Reporter’s diary

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Gloria: the girl OUR ATTEMPT to find what happened to Gloria Lyons, the young woman whose war-time letters earned her name a place on at least three aircraft, have resulted in only tantalising tidbits. The story

so far: Gloria lived in Petrie Street, Shirley, and went to Avonside Girls’ High School. One of her classmates described Gloria as “a real goer,” who was one of the first to sneak a smoke behind the bike sheds. Her active life was stopped when she contracted tuberculosis of the spine. In a wheelchair, and then bed-rid-den, her main contact with the world was writing letters to New Zealanders overseas. Several people visited her in Christchurch Hospital towards the end of the war, and then the trail vanishes. —the aircraft SEVERAL READERS also remembered aircraft named after Gloria Lyons, including the pilot who flew the last P4O "Gloria,” 3220, from Ohakea to Wigram, and then to Harewood, on September 14, 1944. The fuselage and wings of 3220 are now in a private collection near Nelson, and it is possibly the only P4O in New Zealand which could be restored sufficiently to take to the air again. We believe that there were at least two other “Gloria Lyons” in service in the Pacific — one crashlanded and- another was shot down. Way to the fair THE CHURCH-tower-squatting Rev. Simon Ballantyne is agains publicising St Anne’s Church fair. His parish fair committee suggested that because Mr Ballantyne spent 50 hours on St Anne’s bell tower last year, the logical step

would be to tie him to the top of the spire on the Cathedral in the Square. Rather more earthly minded, the vicar instead opted to spend 50 hours on the Heathcote River on a raft which he is building himself. He will start at low tide on Thursday, September 18, from near Ferrymead, and will travel upstream to Armstrong Avenue for a landing about 10.45 a.m. on Saturday, September 20. He will walk from there to the church to open the fair. Televison ...

ADVICE TO those who were thinking of paying their television licences early to avoid either the fee increase or GST: Don’t. The Post Office is aware that some people are confused about the effect of GST and the fee rise, and they should realise that because part payment of a licence is not possible, any attempts to pay earlier than necessary will be refused. The addition of GST from October, and the increased fee from November, will be shown clearly on accounts. The Post Office warns that people should wait until they receive their licence accounts before paying.

... licences STILL CONFUSED about how much television licences will cost? Here are the basics: Licences renewed on October 1 will cost $49.50, which is the old price, but includes GST. Licences renewed on November 1 will tickle your , wallet for $71.50,

which includes the übiquitous GST, and is the new fee as well. One colleague has sworn to go home and watch her microwave instead. TAe joys of ... RAIN, unfurled brollies and grizzling children tried the patience of almost everyone in town yesterday, and probably none were more tested than parents. Keeping them quiet is one trial, and keeping them together in a crowd is another. It was entertaining to watch how some little pets were kept in captivity. Larger families formed a kind of elephantine procession, nose-tb-tail, or hand-to-hand. One dextrous woman made a lunge for a small darting child, using the handle of her umbrella like a shepherd’s crook. Since August, is lambing time she might have been in practice anyway, and the child was “whiplashed” safely back to mama. ... school holidays ANOTHER method of “family control” was seen by a photographer in a small town in the North Island. A serene, composed woman was herding a bunch of seven children — all of them hers — down the only street The little darlings shuffled along meekly behind mother as they were gently “lassooed” by a single rope which encircled them all. The man reached for his camera — which naturally did not have a film in it. —Jenny Clark