Reporter’s diary

Press, 6 March 1984, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Young reader A RATHER bored-looking Geoffrey Hill, aged eight months, of Whangaparaoa, is pictured browsing through a book of knitting patterns during a visit to Christchurch with his parents.

Going underground

COULD THE Accident Compensation Corporation have started to phase itself out of existence? Mr D. S. A. McLean, of Omihi, North Canterbury, received an FLCI9 original claim transfer advice form from the corporation in the mail the other day. “Dear Sir/ Madam,” said the form. “Future action on the above claim will be taken in this office. If you have any queries relating to the claim, please refer them to the address shown below.” There is no address below or anywhere else on the form — not even a telephone number. Poor season

THE 1 , COURT Theatre’s production of the comic strip, “Footrot Flats,” which played to full houses in Christchurch for more than three months, has gone down like a lead balloon in Greymouth. Attendance was so poor that the theatre’s tour manager, Nicholas Mcßryde, threatened that

the Court Theatre would not return to Greymouth, ever, unless the attendance improved. West Coasters were staying away in droves, he said. Greymouth’s Regent Theatre was less than half full for the opening night last Wednesday, but houses improved slightly before the season ended on Saturday evening. Mr Mcßryde said that the poor attendance had not affected the actors’ performances, “but it would make them feel better if more people came to watch the show.” Sold after all IT SEEMS that not all of the exhibitors at the Great Railings Art Show expected their works to sell like hot cakes. One of the women visitors liked two of the paintings she saw, and came back in the afternoon with her husband. She persuaded him to buy the paintings for her. The husband was just loading the newly purchased treasures into the car when he was accosted by a somewhat dishevelled lady, who had clearly been running. She tried to wrestle one of the pictures away from the man, declaring accusingly: “You’ve got my paintings!" She was the modest and perhaps pessimistic artist Oyster prices

AS HAS often been the case in the past, it is cheaper to buy Bluff oysters in Christchurch than at pojnts fur-

ther south. An agreement between wholesalers which has kept the price of a dozen raw oysters to $2 or less for the last three seasons probably makes Christchurch the cheapest place .in New Zealand for oyster lovers. “A dozen raw” costs $2.04 in Bluff, and $2.20 in Invercargill and Dunedin. Top car MERCEDES-BENZ has carried off the 1983 “world car of the year award,” organised by the leading Japanese automobile publication, “Motor Magazine.” A jury of 37 journalists from 20 countries elected the Mercedes-Benz 190 series for the title, ahead of the new model Honda Civic, the Peugeot 205, and the revised Volkswagen Golf.

Record attempt

HOW MANY people can ride on a motor-cycle? That question will be answered at the New Zealand bike show at Cowles Stadium next Sunday, when more than 22 riders will have to cram on to one machine to claim the world record. In 1982 the “magnificent seven” stunt team was augmented to 22 riders and covered 400 metres on an adapted Kawasaki 900 at the Santa Pod Raceway, Bedfordshire, England. The bike show will run from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, with events ranging from bicycle motor-cross racing to displays of classic and unusual motor-cycles, and races between teams of mechanics working on bikes.