Reporter’s Diary (Press, 26 August 1988)

On 26 August 1988, the Canterbury Aged People’s Welfare Council staff shared a humorous incident involving an elderly woman whose home was vandalised. The intruders had ransacked her house but only took a bottle of laxatives. When a policeman informed her these would likely be used for making homemade baked goods, she humorously remarked that anyone using her “poo pills” to make cookies would be in for a rough time. In Thailand, the return of Miss Universe, Porntip Nakhirunkanok, drew massive crowds in Bangkok, causing a frenzy among fans. A spokesperson for Miss Universe, Inc. stated that she is the most beloved Miss Universe to date, charging fees for her appearances. However, not all reactions were positive; feminists staged a parody pageant, crowning alternative titles such as “Miss Thighland” and “Mistreated,” and demonstrating their discontent with dollar sign sunglasses and condom balloons. At the Dental Association’s Conference in Christchurch, a dentist amusingly compared involvement and commitment using a bacon and egg breakfast analogy to illustrate the difference—while the hen is involved, the pig is committed. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs announced several project fund grants highlighted in their June newsletter, which had just arrived. Notable beneficiaries included the Witchwork Publishing Collective in Nelson, which received $500 to print a book of lesbian poems, and the Ngataki Maori Women’s Group in Kaitaia, also receiving $500 for transportation costs related to mat weaving. The Manawatu Home Birth Association garnered $550 for a promotional poster on home births. In a quirky communication from Telecom, an exchange between an operator and a caller included a missed name and ended with the line going dead, demonstrating the everyday absurdities of phone connections. Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, who gained fame during the Winter Olympics, continued to entertain with his knack for mishaps. Recently, he mistakenly went to Portsmouth looking for the Plymouth Ideal Home Exhibition, only to find out he was at the wrong location. After informing his manager of his confusion, he quickly rented a car and sped 320 kilometres to Plymouth to fulfil his commitment to the event. In summary, the snippet highlights various humorous and poignant moments from 1988, including anecdotes from elderly clients, cultural events in Thailand, the dental conference, and various project fund grants from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, capped off with Eddie Edwards’ latest hilarious misadventure.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand