Reporter's Diary

Press, 12 April 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

A thousand uses? THE Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Taiboys) was presented .with a. handsome leather writing case by the

manager of Rata Leathercrafts (Mr Bonnie Waltenberg) yesterday, during a function at which -Rata received a Trade Promotion Council Export Award. The

writing case (pictured) is intricately embossed with a coat of arms and an authentic reproduction of Mr Talboys’s signature. After thanking Mr Waltenberg for the gift, Mr Taiboys asked him, amid laughter from the assembled guest's: “What are you going to do with the die?” ■ Uninipressed THE Malvern County Coun'cil is not overly enthusiastic about the Canterbury Promotion Council, formed last July to replace the Canterbury Progress League. The Malvern council, at a meeting yesterday, declined the Promotion Council’s request for a 20c ratepayer contribution, and instead decided to give only 10c a head, as it did last year. “I served my time on the Progress League,” said Cr G. B. Hayes,” and we certainly never got value for money there. Unless this lot is better, it is certainly not going to be worth giving it 20c a head.” Other members were also sceptical about’ the value of the Promotion Council, but Cr I. P. Chamberlain stuck up for it, giving it his qualified support. “I would be disappointed if the council did not support this in some way,” he said. “Twenty cents is an excessive grant* but may be

our fault that we did not use its services to promote the occasional project we have had in the county.” Special service ONE of the more unusual celebrations at the centenary of Timaru Boys’ and Girls' High Schools last week-end was a special Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Timaru on Sunday morning. A group of Roman Catholic old boys who had all joined the priesthood and had been taught 'Latin at Timaru Boys’ High School by Mr D. F. Kemshed, said the Mass entirely in Latin as a special tribute to their former Latin master who, now 87, was guest of honour at the service. Communications LAST week’s appeal in the “Diary” for a Vietnamese dictionary to help a Harwell sponsor of a Vietnamese. refugee, . Tran Thanh Mien, and his son overcome communication problems was successful. Mrs Felicity Hilson received a Vietnamese dictionary early this week and has been finding it much easier to talk to her two charges since. However, a further development has arisen that is affecting communication for Mr Tran. He has injured a leg and 1® now

unable to cycle to work In Washbourne Road. His sponsors wonder if somebody would be able to provide him with transport during the week, from Hoon Hay to Washbourne Road or to Mr Tran’s employer’s place in Lincoln Road. He starts work at 8 a.m. and finishes at 5 p.m. If anybody is able to help, please telephone Mr Jack Rogers at 228-269. Double trouble YESTERDAY’S item about the. young Sydney man who will cross the international dateline on his twenty-first birthday on April 21, and who will therefore miss his birthday, jolted the memory of a Woolston reader yesterday. On April 30, 1943, he said, he was in H.M.S. Leander en route to Pearl Harbour. That day was his twenty-first birthday, but the cruiser crossed the dateline the other way, and so he had two birthdays to celebrate. “As it turned out, though, I only celebrated one of them. I got so drunk on rum on the first April 30 that I was too ill to do any celebrating the next day. What is more, I haven’t touched a drop of rum since.”