Random reminder

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 18

Random reminder

FLYING SQUAD

Skateboards are on the way out. Old age pensioners may now use the footpath — even past schools and dairies — without getting multiple fractures. The family skateboard, which once trapped adult feet in a different place each day, usually when the adult hands were full of _ baby, laundry, or crockery, now remains as a stationary ' hazard, familiar, immobile. The leather guard to the , elbow (in hill suburbs, leather guards to shin, knee, thigh, bum, waist, chest, back, shoulder, bicep, forearm, wrist, palm, finger, neck and head) is no longer a status symbol. The new status symbol is not (thank heavens!) the pony or the trail bike. The new status symbol is (watch the heavens!) the kite. True, for many years the columns of “The Press” have carried Power Board warnings about transmission lines and wet string. But this year it has all haonened together: local. and overseas

designs, plans, and books; new materials, light tough and tractable; new fastenings fittings and adhesives. In shed, in garage, in kitchen, in living room, on floor, on table, from West Melton to East ; New Brighton, the cutting and gluing and tying and balancing goes on. A. kite these days may have two or more control lines — thin wire, Power Boards please note —: and do everything from square loops to shooting down rivals in flames. And this column has investigated only the bookstores. Not the toyshops where for all we know there, may be ready-made kites with which any’ passing infant and their rich uncle may black-out whole provinces. It is an inexpensive hobby. The cost of the electricity to vaporise one infant, one uncle, one (or three) control wires, one kite, several kilometres of transmission line, and most of the Islington sub-station would be less than two dollars.