FROM LONDON

Evening Star, Issue 21974, 9 March 1935, Page 20

FROM LONDON

SOCIAL ITEMS LONDON, January 24. Mr Colin Bell, son of Mrs Raynor and the late Professor Raynor Bell, of Otago University, who has been a cadet on H.M.S. Worcester, has just been appointed to the New Zealand Shipping Company's Cornwall. Mr Bell expects to leave for New Zealand on February 22. The Misses Durand and the Misses Laing, all of Dunedin, gave a small but charming party for some of their New Zealand friends in London. Miss Kathleen M'Kcrrow, who talks of going to Jive in Brussels for some months while the exhibition is on, the Misses Dunlop, Mrs Jon Mill, her daughter Miss Mill, and her sister, Miss Treseder, were present. Unfortunately Mr Mill, now one of the directors of the Bank of New Zealand here, was unable to come. The Rome scholarships arc just awarded, and great is the joy of Mr CL W. Hooper, Mr G. Deeley, and Mr Macpherson, who respectively in painting, sculpture, and engraving, can count for the next two years on £250 to study in Rome. I mention these scholarships because our own far-away country has had its own little share of glory. Miss Ursula Cox, of Auckland. a student of the Royal Academy Schools, was a competitor (which in itself means a very high standard of work), and was given a special word of praise in one of our best papers, the ‘Morning Post.’ AVhile not questioning the merits of her fellow R.A.S. student, the ‘ Art Critic,’ in discussing the canvases on the given subject, ‘ A Scheme for the Decoration of an Antclloom to the Meeting Room of a Geographical Society,’ said that in character and painting he considered her work as showing more promise than the winner’s. Her work, when f went yesterday to see the exhibition at the Imperial Institute, South Kensington, stood out for its beautiful Japanese effect, and was, i think, loss “ academic ” than most—a word abhorrent to young artists nowadays. Congratulations to Miss Cox! I hope no one will be offended that 1 include an unusual Now Zealand inhabitant in this column. At any rate he has been quite in London * limelight lately. I refer to our rare native bird, the kiwi. For fifteen years the London Zoo has been kiwi-less, and now at last he has come from Lord Lilford’s estate near Dandle. He is the best specimen seen in this country for forty years. How long will his uniqueness last? There is talk that Lord Bledisloc lias arranged for more to be sent, but, anyhow, this one is here in the flesh, at present in ]onely glory, and the centre of curiosity and funny re.marks.) • * ■ Mr and Mrs Columb have just left for Majorca, where they hope to stay till the English winter is well over. We are having our first touch of really cold weather, what with snow for two days and frosts day and night. So they can count themselves among the lucky ones of the earth to escape a continued dose. Every now and then the New Zealand Women’s Association sends out invitations to enable us to meet one another and some guest of honour. This Friday we met, at Grosveuor House, the wife of the next Governor of New Zealand, young and charming Ladv Galway, dressed in black, with black monkey fur. She was busy chatting with many of us, finding out all she could about her future home, and J am sure you will all find her as informative and approachable ns we did. Grosvenor House is one of the most fashionable hotels in London—indeed. 1 suppose till the building of the Dorchester it was the one, since it faces Hyde Park, and is within a few yards of the home of the Duke and Duchess of York. You can see their little girls playing in their private garden. To be quite candid, in spite of its great name and high fees, it docs not give a tea a scrap better than yon can have at any of your nice tea rooms. Wc had the joy of a more or less gilded salon, velvety chairs, and lots of waiters, but 1 have yet to meet a real New Zealand “ sponge,” with its excellent cream, etc. Still, it was fun seeing people again, and among those 1 had a word or so with were Mrs Leo Myers. Mrs Columb and ?Jiss Columb. Mrs Crawshaw, and Mrs Mill (Mrs Crawshaw expects to be back in Dunedin for Christmas at the latest), Mesdamcs Moodic, Shelmordine, and Fitzgerald, Miss Flanagan and Mr D. Low—all of Dunedin, I think-—also Mrs Anna (Nun, formerly Miss Poppohvoll, whose singing is so good that she is to give items in the near future at the 8.8. C.; and from Hawke’s Bay, Mrs De Vries and Mrs Pennethorne.