News from U.S.A.

Te Ao Hou, September 1966, Page 57

News from U.S.A. Writing from Las Vegas in June, Paddy Te Tai, of the Maori Hi-Five group, sends us this news. ‘We have tried to keep in close contact with any Kiwis appearing on the scene over here, and the latest import from home has been Ricky May from Auckland. He arrived here two weeks ago from Chequer's Night Club in Sydney, Australia, and will perform at the Silver Slipper, one of the principal hotels here in Las Vegas. ‘Just finished out here at the Thunderbird Hotel are the Maori Hi-Quinns—Thomas Kini, Gisborne, Kawana Waitere, Putiki, Eddie Nuku, Auckland, and Lynn Alvarey and Neville Turner of Australia. These boys have recently returned from five weeks in Hawaii, are now in Tuscon, Arizona, and leave shortly for Montreal, Canada. ‘I have just heard that the Mauriora Entertainers under the leadership of Dawn Nathan of Ngati-Poneke leave at the end of June for engagements in Alaska. “As for ourselves, we are quite established in the U.S., and tentative plans are being made for an extensive tour of the Carribean, mainly Nassau in the Bahamas, Freeport, Puerto Rico and the West Indies. Our U.S. circuit, mainly Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Seattle (Washington) and Chicago, has been completed. ‘Te Waari Ward-Holmes, formerly of the Brown Bombers, has now established himself as a prominent entertainment agent, and is enjoying a very successful business in Toronto, Canada. ‘So you see, very slowly the Maori is establishing a reputation for himself overseas, and a fine one too, I might add, and it all reflects on his race and his country, which we think is one of the finest in the world.’