Community Singing Season Starts

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 52, 5 July 1935, Page 21

Community Singing Season Starts

Popular Broadcasts from 47Z7M-Starting Work on the New Mast for 4YA -Irrelevant Arguments From Writers-Rhodes Scholar’s Last Studio Appearance.

LL the material for the mast for the new 4YA plant to be erected on the Otago peninsula, including the steel work, stays, wires, insulators. and so on, has now come to hand, and despite the adverse weather the actual building work has commenced. When the foundations have been laid-it wiil require a very substantial ground base for such a towering mast-the steel portions of the mast will begin to be raised. This task is by no means an easy one, as every length of steel has to be secure!y locked in position, and as each side of ‘the mast has to be strongly guyed as it is erected to en- . ensure perfect safety. The superintendent of the job has been inundated with applications for appointments on the work, but he already has a full staff and does not require extra labour, Eyen though the weather of late has been a little wintry, there has not been any serious stoppage in the work of building the accommodation for the transmitting apparatus and the adjoining living premises. NE of the most popular weekly features from the main station is undoubtedly the broadcast of the community singing session from the Strand Theatre, where Mr. H. P. Desmoulins (sometimes Mr J, Sinclair) and My. A. Pettitt keep the audience in a happy mood, the former in the role of leader and the latter as the official pianist. One of the local B stations, 4ZM, has now taken a hand in community singing matters, having broadeast from the Town Hall the recent sing organised by Toc H. On this occasion the popular Christchurch pair, Mr. Alan Brown and Mr. Bert Goodland, were in charge of the proceedings. This broadeast, it will please many to know, was the first of a series to.be handled by 4ZM, which, commencing on July 16, will relay the fortnightly evening sings to be conducted under the auspices of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association. At these sings Mr. Arthur McDonald, a local baritone singer, will be the leader. "THERE has been 4 little controversy between listeners in one of the local papers lately regarding one of the sessions broadcast weekly by one of the B stations. It has been suggested that this. session is "nothing but an advertisement" for another local concern, but the dispute in, this connection is best left alone here. However, other people have taken the matter up wrongly, and have rushed into print, dragging with them quite irrelevant subjects until the correspondence hag assumed a different aspect, that of a debate as to whether 4YA or the B station is working on the right lines in certain respects. It is a silly argument when all is said and done, and should never haye been allowed to follow the trend it did. :

"THE Silver Scarab of Hereb Ahmen" was an example of what one type of broadcasting play should be. When heard recently from 4YA it was played by a strong cast-the Iaculty Players-and held the. attention of the majority of listeners throughout, The artists gave very vivid impersonations, which showed that they. had studied fheir respective roles. As usual, Mr. Lester Moller was at the head of the cast, and many will regret to know that this. was his final appearance from 4YA before leaving for England. ° Mr. Moller, who is one of the 1935 Rhodes’ Scholars,. leaves Dunedin in about a week’s -time for the Homeland, where he will engage in further study. He has always been a welcome performer at the local station, and when he leaves for the other side of the world he will take with him the good wishes of all those who have enjoyed his broadcasts. 'ORNET solos are usually listened to by quite a fair proportion of the radio audience, and a comparatively new artist on this instrument.is therefore welcome. The new radio player is Mr, Roy Mathieson, who was runner-up in the New Zealand cornet championship at Timaru early this year. Mr. Mathieson, who plays in the St. Kilda Municipal Band, was heard playing solos to. band accompaniment. He next appears before the 4YA microphone on July 9, when he will again provide selected items. LISTENERS would be well advised to make certain of hearing the new B.B.C. programme, "A Light Variety Programme," when it is presented at 4YA on July 12. It is promised that this entertainment will be something better than the usual vaudeville fare, and so it should be when it is considerered that the leading artists are Clapham and Dwyer, However, this famous pair will not have everything to themselves, as the programme will embrace a range of items by such players as Harley and. Barker, Janet. Jayce,Helmer Fernback, the "Fill Billies" fond. Tony’s "Red Aces." IE) model aeroplane club formed a © short time ago by Big Brother Bill, of 4YA, has already ‘become quite a large concern, the membership now totalling 500. A city firm, with premises in Rattray Street, has offered Big Brother Bill the use of the top story, which is a very spacious compartment, for the purpose of holding meetings of the club members from time to time. An interested citizen has presented. a silver trophy to the club for annual competition, and already the work | of building the model planes’ to chosen designs has begun in the various sections of the club, A series of "pilot certificates" for planes that will fly for specified:lengths of time isalso tobe award-

ed members, and, as previously stated in these notes, a field day is to be held about the end of winter, when the children will be taken to the country for a day in order to enter their planes in the various contests. PECIALLY formed for broadcasting, a new instrumental trio has made its bow to listeners to 4YA. This combination is made up of musicians well and favourably known in the southern city-Mr. Max Scherek (pianoforte), Miss Ethel Wallace (violin), and Miss Elvira Wycherley. (violoncello); They make an admirable musical group, and are to be heard again on July 12, when an hour will be spent with French chamber .music, Miss Rita Miller (coloratura soprano) will add colour to the programme by giving a short French recital.