Bananas by the Foot

FIJI’S bunch of bananas of record size which was shipped to New Zealand in Jaunary in a special container has gained fame for the Colony, far and wide. News of it spilled into radio in Australia and also into newspapers. One Melbourne Daily said that since recovering from the 1952 hurricane, Fiji banana plantations were pro ducing bunches of bananas of such size that they could not be shipped.

In fact there was one OS bunch of bananas—it was of 10 hands, was three feet high, two feet across, weighed 145 pounds and each of the bananas were of 11 to 12 inches in length. Take a look at a foot rule—then agree that this is a lot of banana.

Presumably they were of the ordinary dessert variety. There is a variety of banana that grows in New Guinea which is about the

size, shape and dimensions of a vegetable marrow—but it is a cook ing banana.

Among engagements announced! recently was that of Mr. T. G.

Pollard to an Adelaide girl, Miss Pat Southerden. Tom Pollard’s mother went to Papua in 1922 as: Mrs. Arthur Gors. There were foun Gors brothers (Walter, Otto, Arthur and Leo), who were planters from Adelaide, and who settled in the: Hisiu district of Papua. Left a widow, Mrs. Gors married Mr; Arthur Pollard, of the British New Guinea Co’s staff in Port Moresby.'

TEAL passengers arriving in Auckland from the Islands in January included (top to bottom, left to right):— Mr. Eddie Lund of Quinns Tahitian Hut, Papeete, who has composed the music for a TEAL publicity film on French Oceania, was South to record the sound track in Auckland. Mrs. Leonie Hay, attractive Aucklander, now resident in Honolulu, who travelled by Fairmile launch Philante II to Papeete thence by TEAL, on a visit to relatives in Auckland.

Miss Valerie Lee, of Suva, will attend a business college. Mr. John Harrington,, well-known American business man now resident at Aitutaki, Cook Islands, is om a NZ business visit.

Miss R. Saunders and Miss R. Forster,, of Suva, will attend school in New Zea land.