Islands Press

From the Islands Press

ACCORDING to a travel writer in the New York Post, “Fijians aren’t yet used to great concentrations of foreigners, so they’re still just about the friendliest people you’ll find anywhere”. So we locals should be able to enjoy quiet weekends at Deuba for a year or two yet before the place starts filling up and some of us presumably go on the warpath.— Note in “The Fiji Times”.

TO those who know that I, with others, have agitated for years to have a strip built on the island, it will perhaps be surprising to hear that I am saddened by the realisation that the flying-boats will soon become a thing of the past. But there is nothing really strange about this. To every island resident it will be truly sad as the realisation dawns that an era is coming to an end. I travelled on “Australis’ ” first scheduled flight to the island. My very living has depended on “Australis”, “Antilles”, “Pacific Chieftain”, “Beachcomber” and “Islander”, and I have probably made as many flights as any resident . . . and certainly no-one has been such a regular visitor to the lagoon to watch them land.— Lord Howe Island's “Signal ” editor, James Whistler, in an editorial.

Examinations seem to be getting tougher all the time.

For example, the question from yesterday’s junior geography paper, which was worth 10 marks: “Explain the reasons for the findings of, and importance of, Lord Denning’s report.” There is scope for some interesting answers to that one.— Comment in “The Fiji Times”.

MICK LEAHY of Zenag has been awarded the 1971 medal for exploring by the American Explorer’s Club and will go to New York next April to receive it. And there he’ll find a jungle in which he’ll need all his bushcraft to survive. Exploring Manhattan in the 1970’s calls for a very intrepid character indeed.— Comment from the “Drum” column of the “Papua-New Guinea Post Courier”.

A WEDDING feast was held at the Roman Catholic Mission Station at Makina, Marau Sound, recently, je which payment of the bride-price

w as made in the church for the first in the area. Our correspondent in a letter that paying a bride pce in a church was a new thing For the people of that area and was matched by everyone who attended he wedding service. The normal procedure is that the bride-price is agreed on by the parents and made according to custom of the people.— Uem in BSIP newssheet.

ON October 16 the Marine Base, Tulagi, reported what appeared o be gas escaping from a cylinder m the deck of a wartime vessel. The ;as came to the surface about 300 rards off the island. The senior fore nan shipwright, Mr. W. Thompson, aid the gas discoloured the water in he area of a known wreck and also ormed a slight haze over the area, le said the same thing happened on everal occasions over the past few 'ears and was thought to be caused •y large bottles of gas breaking away rom the wreck and floating to the urface. —ltem in BSIP newssheet.

A MEMBER of the SIBS staff ■A. recently had an operation at Central Hospital after a garfish /hich leapt out of the sea stuck in is hand while he was fishing. He /as Mr. Paul Beni, who is now at home in Honiara after n operation in which the fish’s pear-like mouth was taken from is hand. The fish entered between vo fingers and stuck out near his /rist. ... A giant coral trout caught y two 12-year-old schoolboys from t. Barnabus School, Dala, Malaita, /as enough to provide a feast 3r the whole school. The fish, aid to be 8 ft long, was caught by loland Mabe and Patrick Uluitalay. -Two fish stories from BSIP news heet. i T the conference of the Cook a. Islands Women’s Federation at dtutaki, Mr. Arthur Helm spoke on tourist support facilities”, with mphasis on the role that women auld take.

In response to questions put to rem, the women wanted good mrists to have an unlimited stay nd bad tourists to be sent away nmediately. They considered that omen can contribute a good deal > making the visitors’ stay enjoy fle, by preparing souvenirs of pical Cook Islands design, for sale ; reasonable prices. They want rices to remain as they are and 3t to rise once the visitors arrive, [any will be looking for part-time Dsitions when the hotels open.— em in the “Cook Islands News”, tes ptonga.