PHOTO IN LONDON

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 8

PHOTO IN LONDON

INVERCARGILL GIRL. TAKEN BY DUKE’S PHOTOGRAPHER. A cutting from a London newspaper, with a photograph 6f a girl in a bathing suit and the caption “A surf girl waves a cheery farewell at Oreti Beach, Southland, New Zealand,” arrived in the Times Office yesterday accompanied by a letter from an officer on the Home liner Westmoreland remarking on the fact that he had just received the paper from England and was intrigued to find in it an item of interest to Southland. The reproduction in the newspaper was not clear, but a member of the staff who formerly reported basketball matches believed that the girl was Miss Pauline Anderson, a daughter of Mr P. A. Anderson, of the staff of the Southland Technical College, and Mrs Anderson, and a prominent member of the Rata Club. Fortunately working in the office was a friend of the girl’s family, who turned doubt into certainty after inspecting the photograph, and revealed that its publication was through the instrumentality of Mr Leslie Bursh, official photographer on the Duke of Gloucester’s Empire tour. * It will be remembered that the Duke spent Sunday, January 13, surf-bathing at Oreti Beach, Miss Anderson was on the beach the same day and Mr Bursh, who is attached to the London news agency, was so struck by her appearance that he approached and asked her to pose for two photographs. Miss Anderson consented, the photographs were taken and Mr Bursh departed, extending thanks and remarking that they would be published in London. Later he sent his card bearing the title “Photographer to the Royal Tour” and the imprint of the London News Agency, and two beautiful enlargements, but no advice was received of the appearance of the photographs in any newspaper.

As could be expected, the greatest excitement reigned amongst Miss Anderson’s family and friends last evening when they learned that her photograph had been featured in London. Their wonder and surprise was not lessened by the series of coincidences which followed its publication. The newspaper had been bought in London and sent half-way round the world to within a few miles of where the photograph was taken, and there the reader on board the ship was struck by the thought that the photograph would be of interest in Southland, sb he decided to send it to the Times Office. Its identification there was a coincidence and the full story was brought to light by another well-fitting chain of circumstances. It has to be remembered, also, that Southland and its beach will receive an advertisement as a result of the publication of the photograph.