Reporter's Diary

Press, 17 April 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Transported MR CHOV Chhoan, a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in Christchurch last December, was transported with delight last week-end. An appeal in the “Diary" last week for the return of Mr Chov’s bicycle after it was stolen from outside his flat in River Road, did not result in the thief’s seeing the error of his ways and returning the ..lachine. But it did result in two persons’ offering to give an unwanted bicycle to Mr Chov. The first to telephone with his offer was Mr L. W. McCaskill, of Riccarton. “I am so old I can’t use it any more,” he said. “It is no use to me, but if he can come and get it, Mr Chov is welcome to have it.” So on Saturday, Mr Chov went to see Mr McCaskill and to collect the bicycle, which will mean he will once again be able to transport hir. If to and from work .and night classes in English. The second offer came from a Cust farmer, to whom Mr Chov and his sponsors are also grateful.

Poles apart? CATHEDRAL Square was the gathering point yesterday lunchtime for two separate groups which had more in common than they would like to admit. Both were trying to draw attention to their causes by marching through Christchurch streets and rallying in the Square, and both were connected with the education system. But there the _■ resemblance ended. On the one hand were the itertiary-students, protesting about education cuts and on the other were the pre-schoolers, who had followed a Pied Piner into the Square and whose parents were nublicising the cause of the Canterbun' Plavcentres’ Association. t

Milk thief BAY, a 10-year-old Labrador dog, often brings home odd bits and pieces he finds in neighbouring back yards. He has, over the years, dragged home piece's of old carpet, mats, newspapers, and bits of rubbish and stashes them away in his kennel, no doubt for a rainy day. But on Tuesday night, much to his owners’ horror, he brought home two milk bottles; with coupons inside them, sitting in a plastic milk bottle container. His. embarrassed owners have been trying to find the owners of the milk bottles, but so far they have had no luck. If anybody living in Fendalt’on lost two milk bottles this week, they now know who to blame. Name the same THE BULLER 'County Council decided not to rename Mary’s Creek, south of Westport, after all. said the County Clerk (Mr R. M. Elley) yesterday. He was replying to Monday’s item, in which a Cheviot reader said that he made a special point of looking for the new sign for the creek, which was to have been renamed Dirty Mary’s Creek, but that the name had not so far been changed. “The council did resolve some time ago to have : the signposting of the creek, revert to its original name of Dirty Mary’s Creek, but a subs sequent decision was made to rescind that earlier resolution,” he said. The same thing happened regarding the' old closed cemetery at S 'Addisons. “This was again a case of second thoughts and a changed decision,” Mr Elley said.-: The council

was told that similar disused and isolated cemeterises had, in other parts of New Zealand, been desecrated and vandalised, and it was felt that Addisons would be safer if it were left without a signpost. Napoleonic IN A fortnight’s time, The Court’s Studio Theatre will stage “Madam Mere,” a play that requires a plaster bust of Napoleon, but so far theatre staff have been unable to find one. They would also like to borrow a small, white fur rug (not sheepskin) if they could; and for their forthcoming production of “The Life and Times of Katherine Mansfield,” which will open next week, they would like to borrow a carver chair produced about the turn of the century. Surprisingly; such chairs have not been very easy to come by. If anybody is able to help with these items, would they please telephone Todd Green at the Court Theatre. Ouch!

A SMALE bust of the, composer, Haydn, was shown to the annual meeting of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society on Tuesday evening. The treasurer (Mr J. R. Allison) held up the bust for members to see when he stood up to make his report. “We haven’t produced a work of Haydn’s in the last year,” he said, “But may I say, in the Australian vernacular, that the Skellerup Wodlstcm Brass Band gave the Australians a bit of a . . .”