THE EAGLES GATHER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 19, 30 October 1942, Page 8

THE EAGLES GATHER

MR DEEDS COMES TO TOWN IN A FORD SIX Theoretically Destiny came to Whakatane bourne upon the wheels of Romance last Thursday—at 16.28 hours. Actually First Class Private U.S. Army Lay-land Bozman zipped into town piloting a 1942 Ford Sixsedan from the southpaw driving position; zoomed in a close curve to the portals of the Whakatane Hotel —and deposited the first party of American Army staff officers to come to our town. They comprised of Col. L. Wolfford; Lieut-Col. Bob Chamberlain; Major G. G. Freer; Major Herbert Eagon; Capt. Richard Crooks all of U.S. Army Staff, accompanied by Col. T. R. Dawe and. the ever-popu-lar just-returned Capt. E. J. Waters of our own staff. Colonels Wolfiord and Dawe were soon shrouded by that, mystic mist that screens" high officers from the common gazq; but the rest of these officers soon showed unmistakable signs of that adaptableness, affability and quick wittedness which typifies the well-bred American the world over. Keen Little Town Major Freer opined that this was a keen little town once you got the hang of how to say its name. Majpr Herbert Eagon said that the local lads carried no line of poison that lie couldn't eat because he had been stationed at. "Fenuapai." He was, in fact, becoming quite a native. A Skilled raconteur, this officer with his wisecracks and his swift anecdotes based on American Army life reduced everyone to howls of laughter. One remembered how heartily Americans laugh.

Lieut-Col. Bob Chamberlain touched upon a subject close to the hearts of his American colleagues when he spoke. The silence with which they graecd. his words was eloquent. This is wftat he said- ."We Americans think the New Zealanders are 'tops' amongst the best lighters in the world to-day. We know they are "pincli-hitting 7 ' for John Buli all over your Empire. We know some Americans are strange to New Zealand standards; but we hope you good people won't, look upon us as "buttinskis" into your country. We feel very diffident, and would much prefer that.your boys were here so that we could fraternise with them." New Zealand Gratitude Your correspondent hastened to assure these American gentlemen that true New Zealanders were deeply; 'and would be eternally, grateful to the United States of America for the immediate and colossal aid, that had been rushed to us in our hour of dangerous need. Our visitors were reminded that if they should, meet discourtesy From anyone in New Zealand that the surest countermove was the question, "W T ere you born in New Zealand ?" Maorilanders have many quirks of character that even English people find hard to interpret; but nobody can accuse them of discourtesy toward quests, or ingratitude towards! those who would help them in. their time of peril .1 Yankee Curves The di(Terence in the American way of life and our own culture are mainly matters of pronunciation

and idiom. Which brings us rather deftly to neat one that Capt Richard Croo'ks slipped fill unconsciously across our little merccr; tlie more remarkable because the mercer prides himse'i! that the years he spent in those United States had enabled him, in baseball parlance, to cotton on to most Yan'kcc curves. But the Captain twirled a curve that proved to be a '"Ball of Fire.'' It seems the Captain wanted to examine some bird life in the "Forest" and tore the lining of his tunic in the barbed wire. Could the little mercer fix it? Certainly., the rent would be fixed between the doffing of the tunic for bed—and the donning of same for breakfast. Ihcn out of the blue saith the captain, "Could you give mc a pen ?"' A Matter of Pronunciation Now the Mercer has a fountain pen presented to him by the Conklin Fountain Pen Coy when lie was "foreign representative" for them here in New Zealand and it is the. apple of his eye. If you endorse a check with it he watched it so closely he nearly forgets the coupons. Still if the pen was wanted by America it was just another time when the tail -went'with'the hide. "What sort of pen?" faltered the Mercer. Ouoth the Captain, "Why—just an

ordinary steel 'pen' so I can 'pen' together the 'tarri' edges of my 'loonic' lining."' With a heartfelt sigh of relief the Mercer offered the gallant Captain rt box containing about two thousand steel pins. If only Americans don't mind vis calling it Tomarto and if we v can get used to people who are hard of hearing being referred to as "tleef," there is nothing in the whole world that, our two "Democracies cannot do together 1