Reporter’s diary

Press, 19 February 1983, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Tragic loss

THE PICTURE on page 8 of yesterday’s issue of “The Press” showing gutted historical houses near Adelaide struck a saddening chord for a Christchurch family, the Rutherfords.'The stone mansion in the foreground was called Carmino and was built by Mrs Fiona Rutherford’s great-grandfather, Sir Langdon Bonython. It is now owned by an uncle, Mr Hab Bonython, and the Rutherfords visited there only two weeks ago. When they heard about the bushfires, they telephoned their Adelaide relatives and were given further bad news. Another historic family home, Eurilla, only a few" kilometres from Carmino was destroyed, and the loss will be mourned by Australian art lovers. Eurilla was owned by another of Mrs Rutherford's uncles, Mr Kim Bonython, and contained a famous collection of Australian painting and sculpture. Everything was destroyed by the fire. American thanks AN AMERICAN tourist came into “The Press” newsroom yesterday and handed a telephonist a piece of paper bearing a handwritten message. He wanted it printed in the newspaper. It said: “American thanks — to four young people who assisted in getting a stuck car lifted from a ditch in the Lake Heron area on Sunday. Wow, were they strong. Real grateful.” It was signed H. J. Beegle. Bedford, Pennsylvania. Touchy subject CANON Bob Lowe's prayers for the New Zealand cricket team on Radio 3ZM spawned righteous invective in the letters to the editor column. 1

The station’s breakfast discjockey, Murray Inglis, added fuel "to the "fire when he followed up Canon Lowe’s act with a series of prayers using a set of imaginary “Tupperware” rosary beads. Some people, however, managed to see the lighter side. When Mr Inglis addressed a Christchurch Central Rotoract Club meeting on Thursday evening a woman stood up and asked him if he would like a present. He unwrapped the attractive package to find a “genuine set of handthreaded Tupperware rosary beads” from the local distributors of the more common plastic kitchenware. He was so impressed that he said he intended writing to the Pope to obtain the local franchise, as he felt the product had a great future. Overdue blues SHAME on people with overdue library books. They can cause untold frustration for people waiting to take them out. Mr H. E. Wright, of Addington, has written to vilify such ne’er do-wells, and ’ to appeal to them to change their ways. “Library books are not for people to take out and to keep these books,” he says. “I make this appeal for all overdue library books to be returned immediately to the Public Library. This letter and appeal is been made because I am fed up waiting for a book which has been out since early December, 1982,” he says. Now, there are several thousand people who have overdue books from the Canterbury Public Library alone, so imagine how many Mr Wrights there are. His words should be on the overdue borrowers’ consciences:

“People who are keeping library books and depriving other people of those books are selfish, dishonest, or just cannot be bothered to return them,” One-line winner “PINEHAVEN is dead” said the one-line advertisement in the personal coluhm of “The Press” recently. That cryptic pronouncement was enough. The Pinehaven Restaurant near Kaiapoi was besieged by reporters and disc-jockeys wanting to know the story. Far from being annoyed, the restaurateur, Mr Wallace O’Neill, was ecstatic. The restaurant was changing its name from Pinehaven to Balmoral, and Mr O’Neill had placed the advertisement in the hope that ,it would stir wider publicity. His one-liner ensured that almost everybody heard the news. Maturity problem RETURNING to university after several years out of the education system can be traumatic. The University of Canterbury Students’ Association will hold a seminar on February 23 to help people in that situation, and for people who are older than most students. The Students’ Association says it is a “mature students seminar.” You evidently have to be more than 25 to be a mature student because the seminar is only for people aged 25 and over. An all-day affair with films, lectures, and discussion, the seminar includes a smorgasbord lunch and will cost 55. . It will be held ih the Student Union building on the Ham campus, starting at 9 a.m.