed envelope for him to put the card in. Wapiti

MR JIM GALE,, a ranger in the Grand Teton Park, in Wyoming, has written to “The Press” in respbrise to the many letters! to the editor abdtlt wapiti in Fiordland. Although corresporideribe on the subject was closed bn Thursday, it is worth while to quote Mr. Gale’s 'views. “To me, the unique bush of New Zealand . seems much more important to the country’s future and heritage than wapiti, which is riot native to New Zealand afid which is thriving here in .Wyoming,” he says. “Why not manage the wapiti on game arid ehjby your, beautiful bush unspoiled?”