Reporter’s diary

Press, 29 November 1989, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Welcome sign TRAVELLERS aboard today’s inaugural Japan Air Lines-Air New Zealand service between Tokyo and Christchurch will find a special welcome awaiting them at Christchurch Airport. Airline officials and the Mayor, Ms Vicki Buck, will be at the airport, and easily recognised. They will be the people standing under a huge “Tokyo-Christ-church” welcome banner. The South Island Promotion Association is one of the groups organising the greetings. Charters too WELCOME today also to the British visitors aboard the first of six Britannia Airways holiday charter flights to Christchurch. The fortnightly flights, each carrying up to 250 British tourists, will give the South Island exposure to the growing package tour market from Britain. Britannia’s Boeing 767 Extended Range jet is due at

Christchurch around 5.05 p.m. Early birds THE’ Army works to a routine, and never varies it no matter who is involved. Tomorrow the Ist Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment will be officially welcomed home after its return from Singapore. The ceremony, at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North, will be attended by the GovernorGeneral, the Chief of Defence Staff and sundry other military and civilian V.I.P.S, as well as the usual caravan of news media hangers-on. Those more accustomed to participating in ceremonies at respectable times of the day have been warned that the welcome home ceremony will be at 5.30 a.m. Officially the idea is to march the battalion on to its new parade ground at dawn. It should make for an interesting combination of saluting and yawning.

Aiderman McKay? AN alert reader has offered a serious suggestion in our “name the mayor’s husband’s title” quest. She suggests Mr Rob McKay adopt the title of Aiderman. A quick peruse of the Pocket Oxford defines an aiderman, among other things, as “next below Mayor.” Info file... ALL manner of organisations around the world inundate newspapers with facts, figures and downright trivia. Among the mail to be sifted yesterday was a news sheet from the Norwegian Information Service. It told us that five of 10 Norwegians carry out some form of physical activity every week. The most common form of exercise is walking, either on foot or on skis. The unanswered question is what the other five unfit Norwegians do with their lives each week.

From Norway TWO other Norwegian facts that may have eluded you ... as at October almost 144,000 Norwegians (6.6 per cent of the work force) were registered as either unemployed or on their version of the government work scheme. Meanwhile the flood of East German refugees into West Germany has created a huge market for housing ... with Norway’s home construction industry gearing up to enjoy a bonanza crop of sales to West Germany. Puncturation ODDBALL travel notices continue to attract the attention of our alert readers, one of whom spotted this one outside a garage in Birmingham, England: “Tyres changed while you wait. Same day punctures.” Our informant advises that, needless to say, there was no queue for the latter service. — DAVE WILSON