Reporter’s diary

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Ouch STILL nursing a sore head, a man telephoned the other day to complain that a oneway street sign was attached so low on its pole that he had scraped his head when he tried to walk under it. He said the situation was made worse by a sharp metal piece on the bottom of the sign. We sent out one of our shortest staff members, who reported that walking close to the sign at the intersection of Cashel Street and Madras Street gave even him the feeling that a knock was in store. The traffic signal pole itself was a short one, which, restricted how high a traffic sign could be attached. The Christchurch City Council had not heard about the problem, and would see what could be done about it. Engineers may have to consider raising the pole. Dear officer ... YOU SEE, it was like this yesterday afternoon. We were doing our best to give quick service but there'was just no place to park. Two Christchurch detectives wrote out an excuse on a $4 parking ticket issued by the City Council yesterday. They were responding to a report of an aggravated robbery in High Street. They were miffed to find a ticket when they returned to

their car, but they wrote out the best excuse they could: The parking buildings were full, the only other park available at that time of day was near the Papanui roundabout, and the complainant needed attending to sooner than he would have been had they cruised the streets looking for another space. Oddities THAT HUNK making googoo sounds in a big pram will be a grown man. The Canterbury Children’s Theatre is presenting a Margaret Mahy play, “Redheads, Rascals and a Robot,” during the August school holidays, and the inclusion of two very difficult, odd things in the script is causing headaches for the producers. Needed badly, and nowhere in sight, are a tandem bicycle that can be adapted as an ice-cream waggon and a large baby’s pram that will not buckle under the weight of an adult. If you can lend either prop for five weeks, you can reach the producers through us. Sugar bread ENOUGH of early Canterbury grandfathers for the moment. A Rangiora area man, James Eder, has mostly fond memories of a grandmother who arrived in

Lyttelton in 1850 in the Cressey. Eliza Cleaver was 10 years old then, and her family moved up to Kaiapoi. She later married Henry Eder, and they settled on a small acreage at Woodend. Mr Eder said that his grandfather, who died when he was very young, had taken unauthorised leave from a German ship to live in New Zealand, and had to make himself scarce whenever a German ship was in port and officials came looking for him. Even as late as World War I he got notice from the German Navy to report. Eliza Eder’s family moved back to Christchurch when

she was at Woodend, and she used to come down to visit them once or twice a year. She would push a pram along what passed for roads in those days and make the trip in a day. She would stay overnight in town, shop the next day, and walk home when she was finished. We all remember being spoiled by grandparents with sweets, but James Eder has another memory. When his family arrived from their farm inland from Kaiapoi, his grandmother would say to bring some bread and butter and sugar for the children. The sugar was piled | high, not just

sprinkled. Mr Eder could never stand the taste, but had to pretend to enjoy the treat. Revival CANTERBURY’S branch of the Archives and Records Association went into recess about two years ago, mainly because committee members left archives work. Interest in archives, and especially in genealogical and historical research, has been increasing. Jim Gardner, a Christchurch historian involved in developing a New Zealand dictionary of biography, will address a special branch revival meeting on Thursday in the Canterbury Public Library’s Stringleman Room, at 7.30 p.m. No mixing FOR US, activities surrounding the proposed All black tour of South Africa were the most important sports and . news story this winter. In the northern summer of North America, they may have gone unnoticed as far as some newspapers and electronic news reports were concerned. A Christchurch man on holiday in the United States and Canada came home the other day to learn, for the first time, that the tour was off. He thought the lack of mention up there was hardly an indication of widespread international concern about the issue of playing ball with the Springboks. On the other hand, caught up in baseball, athletics, and preseason gridiron football, a sport like rugby that gets rarely mentioned in the northern press anyway has an even remoter chance of rating a mention. Up there, more often than not, rugby and news don’t mix. Trimmed JON TRIMMER, the New Zealand Ballet’s principal dancer, has been given a special hair comb by friends, the comb has all its central teeth shaved off so that it cannot disturb anything on the crown of Mr Trimmer’s head. There is nothing there to disturb these days, since his head has been shaved while he plays the rake in “The Rake’s Progress.” Mr Trimmer decided against wearing a skullcap, and so his head will be shaved every day during the tojir.