Miss New Zealand Leaves England On Friday

Chronicle (Levin), 14 November 1949, Page 3

Miss New Zealand Leaves England On Friday

LONDON, Nov. 11. Miss Mary Woodward, who has just completed a tour of three and a half months in the United Kingdom as "Miss New Zealand," is retnrning home in the Akaroa on November 18 with 15,000 miles of travelling in Britain behind her and memories of British kindness and hospitality on every mile of her journey. Officials of the Eoyal Air Force AsBoeiation who • organised the tour and who aecompanied Miss Woodward consider it is one of the most strenuous offieial assignments ever undertaken in this country. "Tell New Zealand that Miss Woodward stood up to it better than any of us did," said Mr Jack Edwardes, seeretary of the association. "You should be proud of her. She won't say any thing. about that side of herself, so we must say it for her." Much of the tour was done by car during the ,heat of Britain 's record summer, and it ineluded as may as 15Q civie and publie receptions, at all of which Miss Woodward made speeehes. She has accumulated five packing cases full of presents and a trunk full of guide books, an unspeeified number of proposals of marriage, and, above all, an admiration for the spirit of the British people. Every where she went, Miss Woodward encountered the greatest interest in New Zealand. "Ihave heard so many nice things said about us," she said "that I am sure it would not be good for us to publish them. "Indeed, I am not sure that we deserve them all. Too many people here appear to think it has the most marvellous climate in the world, the most marvellous food, and the most marvellous everything. It is a pity some of "the realities are not being better understood." She has one eomplaint; she does not like being asked to judge beauty parades. Miss. Woodward made her last offieial British visit today. It was to the Tower of London where a Yeoman warder showed her most of the historic ppints.