Message was dropped in sea from plane

Last year’s senior Mangonui rugby selector, the former All Black, Mr. P.F. Jones, last night lost his position to Mr. E. Flinn of the Kaitaia Rugby Club.

Mr. Flinn was elected the new senior rugby selector in a ballot taken at the annual meeting of the Mangonui Rugby Sub-union.

A former Mangonui representative player himself, Mr. Flinn gave up playing five years ago and began coaching the Kaitaia senior team. He is 34 years old.

Mr. Jones was elected to the post three years ago, and in his first season coaching there Mangonui won the Harding Shield from Hokianga, only to lose it the next season.

“I think he would have had the hardest position in the subunion,” a former coach, Mr. C.P. Erceg, told the sub-union after the election last night.

“First of all you’ve got to get the boys behind you or it’s no good.

“I’m sorry for Peter; I think he’s had a hard row to hoe,” said Mr. Erceg, while other delegates supported him.

“Peter got a raw deal from the players,” said Mr. R. Shaw, while another former selector, Mr. J. E. Wilkinson, endorsed Mr. Erceg’s remarks.

“I hope Mr. Flinn does as well,” he said.

Congratulating Mr. Flinn, Mr. Jones said there were no “sour grapes” and he wished him well.

— March 4, 1969 An unusual “message in a bottle” story comes with the recovery at Paxton Point, Great Exhibition Bay, on the Aupouri Peninsula, of one dropped from an aircraft.

It was found above high-water mark in a plastic lemon squash concentrate container by Lynne Frazer, 12-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Frazer, of Cape View Block, which is near the beach, on Saturday.

The message had been dropped on November 21, 1967. It read: “This container is about to be dropped from ZB 3076 aircraft bound for Suva. Dropped midPacific. Contact J. Calson, Fenton Street, 61B, Suva.”

Lynne will write sender.

She showed her strength of mind by bringing the unopened container in to the Northland Age.

to

the

— March 11, 1969

fully booked for weekend trips for the next two months.

The new coach brings to 15 the number of vehicles — coaches and taxis — which the company, a family concern, owns.

The latest addition to the fleet arrived in Kaitaia two weeks ago after winning the Rothmans Industrial Award for the patented construction of its bodywork, built at a cost of $8750, almost two-thirds the cost of the vehicle, for the chassis was $4800.

The work was done by Hawke Bros, Auckland, who have made other such vehicles for export. In fact delivery of the coach was delayed until two visiting Japanese businessmen could inspect it in Auckland.

Another smaller coach — a 32-seater — was also bought by Petricevich’s last year.

An Austin, it too is used mostly for charter runs and school route work.

The company has licences for the Te Kao and Ahipara routes to and from Kaitaia, as well as a tourist trip to the Bay of Islands.

The new coach was supplied to Petricevich Motors Ltd. by Wright Stephenson and Co. Ltd.

— March 4, 1969