New sights

for old-timers

Old timers in Honiara are always complaining that the place is chang ing, and often add sourly, as they eye the new red buses rumbling along the main road, that the changes are not always for the better.

One striking change over the past few years has been the increased demand for hotel accommodation.

The two hotels are already extending and a new one is projected, to cope with ever-rising numbers of tourists, and government servants who find themselves temporarily homeless.

The oldest hotel, the Mendana, is now often filled with elderly Ameri cans on packaged tours, whose pre sence tends to inhibit some of the older and thirstier residents. With its coloured lights and Island-style dresses for its staff, all recently intro duced, it has been the first to change its face to suit the new scene.

So it was not really a surprise on July 13 when 300 locals crowded out the tourists at the Mendana to enjoy the first professionally-presented fashion show seen in the capital.

Some of the proceeds went to the Crippled People’s Society.

Some attractive Honiara women recruited by Ailsa Meldrum, en thusiastic owner of Honiara’s only boutique, modelled a summer collec tion brought from Melbourne. There

Rosemary Scaddon models a "granny" dress.

were minis, midis and maxis, and there were cries of “never!” from the men when a floor length “granny” dress was modelled, which compere Frank Parsons predicted would be worn in the streets of Honiara before long.

Dresses with long sleeves and tightly-fitted bodices weren’t tempting to those who have to live in these steamy isles, but the safari suits with neat little shorts under short sleeved, belted and pocketed coats, were regarded as an answer to the’ prayer of any maiden having to tour in the protectorate’s small, incon venient boats. What to wear on tour is always a vexed question in Honiara; slacks are too hot, knee length dresses too hampering; and minis are apt to glaze the eyes of male passengers.