Capping Week Highlights

The 1963 edition of Cappicade hit the streets on Thursday.

No sales figures are yet available, but a Cappicade source reports that about 23,000 of the 27,000 have been sold "and we've still to circularise copies to the other varsities."

"Selling was chaotic, as usual," he said, "but we're quite pleased with the way things went,"

About 100 students hawked the edition in the capital and in outlying provincial towns such as Napier, Palmerston North and Wanganui, earning some fat commissions.

On the Friday, about high noon, 25 floats rumbled through the downtown shopping area attended by mobs of weirdly-attired students waving placards and shouting slogans.

Weathering missile attacks (flour, eggs, tomatoes, etc.) from over-enthusiastic spectators (some students), the entourage chanted (and ranted) its way to Parliament Buildings and thence back to Victoria for ale refreshments in the cafe.

The "petrol war." run by the Chemistry Society, received the best float award; and this year's charity. Stepping Stones, an organisation which helps rehabilitate people after they come out of mental hospitals, collected over £450,

Degrees were conferred in person on 381 graduates by the Chancellor. Sir Duncan Stout, at the Capping ceremony on the Friday night.

Among the recipients was the former Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Nash, on whom was conferred an honorary degree of laws. This is Victoria's first honorary degree.

Sir Duncan spoke of a comprehensive development plan for the university (since released), and mentioned the urgent need for more halls of residence.

The guest speaker, the British High Commissioner. Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce, told the audience that New Zealand could become a beacon for the Commonwealth and a model for what future Western society should attain.

But, he warned, this would not be achieved if her natural talent was chained by the enslavement to convention that threatened the West.

Among us there were pioneers and geniuses, men who did not conform, men of independence of mind, and he suggested to graduates that they had a special and essential function to encourage and support these people.

"Is not a main obligation of all of us graduates," asked Sir Francis, "to make a special effort first to identify these leaders in our midst, the lonely and unappreciated explorers and secondly to do anything we can to make their work less difficult and more widely understood?"

Starting the following Monday. Extravaganza, "A Mid-November Night's Dream," ran six nights in the Opera House.

Houses were small the first few nights, but picked up toward the end. Attendances totalled over 3000,

It is understood the show lost about £700.

Extravaganza had an extra run in the Memorial Theatre from last Wednesday to Saturday, too late for Salient to obtain updated financial and attendance figures.

The re-run was partly to recoup losses, but as show organisor John Allan explained: "We'd had the idea to stage Extrav at Victoria for quite some time."