WHAT’S WITH THAT
THERE are many, many things I love about Dunedin. The heritage, the wildlife, the folds in the landscape, the views that take you by surprise when you round a corner.
But one thing really bugs me. It’s a problem that seems worse here than anywhere else I have visited around the country recently. It’s crap — specifically, dog crap.
I keep stumbling across it wherever I go. Squashed into the Esplanade at St Clair, skidmarks on Stuart St, little piles of a better class of crap along Highgate. I’m sorry to gross you out, but that’s exactly what it is — gross.
Why can’t some Dunedin dog owners take pride in their beautiful city and pick up after their pooches? Highgate is particularly bad and perhaps the cleanup should start there?
Is it just me annoyed by this? I’m keen for your feedback on the dirty streets of Dunedin.
On a much more pleasant note, I’m getting some lovely hoar frost photos from Central Otago readers. Feel free to keep sending them in although by today, if the forecasters are right, the problem may be more snow than ice.
How honourable
Nice to hear from those readers who agree with me that honours should be kept for those who make a huge difference to others through voluntary work or acts of bravery.
Jack Gibbs says the current system is unfair.
‘‘Highly paid politicians, local body councillors etc, only have to spend three terms to get their honours. But, after all, they are only working for the rest of us and are getting well paid for the rest of their lives. Other volunteers spend a lifetime and only sometimes get some recognition.’’
Joy Jenkins, of Dunedin, says: ‘‘These honours should be reserved for people who are out there voluntarily doing good for others and not for wellpaid politicians and sports people who already receive very large pay packets.
‘‘Now with regard to entertainers — please don’t even get me started on the Topp Twins. Really?!’’
(Sorry, Joy, I have to admit I am pleased we now have Dame Jools and Dame
Lynda.)
TV memories
I am still enjoying your recollections of the early days of television.
Peter Spiller, of Christchurch, especially remembers The Plane Makers in the mid1960s, starring Patrick Wymark as Sir John Wilder, the irascible managing director of an aircraft manufacturer.
‘‘It was so popular that woe betide anyone who organised a social function, dinner party, committee meeting, whatever, on the evening it was being aired.
‘‘On one occasion, a council meeting was adjourned (yes, in those days councils met on week nights) for 30 to 40 minutes so councillors could watch that episode.
‘‘It was followed by a sequel, The Power Game, again featuring Sir John Wilder, which was good but not quite in the same league as The Plane Makers.
‘‘Another very good programme I recall was a science fiction one, A for Andromeda, written by British cosmologist Fred Hoyle, which starred Julie Christie in her first major role. And another very good series was The Brothers in the 1970s, concerning a family trucking business.’’
Steve Clark, of Bannockburn, recalls experimental broadcasts by the Bell Radio Television Corporation.
‘‘Bell was permitted to broadcast for two hours a day, four days a week. Commercial television sets were not available at the time and, like many others in Auckland, my cousin had built his own receiver.
‘‘We were living in Rotorua at the time and during the May school holidays we were taking a holiday in Auckland. My brother and I, aged 10 and 12, were excited at the prospect of viewing this new broadcast medium.
‘‘Imagine our disappointment when we found that the only programmes being broadcast during our stay in Auckland were the unedited coverage of Princess Margaret’s wedding on the first day (May 6, 1960) and the edited coverage on the second day. Not at all what we had expected, and of little interest to small boys.
‘‘Shortly after, the first official transmissions began from Shortland St in Auckland and Bell stopped broadcasting.’’
John Noble, of Mosgiel, recalls when, in the early 1960s, the Monte Carlo Milk Bar in Mosgiel ‘‘placed a tricoloured filter over the screen of their existing blackandwhite TV set’’.
‘‘One of the early English TV programmes shown here was the Harry Worth show. He was famous for his image in the reflection of a window, which made him appear to be standing in midair (check it out at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=f189hOfyYSY).
‘‘In one of his episodes he lost his spectacles and ventured down to the local police station to see if they had been handed in. He was shown a large container of unclaimed spectacles by the sergeant and tried on several pairs, but with no luck.
‘‘The next pair he tried on had lenses that were as thick as the proverbial milk bottle (Mr Magoo) type. He exclaimed: ‘Does Jodrell Bank know about these?’.’’