Tony Benn, 1925-2014
British Labour Party politician, orator, campaigner and diarist, recognisable by his pipe, tape recorder and outsized mug
Clarissa Dickson Wright, 1947-2014
Bombastic, outspoken lawyer who was brought to her knees by riches and alcoholism then rose again as a cook on Two Fat Ladies
Ann Howard, 1934-2014
Opera singer who portrayed ‘witches and bitches’ and excelled as Carmen
Bob Larbey, 1934-2014
Scriptwriter who mined the comic potential of suburbia in The Good Life, and Ever Decreasing Circles
Kate O’Mara, 1939-2014
Actress best known for her role in Dynasty in the mid 1980s
Alain Resnais, 1922-2014
French New Wave director celebrated for tackling in film Proustian themes of time and memory
Richard Vaughan, 1927-2014
Medieval historian and ornithologist who studies bird life from Europe to the Arctic
Mr George Bernard Shaw. Crown Studios Ltd :Negatives and prints. Ref: 1/2-195145-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23159238
80 years ago, one of the greats was visiting New Zealand, with crowds hanging on his every Shavian word.
Here are some quotes from “What I said in New Zealand” with a Christchurch perspective:
G.B. Shaw and Dr Thacker
Dr. H. T. J. Thacker, of Christchurch, sent him a reply-paid telegram asking for 12 words about his diet. Mr. Shaw’s reply was: “Dr. Thacker, Christchurch. Vegetarian 50 years. Teetotal always. Milk, butter, eggs. Shaw.” (p. 12 )
A Moa Bone Problem
There was a pause here and an impressive voice from the audience asked what its owner, D. H. T. J. Thacker, evidently considered a question of great importance. “Do you know, sir, that we have in the museum here the largest moa skeleton in the world?” Mr. Shaw (looking momentarily a little surprised): Well, no, I didn’t. I’m afraid. I don’t even know what a moa is. Dr. Thacker: It is the largest wingless bird in New Zealand, sir. (p.18)
Intellectual Christchurch
Amazing in his vitality and health Mr. George Bernard Shaw entertained half a dozen reporters and twice as many listeners and spectators at an impromptu levee in the lounge of the United Service Hotel for more an hour after his arrival on Saturday afternoon. “Well, what do you want me to talk about?” he asked as he approached the group of reporters. “What’s it to be today?” He began with a remark typically Shavian. “Someone has sent in some questions to me —was it ‘The Press?’—yes, ‘The Press’— which are about the most intelligent I’ve had since I came to New Zealand.” He turned to the reporter of “The Press.” “But, my dear fellow, it would take me 150 years to answer them all. I don’t expect to have another 150 years, you know.” The important question of why Mr. Shaw came to Christchurch was simply settled, lie threw back his head and laughed. Christchurch claims to be the most intellectual city in New Zealand, and I was most disappointed when the itinerary planned for me did not include it,” he said.
New Zealand Brunelleschi and the Catholic Cathedral
When Mr. Shaw saw that Catholic Cathedral he suddenly thought of Brunelleschi, and he went in and looked at it. He saw that they had already produced a New Zealand Brunelleschi. They had the classical style with all its merits and nevertheless, the arrangement was very original. It was not a mere copy as he regretted to say the Church of England Cathedral was. There was nothing in that. It was absolutely academic. The other cathedral was originally and beautifully treated.
“But why have I dragged in this?” Mr.Shaw asked. “Not because I was bribed by the architect, because I do not know his name, but because I suddenly saw it without anybody telling me to go in and look at it—it is not in the guide books—and it produced that impression on me. Then I began to think: They have here in New Zealand a man who is capable of doing that work, but what an awful time he must be having! Just imagine! Suppose yourself born here in New Zealand, a Brunelleschi, and that your business is to produce cathedrals of that kind. New Zealand might make a great effort and give you one commission and one cathedral to build. That is pretty hard lines. That man wants to be building cathedrals all his life. There should be cathedrals like that in every town in New Zealand. It should be an attraction just as the church or cathedral is a great attraction in almost all the towns of Europe, the first things you go to see … (p.23)
Communistic New Zealand
Thanks to your communistic institutions you are to some extent leading world civilisation to-day. You are second only to Russia. (p.27)
Holiday reading: Mein Kampf and 22 other books
In the library of the Rangitane, which is now at Wellington, and in which Mr. George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Shaw travelled to New Zealand, there are 23 books given to the ship by Mr. Shaw after he had read them during the voyage. (p. 27)
Bye the bye, some of you may have noticed Shaw’s Major Barbara features in season 3 of tv show Girls (Adam is playing a role in a Broadway production of it).
George Bernard Shaw and Sir Joseph James Kinsey at Kinsey’s home `Warrimoo’ on Papanui Road, Christchurch. Ref: 1/2-020830. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22899021
Some well-known people who have died recently: