Club founded on good N.Z. voices

Press, 2 April 1980, Page 16

Club founded on good N.Z. voices

By

GENEVIEVE FORDE

Three years ago Patricia Thornton put an advertisement in the San Diego newspapers in Southern California. It read: “If you want to hear good Australian and New Zealand voices go to the San Diego Press Club next Wednesday night.” It was a wet night on the Wednesday but 25 people ' came and they formed the ANZAC — Australia New ' Zealand America Club — primarily a social club which does a great deal to promote New Zealand and Australia in California. Now the club has -250 members, among them Leo McCarthy, the Speaker of

the Assembly in the California legislature, and it gets up to all sorts ;of things — like importing $lOOO worth of frozen New Zealand sausages, promoting pavlovas, Mount' Hutt ski-ing films, Maori concert parties, po 7 hutukawa - and • toi toi plants, New Zealand brass bands, the frigate Otago — anything Australasian that comes their way, and just generally, having a good time socialising once a month and remembering old times in the old country 7. Because the club is substantially “Deep Freeze” rooted ■— a substantial number of the. members are Christchurch girls who

have married Deep Freeze boys — it has strong Christchurch connections. But Mrs Thornto.n wasn’t a : deep frozen bride. As Patricia Venning, she was born in Greymouth and brought up in Westport until her family came to Christchurch when she went to St Mary’s College for her secondarv schooling. She began her career working for Pickles. Perkins and Hadlee, a Christchurch accounting firm — “very strict, very good training,” she said — and now .she is one of two assistants to the chairman of San Diego Federal. Savings and Loan, which, she

said, is a.. 53 billion building society and bank combined in San Diego. She and her husband Jim (they have three, children) had a sort of promotional courtship. Miss Venning had gone to work for International Harvester as a secretaryclerk and it was there that she ran into Americans who showed the most appalling ignorance about New Zealand — she still runs into thenv They are amazed that' -she speaks English so well, for example. But back in Christchurch she decided, with a few other people, that something should be done about improving New Zea-

land’s image overseas, “to show people that we were civilised; not just a piece of England in the South Pacific.” A list of overseas addresses in an article in (he New Zealand Women's Weekly about international pen pals gave her the idea to write to them about New Zealand. She prepared little promotional packages — containing a calendar, information and so on — and sent them off. One happened to land on the desk Of Jim Thornton, a reporter on the “Dallas Morning News,” who was told ‘to get rid of this person” but his sense of humour got the better of him and he sent back his own promotional package on Te>;as, including a calendar full of hideous Texan scenery. “So 1 sent him a ruler and more stuff back,” said Patricia. This went on for two years, and “a little personal note would get in there” uhtil she wrote about her trip to Australia, and the chap she had been out with there who was thinking of coming to New Zealand. “Tell him you’re promised to me,” wrote back Mr Thornton, who had nfever either seen or spoken to his future bride. “A terrible presumption,” recalled Mrs Thornton. And he turned up some months later and they married. For the past 10 years, the Thorntons have lived

in San Diego,'and it. looks as if they will stay there now, said Patricia. Her husband is the consumer affairs writer for the “Evening Tribune.” Patricia’s job includes arranging travel, lunches and umpteen things for her boss • whose other assistant does the more clerical side of the job.

While she has been home visiting during this last fortnight, Patricia has walked the Milford Track and has taken colour photographs and written an article which was commissioned for the “Evening Tribune.” Last July the Anzac Club held a" big reception at her house to publicise New Zealand, the New

Zealand ambassador. Merwyn Norrish. “brought down tremendous supplies of New Zealand lamb chops, sausages, wine and beer" and the club members added salads, custard squares, “pavlovas you wouldn’t believe” and trifles.

Because of media coverage, 200 people came instead of the 100 expected.

Patricia said she thinks the reason that the club has grown to be so popular is partly because of media support. The local papers have taken a fancy to them, especially’ their social writers. The club is not just social, however. Many members have been helped over loneliness.