Whanganui letters:Poppy film fundraising and Too many ads

See Libby Hunsdale in Poppy at Embassy 3. Photo / Supplied

Poppy film fundraising premiere a success

My wife and I had a very enjoyable evening with a visit to the Embassy 3 cinema last night (June 3).

The occasion was the Whanganui premiere of the film Poppy starring the very talented Libby Hunsdale, a young Whanganui actress.

This gala night was organised by the St Andrew Kilwinning Lodge of Freemasons as a fundraising exercise for local participants to the Special Olympics to be staged in Hamilton the coming summer. Many other Whanganui companies were also generous with donations.

As it was such an auspicious occasion for a young Whanganui actress the Freemasons invited the Whanganui Chronicle to cover the occasion. It refused, which I found strange as it covered the shooting of other films being produced in the district in the past few months.

But all was not lost we did have the smiling face of Paul Brooks (Whanganui Midweek), magnificent supporter of the arts in general, and his camera to cover the event, and the River City Press for their article the day before.

However, it was a very good night with well over 200 people attending and over $6000 raised to help local Special Olympic participants.
D. LEWIS
Whanganui

Ed's note: We agree this a worthy story which is why the Chronicle has keenly followed both the making of the film Poppy and the achievements of Libby Hunsdale with several stories since 2019. In fact, a story about Thursday's event was published on the Whanganui Chronicle website and social media channels on Tuesday, and in our weekly paper, Whanganui Midweek, today.

Too many ads

A couple of decades ago, an American stand-up comedian, talking about the excessive numbers of commercials during television programmes in that great country was heard to exclaim in his line of comic patter, that he "went to the bathroom during a programme break".

In today's New Zealand, I am beginning to wonder why they bother with the television programmes at all. In a recent episode of a popular comedy programme, out of curiosity, I timed the contents of that half hour.

The commercials won easily. They hogged twice as much time as the programme did. Sad. Annoying. Count me out as a television viewer.

I watch to relax after the hustle and the stresses of the real world, not to be driven into frustration and throw things at the television screen.

By contrast, me and my fellow Boomers had it far better in days of yore. In the half-hour 1950s radio comedy of Life With Dexter, we could easily "endure" two minutes of commercials in between great entertainment. Today's television bosses, please time things like that.
STAN HOOD
Aramoho

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