SURPRISE PARTY

Mt Benger Mail, 27 October 1937, Page 3

SURPRISE PARTY

TO MR AND MRS J. WEAVER. On Monday evening members of the Ladies’ Guild and other friends to the number of over fifty paid a surprise visit to the home of Mr and Mrs Weaver, who have just been recently married. An enjoyable evening was spent playing games On behalf of the Ladies’ Guild Mrs J. W. Smith presented to the couple a handsome vase bowl, and the Rev. Jordan on behalf of her other friends presented a beautiful piece of statuary, Mr Weaver suitably replied thanking those present for their gifts and good wishes.

Record Flight To England BY MISS JEAN BATTEN GREAT SOLO ACHIEVEMENT London, October 24. Miss Jean Batten arrived at .Croydon at 4.35 p.m. She was met by Mr W. J. Jordan (New Zealand High Commissioner) and her mother. RECORD BEATEN BY SUBi STANTIAL MARGIN • A GREAT WELCOME Miss Batten landed at Lympne at 3.45 p.m., beating the record by 14h 10 min. Planes flew out to meet her, and a great crowd welcomed her at Lympne, cheering as she encircled the landing ground and taxied towards the control tower. Tired and smiling but almost immaculate, Miss Batten was lifted from her little silver monoplane. The crowd tried to touch her coat and pat her back, as amid cries of: ‘ ‘ Good old Jean! ’ ’ she was carried by Royal Air Force sergeants into the captain’s office. A guard was mounted around her machine. The crowd then surged to the Customs office,, where the usual formalities took place. “Well, major,” said Jean to Major Dupe, the aerodrome officer, “here I am again.” Major Dupe replied: “This is your finest show —jolly fine.” Miss Batten’s limbs were so cramped that she had to be carried to the aerodrome buildings. Then, after a brief interval, she took off again for Croydon, to which two air liners and a number of private machines escorted her. Miss Batten received perhaps the greatest demonstration ever accorded to a record-breaking flyer at Croydon. A roar of cheers greeted the tiny plane when it circled the aerodrome and landed. Then the crowd broke through the police cordon, overwhelming the official : welcoming parties, which included Mr Jordan, Mr Drew, and others, besides Jean’s mother. As Jean stepped out of her machine an admirer immediaely thrust into her arms an enormous bunch of chrysanthemums. Then her mother, who had been pushed into the background, rushed forward and folded Jean in her arms. Jean and her mother and Mr Jordan made speeches. Mrs Batten said she had never been so anxious. TERRIFIC STORMS ENCOUNTERED FRENZIED SCENES AT CROYDON In a short speech at Croydon Miss Batten said the last part of her flight was terrible. She met terrific storms between Damascus and Athens, and the machine was thrown every way, but the weather near Rome was worse. She thought at one stage that she wpuld lose control of the plane

altogether, and sighed with relief when she found that the Marseil-les-London section was comparatively tame. She added that she was glad the flight was over, but was annoyed with herself for losing so much time.