Reporter’s diary

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Which is it? Historically (and officially) the building on the site of the Land Office in Christchurch is known as the Old Municipal Chambers. Many local people refer to it as the Chamber of Commerce building (as in a caption in “The Press’ yesterday). Others call it the Visitors’ Centre or Canterbury Information Centre. Which one is it, really? The Canterbury Promotion Council .chief executive, Mr Bruce Dunstan, says that while the Chamber of Commerce was tenant of the building, the name was appropriate. The chamber was principal tenant from 1924 .until July, 1987, .and has now moved to new premises. The name is possibly no longer appropriate, suggests Mr Dunstan. Since the building is now tenanted by the Canterbury . Promotion Council it would be better to call it the Visitors’ Centre, he suggests. The building could still be historically identified as the

. Old Municipal Chambers, without conflicting with the practical name of Visitors’ Centre, says Mr . Dunstan. Question of colour Canterbury colours of red and black — or moreaccurately, scarlet and black — have identified : our sports teams for a long time. .But, asks a reader, how did the colours originate and why? Initial inquiries have thrown no light other than the scarlet is often mistakenly referred to as red. Explanations, (fanciful as well as true) welcomed by this colump, Snappy nappy It had to come: designer nappies.; • Denim, fluorescent, or pastel coloured nappies, marketed under the appropriately named Naf Naf label of the French clothes company will appear in shops in Europe this month. Designed for special occasions, the fully functional nappies are expected to

be something of a “fashion feature” at yuppette parties. Good Samaritan Last Tuesday evening an elderly man suffering from Parkinson’s disease wandered from a geriatric rest home. He was found, having fallen and gashed his face, possibly in a driveway in Upper Riccarton, and was taken to Christchurch Hospital for treatment. His wife has been unable to discover the identity of the man who went to a lot of trouble to help. “There are still Good Samaritans around, and I would like to thank the' man for helping my husband,” said the woman. It’s a big place, mate Optimist of the Year Award goes to the person who scribbled on the front of an envelope that was returned to “The Press”: “Address Unknown. Try Australia.”

Second-hand savings City councils struggling to meet budgets should note a vehicle replacement scheme being tried by the Waitemata City Council. It plans to replace some of its old vehicles with latemodel used cars rather than new models. It will call tenders for the supply of new or near-new cars and commercial vehicles with less than 30,000 km on the clock. More than 40 council vehicles are due to be replaced and savings of up to $6OOO could be made on each vehicle if bought secondhand. Buying near-new vehicles could save the council $250,000 during the next six months. Fish fodder The bumper sticker on the station waggon seen in Christchurch read: “I love to take my kids fishing.” In the dusty window above, someone had added: “Yeh. They make great bait.”

—Jenny Setchell.