Reporter’s diary

Press, 23 October 1989, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Hear! Hear!

GOOD things do happen — even at suburban refuse transfer stations. As John Bills was unloading what he described as a “gunky” trailer of compost rubbish this week, a young man and woman began to help him, unasked. Then two young men who had borrowed Mr Bills’ garden fork to unload their trailer started to help too, and the smelly heap was quickly dealt with. But what really made Mr Bills’ day was that “the Maori youths then hosed and cleaned down the trailer for me," he said. “I just had to report this to readers who might be happy to hear of the good works of some young people around us.” Could be worse WITH the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the classic movie “Gone With The Wind” people are flocking to see it again for all kinds of different reasons. We do wonder, though, if three people in particular have made the effort: the American triplets, born in 1933, who were named, Gone, With and Wind in honour of the film. S.I.W.A. Jubilee LOCAL body election heehawing obliterated an important anniversary for the South Island Writers’

Association on October 14 — its silver jubilee celebration. Founder members of 5.1.W.A., Gladys Comber • and Elaine Pegler, cut the tometopped cake as part of what was a suitably bookish affair: the menu began with a frontispiece, moved to the main plot for the main course and ended (happily ever afters, naturally) with the epilogue. Michael Harlow, poet and former Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton was the timely after-dinner speaker, since it was the 101st anniversary of Mansfield’s birth. Old photos THANKS to kind efforts of readers, several clues as to the identity of the photographer and the details relating to some of the 63 photos found in an unmarked file at “The Press” have been found. The small boy pictured in last Friday’s issue had even already appeared in our pages six years ago. Then it was a postcard and he was pictured holding Nurse Maude’s hand. The lad was called Gordon Cooke, and in 1983 he was still living in Brisbane with his family. As they say in police circles, readers “are assisting us with inquiries” about some of the other glass plates showing troops departing for World War I and women contributing

to the war effort, among other subjects. Wanted — old schoolmates CALLING Dawn Ellis Baker and Jean Shirley Pay — you are both wanted for a class reunion next year. Both attended Wharenui School, Riccarton, from 1936 to 1943, and are the only ones in the class who have not been traced and bludgeoned into joining the others for a time of

sharing memories, frantic name-searching and “Oh, my dear you haven’t changed a bit” exchanges. All tip-offs through this column, please.

Sorry, what was the name? OH bother, we forgot to mention the feast day of St John the Dwarf on October 15. Patron saint of absent-minded people, apparently.

—Jenny SetcheU