Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 25 May 1955, page 30


Worth Reporting

ANEW ZEALAND

woman enjoys a privilege many working women would give their eye-teeth for-being able to stand up in a roomful of Auckland's most respectable citizens, say what she thinks of her boss, and probably be applauded.

The lucky woman is Mrs. Agnes Dodds, 43-year-old Glasgow-born housewife, ma-chinist, and member of the Auckland City Council. Her employer, the proprietor of a children's wear factory, is a

fellow councillor.

"On weekdays I'm just an-other employee," Mrs. Dodds said, "but at council meetings I can say what's on my mind, and disagree with the boss as

much as I like."

Mrs. Dodds' special concern in City Council affairs is hous-ing. She is a member of the State Housing Commission's Allocation Committee, and estimates that in her four years on the Auckland Council she has helped house 4500 fam-

ilies.

"That's not a bad effort for one person," she added, "and Fm the only woman on the committee. Men don't have a clue about women and hous-ing; they don't realise what it's like to have to raise a fam-ily in one room. Women know about these things, and that's why I think I've been useful

on the council."

Mrs. Dodds' working day starts at 8 a.m., when she leaves home to go to the fac-

tory.

"I tear home at five p.m. after work to cook a meal, and then the phone starts ring-ing, the front-door bell starts ringing, and I begin to cope with people who have housing problems," she said.

"Sometimes they're sitting on my doorstep at 6 a.m., and some of them come to see me at work. The local police ser-geant rings me up whenever he comes across someone with housing troubles. I was in hos-pital for a while last year, and the people came to my hospital bed to see me.

"When I first took up this work for the council," Mrs. Dodds added, "I used to go to bed and cry, worrying about the people.

"I can't be hard-hearted

about people with troubles. They tell me about their prob-lems and I can't help getting upset about them."

* ? ?

JN a chain store the other

day we noted a vice differentiation between two types of cigarette-lighter. One line was labelled, "Lights in a storm, 2/9," the other, "Lights in a gale, 3/11."

Movie-making

in New Guinea

gHOOTING of the film

"Walk Into Paradise" be-

gins next month near Goroka, in thc eastern highlands of

New Guinea.

Actor Chips Rafferty and

director Lee Robinson asked

us along to a small party the other day to meet French pro-ducer Paul Edmond De charme, with whom they have entered into a partnership.

"Walk Into Paradise" will be the first of two films to be made under this arrangement. It will be made in French and English.

Chips will play a patrol officer in the film. The other main roles will be taken by Reginald Lye, and two French players, Francoise Christophe and Pierre Cressoy.

Lee Robinson expects to be tri-lingual by the time the film is finished. He is studying French with gramophone records, and intends to perfect his pidgin as soon as he gets to

New Guinea.

Chips' voice will be dubbed in for the French version. This is no novelty for Chips. In "The Overlanders" he spoke Chinese, among other lan-

guages.

Secret line for Royalty

LONDON artist Ulrica

Forbes has had to go into hiding to escape the flock of

visitors who have seen her

drawing of Princess Anne at the Royal Academy.

"I don't want to be known," said the modest artist. "I only want my drawings of Princess Anne to be seen."

Miss Forbes' brother-in-law, Abe Blomberg, has been help-ing her to escape publicity.

"Abe was the only person in Capetown who knew how the Queen, then Princess Eliza-beth, made her telephone calls from South Africa to Prince Philip," Ulrica said.

"He knew because they were made in the Lord Mayor's parlor. Abe had the secret fine put through. He was the Lord Mayor."

Bongo drums from kangaroo skins

AUSTRALIAN kangaroo

skins will be used to tap out a bongo beat when Betty Hutton's drummer, Remo Belli, returns to America.

As well as being a leading performer, Remo has a drumselling business in Los Angeles called Drum City. He sells thousands of drum kits a year to American musicians.

Some of these kits are im-ported from England, Ger-many, and other parts of Europe, but Remo himself makes the South American types at his own factory.

"I'd never had a chance to try out kangaroo hides myself

until I had a bash at some be-

longing to Australian musi-cians," said Remo. "As soon as I saw them I realised they'd be ideal for bongo drums.

"I shall take a few home to

try out on various designs. If

these are successful-and I'm sure they will be-then I'll be taking out regular orders."