Reporter’s diary

Press, 12 June 1987, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Dicey business FROM THE United States comes dews of a board game called “Is the Pope a Catholic?” in which players try to squirm up the ecclesiastical ladder from lowly altar boy to Pope. A kind of specialised version of "Careers,” the game contains such pitfalls as “sin beads” and “meet me after school beads" to tempt even the most single-minded player and unfrock him back to “Go.” The godly shakes and ladders was invented by two American psychotherapists, Richard and John Cowley, and they claim, that this is a positive way of asserting the Church’s teaching ’’in a way that will bring parents and children together by introducing ah element of humour into a subject which is too often humourless.” Memories 0f... THE PROSPECT of a rugby clash between Wales and the All Blacks moved a Mount Pleasant reader to rub off the dust from a pair of souvenirs he brought home in 1984. The two figurines (called groggs) — of Phil Bennett and Graham Mourie — were bought at a specialist rugby souvenir shop in the central Welsh town of Pontypridd. The Welsh passion for rugby was obvious, judging from the memorabilia in the shop: even life-size figures of famous players. ... players past PHIL BENNETT, a former Welsh and British Lions captain, is best remembered for his part in a spectacular try for the Barbarians against the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in 1973. Many rugby - enthusiasts still regard the try, scored by Gareth Ed-

wards, as the try of the century. Graham Mourie captained the All Blacks in tests at home and abroad in the late 19705, including the four, grandslam victories in Britain in 1978. Both players will no doubt take a keen interest in the World Cup semi-final clash between Wales and New Zealand in Brisbane on Saturday. All a matter of

AFTER SAVING loose change for a decade, a Tai Tapu family sorted the coins into denominations, counted the moneyand put it into three large labelled bags: in all $6OO. The woman got a shock when she tried to bank

the first bag ($298 of 50 cent pieces) at her Addington bank, and she was refused. The money had to be counted into separate denomination official bank bags, she was told. “The staffs time is valuable to the bank.’ 1 She finally left, clutching her money and some official bags in which to pack it — unless she wished to pay the bank an extra fee of $2B an hour for a teller to count, bag and weigh the savings. ... common cents THE WOMAN who made the futile trip to town to deposit the family savings felt that the bank had been unreasonable, and asks, “Since when do

banks not accept money of legal tender?” Inquiries show tbat it depends on the bank. Some consider counting a customer’s money as providing a service, no matter how large the sum — although they would prefer that it was bagged in official bags of predetermined amounts ready for weighing. Others are more strict, pointing out that it takes a long time for a teller to count such amounts, and it is not fair to other customers in the bank who have to wait. All banks are happy to give such keen squirrels as many official bags as they need, to ease banking for everyone. Money's worth COINS, incidentally, may be used as legal tender only up to a point. Copper coins up to the value of 20 cents can be accepted as legal tender, and up to $5 worth of silver is acceptable, according to the Decimal Currency Act of 1964. Right job WHILE ON THE subject of pecuniary squlrrelings, consider the report from the “Daily Telegraph” about the luckless chap who runs the securities section of the Barclays Bank in Andover, Hants, whose name is I. B. Savin. Planted right? IT WAS A nice gesture of the Christchurch real estate company to send a pot plant gift to their clients to whom they had just sold a house in Redcliffs. It would have been even more thoughtful if the 7 firm had sent the plant to the correct address. The new owners are now wondering if they have, been sold the right house. < ,;k —Jenny Femdmt