ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17388, 28 March 1928, Page 7

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Forty Prime Fish. Ah Auckland resident claims the record catch of schnapper, 40 prime fish lauded with one hook and at the same time! It sounds like a fairy story, but here is what happened. An angler who had been lucky enough to secure a big bag had" cleaned and scaled his fish and tied them up securely in a sugar sack. 1 Then he had .the 'misfortune to drop his burden in deep water at the end of the wharf. It looked a case of "Good-bye, schnapper," and the fisherman received many commiserations from fellow-sportsmen. One of them, however, was an optimist, and with the help of the angler he "dragged" the bottom with his schnapper line. Tt appeared a hopeless quest, but at last Dame Fortune smiled, and the precious sack was drawn'slowly to the'surface and retrieved. Egmont Alpine Club. A movement is on foot in South Taranaki to form an Alpine Club, the main object being to introduce ski-ing, the vicinity, of Fantham's Peak during the winter months. If the club is successfully launched, the erection oi: a hut on'Fantham's Peak will bo one of the first works undertken. Kissed by a Queen. An 80-year-old army veteran, whose name is McCoy, and who lives at Ballymoneyf in Northern Ireland, claims to be the only soldier who was ever kissed by Queen Victoria. Mr. McCoy joined the 4oth Regiment of the Foot Curds as a boy of 16, and was stationed at Aldershot when Queen Victoria inspected athe regiment. The Queen asked his age, and he replied that he was 17. "I think you are too voting to be a soldier yet," said the Queen. "It's home with your mother you should be!" She then stooped and kissed him lightly on the cheek.