Reporters diary

Press, 29 May 1982, Page 2

Reporters diary

Long wait RUNNING waiters are expected to add a little light

relief to the Basta International Marathon in Auckland- tomorrow. Roger Bourban from the United States, will run the race in a white shirt, bow tie, waistcoat and black trousers — delicately balancing a bottle on a tray. He will not be alone in the attempt to break his own record of two hours and 46 minutes (set in the London Marathon), Kim Osborne, of New Zealand, will also run the race balancing a tray. Bees bow out

SPACE AGE man is more likely to be pestered by flies than stung by bees. Expert mental groups of flies, motlW and bees which accompanied the latest flight of the Colombia space shuttle provided some interesting information on the ability of insects to cope with weightlessness. Films taken during the flight show that the clever flies soon realised that a gentle push with a leg was enough to send them floating gently without moving their wings until they finally hit something edible. The lazy moths just dozed in a dark corner and became even more idle when their weight vanished. The bees, hard-working as ever, busily

flew around burning up energy in useless efforts until they died of exhaustion.

Hero’s stamp

TERRY FOX, the young Canadian athlete who died of cancer in June last year, became a national hero when he attempted a marathon run across his country in 1980, to publicise the plight of cancer victims. (A documentary about his exploits was shown on New Zealand television several days ago). The run started in Newfoundland where Fox dipped his withered right leg in the Atlantic Ocean. He ran 5342 kilometres in four months and a half before a diagnosis of lung cancer forced him to stop in Ontario. Now Canada has issued a stamp commemorating him. A Kaiapoi resident received a first day cover of the 30c issue, and forwarded it to a local Cancer Society official who viewed it with much interest. She thanks the supporter who sent it in. The stamp was issued on April 13. Vacant THE DRIVER of the big. red bus got precious little response when he pleaded to

all those standing to ■’move down the bus, please." It worried the man who was standing forward of the line where one is not meant to stand. So he suggested to the driver that the next time he had to stop, he open the back door as well as the front. Out leapt the man. raced round do the back door, past those standing blankly in the front two-thirds of the bus. and into the clearly visible empty seat in the back. Potters’ prize ONE OF the most lucrative pottery awards in the world is the Fletcher Brownbuilt Pottery Award. New Zealand's biggest and most prestigious prize for potters which, this year, has received 275 entries from seven countries. Since its inception six years ago, the award has attracted increasing numbers of entries from New Zealand and overseas. This year, 45 entries came in from Australia, the United States, England, Switzerland, Japan and West Germany. The judge, an Australian potter, Gwyn Piggot, will start looking at entries next week. The $3OOO award will be presented to the winning potter in Auckland on June 5.