Reporter’s diary

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Grain appeal t A LOWER HUTT art museum has made an appeal for grain on the stalk. The

Dowse Art Museum is mounting an. exhibition called "Taste before Eating.” A central part of it will be on early-settler sustenance and it will pay particular attention to the processing of wheat for making bread. In the 1840 s the Hutt Valley was considered to be the grain bowl of New Zealand. Now, however, the museum has found it impossible to find any grain reasonably close by with which to mount a display like the one recorded some years ago in thepicture, which is now in the Alexander Turnbull Library. The museum is asking Canterbury wheat, barley, and oats growers for grain on the stalk for the show. Its telephone number is Wellington (04) 695-743. Unknown songster A LETTER to “The Press” this week revealed a fact not generally known to the public: the Christchurch civil engineer and chairman of the Mount Hutt ski company, Mr Peter Yeoman, once sang in public. His performance was so accomplished that at least one of the audience remembers the event more than 25 years later as one of the highlights of his school days. The occasion was recalled by Mr C. L. McLay, who said in his letter that Mr Yeoman had sung “On the Road to Mandalay” before an assembly ■ of Waitaki Boys’ High School. Mr Yeoman said yesterday he was surprised that someone should remember. It occurred in 1955, he was the head prefect, and half a dozen or so boys were pushed and goaded into competing in the school’s annual singing contest. Mr Yeoman had what he calls a "schoolboy baritone,” and used, to sing in the school’s stage shows. “How good I was I Would have to leave to others to judge. I certainly did not win the- contest.” He had never felt inclined to test his voice before a wider public he said, and nowadays confined his singing to “well lubricated social occasions.” Travelling hopefully A TELEX message arrived at “The Press” the other day from a publishing house in Bonn drawing attention to

“an extraordinary visitor” due in New Zealand next month. He is Alfred StielauPallas, who is to West Germans what Dale Carnegie (“How to Win Friends and Influence People”) and Napoleon Hill (“Think and Grow Rich”) are to Americans. His works “show how to overcome, everyday difficulties with positive thinking and how to oppose unemployment with optimisim in order to motivate employees as well as entrepreneurs.” What makes him extraordinary, presumably, is the fact that he is coming to New Zealand "to gather in your wonderful country a lot of ideas and inspiration for another book.” Why are we printing all this? The message says: “He asked us to advertise his journey to a limited number of media only. So we have selected just you out of the large circle.” Flattery works every time. Park news-sheet A NEW free news sheet to publicise activities in national parks and reserves has been published by the Lands and Survey Department. It is called “Leisure Lands” and is designed to inform the public, of organised activities, and recreational opportunities in the department’s national parks, maritime parks, reserves, and other recreational areas.

It contains information about the summer programmes on Tongariro, Mount EgmOnt, and Urewera national parks in the North Island; Fiordland, Mount Aspiring, Westland, Mount Cook,. Arthur’s Pass, Nelson Lakes, and Abel Tasman in the South Island; and the three maritime parks — Bay of Islands, Hauraki Gulf, and Marlborough Sounds. “Leisure Lands” has been distributed to- all park headquarters, Lands and Survey district offices, hotels, post offices, airports, rental car firms, bus depots, libraries, schools, and other outlets.

Lost chords A 540,000 Steinway grand piano bought for Wellington’s new town hall is thought to be lying on. the bottom of the Bay of Biscay. The piano was bound for New Zealand in a container on a ship that recently left London. The ship struck bad weather in the bay and four containers were swept overboard. It is almost certain that the council’s grand was in one of them, said Wellington’s Deputy Town Clerk, Mr Peter Dawson, yesterday. The suppliers now have to’ provide another Steinway. None of the extra cost will fall on the council, however, as it does not assume responsibility until its piano is delivered. . i