Reporter's Diary (Press, 1 August 1980)
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Summary: Reporter's Diary (Press, 1 August 1980)
In early July 1980, the South Pacific Forum held talks in Kiribati, and an article in Australia's "National Times" pointed out an intriguing observation regarding the arrival of various prime ministers. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser arrived in a Range Rover, New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon in a Jeep, while the Prime Minister of Tonga, Prince Tu’ipelehake, chose a London taxi. A cautionary tale emerged from Christchurch concerning a woman's shopping experience in Australia. She purchased a pair of gold and ivory earrings for NZ$68 but discovered upon wearing them that part of the gold had come off. The shop offered to repair them and send them to her in Brisbane, but after a delay, Customs in New Zealand informed her she needed to collect the earrings, which incurred a duty of NZ$44.95. Unfortunately, after wearing them once more, the clip broke, highlighting the challenges of duty-free shopping. In Christchurch, a businessman encountered a mishap while trying to deliver a cheque to a colleague. He left the cheque in the colleague's letterbox, only to find the envelope ripped open the next morning, and the cheque missing. It turned out that the milkman mistakenly believed the cheque was payment for milk tokens he had delivered, leading to the cheque's disappearance. Reports of unusual animal relationships also surfaced, including a touching story of Billy, a 25-year-old farm horse, who adopted a lamb named Barbara. Despite being a sheep now, Barbara followed Billy everywhere and sought shelter under him for warmth during bad weather, showcasing a remarkable bond. In Christchurch, the Gay Information Collective was preparing to open a Gay Information Centre in the Arts Centre complex, intended to serve as a public meeting place during lunchtime and early evenings. The centre would provide a supportive environment for gay men and lesbians, operated by volunteers, and aim to disseminate pertinent information on LGBTQ+ issues. On the international front, the Polish government faced challenges suppressing news about escalating industrial unrest. Reports indicated that more than 30 strikes had been recorded in the first two weeks of July 1980, yet the government's control over the media prevented any mention of strikes, opting instead for euphemisms like "heated discussions." The authorities reportedly employed tactics to obfuscate the unrest, with one noteworthy phrase emerging from management describing the situation as a "temporary weakening of production dynamics." With news carefully curated, the true scale of unrest in Poland was largely obscured from public view.
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