Column 8 reader anecdotes have revisited a memorable Pan Am flight, an unexpected warning beneath a Bunya pine and a cryptic crossword clue that appeared to celebrate a couple’s wedding anniversary.
Jeff Wall, of Thirroul, recalled travelling from Heathrow to New York in the summer of 1978, when he was chatting to a Texan oilman over a beer at the small bar at the back of the lower deck.
George Best then came down the stairs from first class. Five minutes later, Davy Jones of the Monkees joined them.
Judy Klein, from Double Bay, offered a reminder of her Latin lessons: “Anyone needing ‘Romani oppidum oppugnobant’? It’s all that remains after years of Latin lessons. You never know when ‘The Romans are attacking the town’ may come in handy.”
At the Wollombi Sculpture Festival, Malcolm McEwen of North Turramurra and his wife found a warning beneath a Bunya pine. The notice, written in very small lettering, cautioned that the tree’s nuts could weigh up to 10 kilograms and might fall without warning, advising visitors not to stand close.
Another coincidence came from Marie and Tim Slack-Smith of Castle Hill, who returned to Tokyo after a 12-day cruise on their wedding anniversary. They were surprised to find the Herald cryptic clue “Marie and Tim roam about the sea” at one across.
Don Bain, of Port Macquarie, meanwhile revisited what was described as his “Mal, Jono and Vic scoop” – the claim that George Manojlovic was a pseudonym for three Herald writers. The theory was described in the contribution as “a preposterous theory, quickly disproved but lingering in the minds of some”.
