PADEREWSKI ARRIVES

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 65, 8 June 1927, Page 1

PADEREWSKI ARRIVES

WONDERFULLY FIT ROUGH TRIP ACROSS (From Our Resident Correspondent .) WELLINGTON, To-day. With just a little more grey showing through his thick fair hair, but with every appearance of all the virility of 23 years ago, Paderewski greeted many New Zealand friends on board the Marama to-day. In spite of the exceptionally rough passage, he looked Wonderfully fit,

and the crowd of friends and admirers in no way disturbed him from the Castilian courtesy which characterises him as a gentleman of the old world. The great musician spoke highly of his reception in Australia,' and particularly in Adelaide, where the people were most enthusiastic. He smilingly declined to be interviewed, and with a twinkle in his tired, but bright and piercing eyes, spread his delicate and heavily-insured fingers out before him and said:—“l have to practice. I have had none for five days.” Then, taking in the whole ship with a long sweep of his arm, “We have had a rough trip.” As soon as he landed on the wharf, he stopped and sniffed two or three times. “What is that?” he asked. “Is it hops?” The Customs officer who had been delegated to look after the baggage, replied quickly, “No, herrings!” This was declared by Sir Ignace to be one of the most humorous mistakes he had ever made.

He will rest to-day after the rough passage.