THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 89, 21 June 1946, Page 6

THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE.

What ho, what ho, ma hearties. Whew! What a gale there was last Monday sailors; I thought the top of Whale Island was going to blow off. As it was my best hat blew off my head and over the cliff whilst I was taking a stroll. I can just see it from the top; it stuck halfway down the cliff upside down and the seagulls will probably nest in it next spring.' I haven’t quite collected my wits properly yet after the blow, and neither have Butinsky, Feterkin or Butch (although Butch is still going off pop about the moon causing all the trouble). One thing I am glad of though and that is that I was not somewhere between here and the Chatham Islands in Keelson’s lugger on Monday. Oh, by the way, I suppose you are wondering how I managed to get back from the Chatham Islands so quickly. Actually it was very simple. Of course not expecting Keelson’s lugger, to fall to bits the way it did, I didn’t take much money with me, so didn’t have enough to pay my fare home. I thought and thought and thought, and so did all the rest of my cobbers, and in the end we hit on a brilliant idea. The result was that they did me up in a brown paper parcel, and sent me by registered airmail post to Whakatane. I took sopre sandwiches with me, but I didn’t bargain on having to wait so long for the aeroplane to come and pick me up, and when I arrived back at Whale Island, you can imagine how hungry I was. I struck several difficulties on the way. The first was that they put me at the tail of the plane, and I was quite airsick. I had to go a short distance by train, and I travelled in the same truck as some old fish. At Hamilton, a porter sat on me for twenty minutes while he had morning tea, and at Tauranga, I was stood on my head up against the wall of the station for four hours whilst waiting for the next goods train. When I finally did arrive home, I heard the postman calling me all sorts of names as he thought of having to carry such a big parcel all the way up d.e hill to my cave. When I sieved there, I. discovered something 1 hadn’t quite bargained for; being a registered parcel, I had to be signed for, and the only person who c nd X sign for me was myself. Now here was a real fix. The only way I co.u.j have myself left at my cave and not be taken back to the Post Office was to be signed for by P.T.W. and yet there I was inside the parcel unable to get out to sign for myself until I had been signed for by myself to let myself out to sign for myself, if you see what I mean sailors. It’s a terrible muddle I’m afraid, but that was the position. Suddenly I heard the postman call my name. Of course I didn’t answer, for I didn’t want to be discovered. Again" the postman called, and then went outside to see if he could see me. Aha, I thought, now is my chance. Quickly I pushed one hand through the paper, undid the string and let myself out. I did the parcel up again, only this time but several large lumps of wood in it to make it look just the same as before, then I went out after the postman. “Oh,” he said, “there you are. I’ve a registered parcel here for you and you have to sign for it.” I signed for the parcel, and the postman flipping the pencil back into his pocket set off back down the track to where he had left his dinghy. I sat down in the corner, and heaved a big sigh of relief. Never again, sailors, will I travel by post. Cheerio for this week. P.T.W.

PEACE A little brown bridge o’er a rippling stream, It’s just the place to sit and dream. Behind it looms a high green hill, And set at the top is a creaking old mill. And I’m the one who loves to dream, On the rustic bridge ’cross the little stream.. Original—-Margaret Mahy.

< FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

Aboard for the Goodwill Cruise

as— W - : PETER THE WHALER nf WHALE .ISLAND

(Four points to you Margaret for this poem. P.T.W.) LAST WEEK’S COMPETITION Ho-ho, you sailors certainly turned in some fine jokes for last week’s competition. In fact my ribs are still twitching. The best ones I think were sent in by:— Shirley Cooper “What’s the matter with your dog, is he in pain?”, “No. He’s just lazy.” “But he wouldn’t howl like that if he were all right. Is he ill?” “No, Sir. Just lazy. He’s sitting on a thistle.” Jeanette Cooper Robber: “Money or your life.” Victim: “Take my life. I’m saving my money for my old age.” Paul Simpson “I say, old chap,” said the first man, in great excitement, “I put a penny in this machine and six stamps came out.” “That’s nothing,” came the reply. “I put a trouser button in that cigarette machine and the tobacconist came out.” The above sailors may collect their free picture tickets from the Beacon Office with my best compliments. P.T.W. Barry Devonshire: Sorry I haven’t forwarded your certificate yet Barry, but to tell you the truth I’ve forgotten your address. I had It written down on a piece of paper, but the other day when I came in I was just in time to see Butinsky swallowing the. last corner of it. If you will let me have your address again, I will forward your card. P.T.W. NEXT WEEK’S COMPETITION I’m afraid we haven’t enough room to run a painting competition yet sailors, so here’s another quiz. See how many of the questions you can answer, and send your entries in to P.T.W. c/o Beacon Office. Quiz 1. What is the capital of Germany? 2. How many minutes in a week? 3. Write “one million, four thousand, six hundred and thirty-two in figures. 4. How many provinces in New Zealand? 5. What things are kept in an art gallery? 6. How many years in a century? 7. In what year did World War II end? 8. What is the ending to the proverb—“ Never put off till tomorrow 9. How many pounds in a stone? 10. What would the time be if the minute hand of your watch were on twelve, and the hour hand half way between five and six? CONTRIBUTIONS I received a whole lot of jokes for last week’s competition although there are only three printed in the page today. There will be more

printed however, and sailors who sent them in will be awarded two points for each one. In the meantime sailors, keep on sending in any contribution you can in the way of poetry, jokes, riddles etc., and remember that it only takes TO points to gain a free picture ticket. P.T.W.