Highlights of 'Shades of Blue'

It's not just fashions that have been lined up - a hair show by Nadine, dance spots by Nishan Pieris of Extreme Designs and Yoshita and Charnez and exciting music by Deja vu and Horizon are all part of the evening's entertainment. Maxi Rosairo and Monique Willie will perform two guest-spots to round off the evening. 

Though the show begins at 6 p.m., there are many Christmas bargains to be had at the variety of stalls available. And to cap it all there'll be many surprises too. Tickets are priced at Rs. 550. 

Funny Business

Service please

By Royston Ellis

"Why do you ask?" I replied somewhat huffily. "Because, sir, if you are German I will pour the beer with froth on it. If you are English I will serve it without a head."

This impressed me as an example not just of service, but of thoughtful service. Something similar happened to me at the erstwhile Ceylon Intercontinental Hotel earlier this year. I walked into the bar after a harrowing day and the young barman ( whom I had never seen before) took one look at me and said: "May I serve you a whisky, sir?"

I had not thought of having a whisky but his suggestion resulted in a sale, and in me being an impressed customer likely to return to that bar. 

At the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, many years ago, the steward who took my order for dinner, asked: "Would master like the same wine as the last time?"

Since I hadn't dined there for a couple of years, I was astonished. To impress my lady guest, I agreed. However, I couldn't remember what wine he was talking about. That's why we had champagne instead of the plonk I had been planning to order.

Last month at a rest house in Tangalle when I was having rice and curry for lunch, the waiter hovered for a moment at the table and then dashed off. He returned with a saucer of mango chutney. It was an extra that I hadn't requested (and had to pay extra for) but it was nevertheless welcome.

These are examples of the service we tend to associate with a bygone era. It shows thoughtful concern for a guest's requirements. One doesn't have to be called "master, sir". It is sufficient to know that the person taking care of one's needs actually does care.

In the USA, of course, they go over the top. The person serving flounces up to the table and says: "Hi, I'm Tracy and I'm your server today," or some such over - familiar greeting. It usually turns out that Tracy is not a career serving-person but an acting-person in temporary employment until an acting job comes along.

In the politically correct western world, I am not supposed to say waitress or waiter since it is sexist. That's why inflight cabin stewards and stewardesses are now known as flight attendants.

In Capetown, I was astonished when the waiter ambled over to my table and announced he was my "waitron" for the evening. His female colleagues were also called waitrons. Whatever their name, in the end I found I was doing more waiting than they did; the food wasn't much good either.

Good service is an art. Fortunately, it is an art that can be profitable. It leads to a guest spending more than planned and that adds to the establishment's revenue, the government's tax and the staff's service charge.

Why then, is good service rather rare? Is it because good customers are rare too?

In an article of advice for single diners that I read recently, the writer points out that "waiters are very attentive if encouraged by a friendly attitude." I always thought they were attentive because of the possibility of a decent tip.

That is where the compulsory adding of a service charge has reduced the chance of good service. When a diner sees that a service charge has been included in the bill, he is rarely inclined to hand over a tip as well. Thus, for the waitron, the incentive to give that extra award-winning service is blunted.

Actually, the diner's attitude does help. When a new employee in a restaurant is highly trained in the art of service, it must be demoralising to discover that the guest hasn't been trained to the same high standard. If the guest's attitude is arrogant or sloppy, the waitron has little encouragement to prove how good the service can be.

In future I will remember which is the correct knife and fork to use for each course. I will also try to keep my wine glass on the right of the plate instead of moving it across to the left. And I will exude friendliness to all the restaurant staff. Perhaps then not only will I get good service, they will tip me for being good to serve.

Chugging along to see a rainforest 

The cottage where he lived is preserved to this day at the Freshwater Connection railway station. displayed in the main room he occupied are the sewing machine, a radio with a wooden cabinet, a suitcase, a corner-stool and a folding bed. 

The construction of the railway is a fascinating story. "The setting was the prolonged North Queensland wet season of 1882. Desperate tin miners on the Wild River near Herberton were unable to obtain supplies and were on the verge of famine. 

"The boggy road leading inland from Port Douglas was proving impossible. As a result, the settlers at Herberton raised loud and angry voices and began agitation for a railway to the coast," a historical note says. 

The construction of the Cairns-Kuranda railway is considered an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude and stands as testimony to "the splendid ambitions, fortitude and suffering of the hundreds of men engaged in its construction". The line was a total of 75.1 km - an ascent from beginning to end. It had to be cut through steep gradients and dense jungle. There was also obstruction from the aboriginals who were defending their territory. 

The climb was from 5.5 m above sea level to the summit with an altitude of 327.1 m. It included 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many metres above ravines and waterfalls. There were no bulldozers, jackhammers and other modern equipment to cut the railway line. 

The note adds: "It was strategy, fortitude, hand tools like picks and shovels, dynamite, buckets and bare hands. Great escarpments were removed from the mountains above the line and every loose rock and overhanging tree had to be removed by hand". 

The first fatal accident occurred when a man stood on the wrong side of a log as it was being rolled into a fire and was killed. There were many more as the work progressed. 

The deep cuttings and extensive embankments that were removed totalled just over 2.3 million cubic metres of earthworks. Slopes in the Barron Valley, one of the most picturesque sights on the way to Kuranda had been extremely treacherous. Slopes averaged 45 degrees and the entire surface had been covered with a 4.6m-7.6m layer of disjointed rock, rotting vegetation, mound and soil. 

At one stage, 1500 men, mainly Irish and Italian had been involved in the project. 

It is reported that when the British Governor paid a visit to see the progress of the work in April 1890, no speeches were made due to the roar from the waterfalls. However, the contractor had arranged a right royal reception and "to His Excellency's astonishment, a full banquet had been prepared atop Stony Creek Bridge (across the Barron river) with tables, food and wine dizzily suspended many meetrs over the gorge." 

The first train reached Kuranda in April 1891 and two months later the Cairns-Kuranda railway line was formally opened. Today Cairns is a popular international tourist centre and Kuranda a major tourist attraction. 

Fair-weather Connection station is small but there is much to see. Apart from the cottage, there is a museum where the hardy equipment used to cut the railway line is displayed along with many other interesting material. An old railway carriage is well preserved and another carriage houses the restaurant where one can taste 'Freshwater Specials'. A curio shop has a wide array of souvenir items. 

As we wait for the train we look around. It's sugarcane country. A typical rural setting. D. C. Ranatunga

Hot, hot !

The Meals on Wheels service in the UK plays a vital role in ensuring that elderly and disabled people who are unable to cook for themselves at least one hot meal a day.

When Heather started work, the Hammersmith and Fulham Counsil provided up to 1,500 meals a day. But with the use of microwave ovens, that figure has shrunk to about 500. 

Heather joined the Hammersmith and Fulham service on January 8, 1968 and has worked there ever since.

But the 64-year-old said she could not have done it without her fellow workers. She said: "The staff work hard and they never grumble. "They have always been there to do the work whatever the weather".

Mrs. Nugara claims to have enjoyed every minute of it because making sure the elderly and disabled have hot food on their plates gives her so much satisfaction.

She said: "If people are in need of individual care or have special needs, I would make sure they were satisfied. "It is a caring service".

Mrs. Nugara's manager Les Rhode paid a warm tribute at her farewell party. He said: "It's a happy and sad occasion. Happy because I know Heather can spend more time with her two grandchildren who she loves and sad because I am losing a valuable member of staff."

(Heather's husband is Watson Nugara who retired from the Sri Lanka Air Force and joined London Transport).

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