Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 7 January 1952, page 4


Kangaroos,

Koalas

Go To U.S.

Two kangaroos and four koalas were aboard a Pan American Strato

Clipper which left Syd-ney yesterday for the

United States.

The kangaroos are travel-ling with Miss Loretta North, of Coogee, winner of the "Miss Kangaroo" beauty contest sponsored by Twen-tieth Century Fox Film Cor-poration.

Their visit will coincide with the premiere of the film "Kangaroo," scenes of which were filmed in Australia early last year.

An A.A.P. message from San Francisco says the man-agement of the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco has refused to provide a suite for the two kangaroos.

But it has agreed to house them in an airshaft area on the twelfth floor or a garage in the basement.

The hotel management had stated that it would welcome Miss North and her chaperone, Mrs. Nettie Spurgeon, wife of Commander S. H. K. Spur-geon. But it would not pro-vide equal accommodation for the kangaroos.

Officials of the film com-pany said the housing problem for the kangaroos might be solved with less difficulty in New York.

Reservations at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel had been con-firmed. The kangaroos were identified only by name and registered as "Joey and Matilda Roo, man and wife."

APPEAR IN FILM

The koalas' will be used in a Hollywood film, "Botany Bay."

They were made comfort-able in special crates.

Branches of gum leaves were put in the crates for the koalas to cat. An extra sup-ply was placed in water to keep the leaves fresh.

The chairman of the Tar-onga Park Zoo Trust, Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, was at Mascot aerodrome to see them off

and supervise arrangeants

for their comfort. The koalas were reared on Mr. Hallstrom's property at Mona

Vale.

At Honolulu the animals will be unloaded while the plane stays there. An official

from the Honolulu Zoo will attend to them.

They are expected to reach Los Angeles next Monday. During their six months' stay in America they will be kept at the San Diego Zoo, except when they are being filmed.

Australian actor Peter Pagan will make his Holly-wood debut in the film which will be directed by Australianborn John Farrow.