Afternoons for Tuesday 23 December 2014

1:10 Best song ever written

Lo Hear The Gentle Lark - Cleo Lane and James Galway.  Nominated by Murray Williams of Paekakariki

1:20 The Critics

TV review - Irene Gardiner
Books - Vanda Symon
Music - Anthonie Tonnon
Web - Ele Ludemann

2:10 Reunited with an Ercoupe monoplane - Matt Newton

After waiting for 68 years, a New Plymouth family has been reunited with a rare treasure: an American built Ercoupe monoplane. Harold Newton bought the plane in Europe in 1946. Harold was a fighter bomber pilot, and he flew the Ercoupe all the way to New Zealand, but sold it soon after. He died in 2003 but now the plane is once again in the safe keeping of the Newton family. Harold's son Matt is also a pilot, and he's in New Plymouth.

2:20 Ethical Trading - Michael Simpson

An Auckland husband and wife team has taken giving to a whole new level. Michael and Joanne Simpson have sold their business and jumped head first into the world of ethical trading. The couple have started a charitable trust called loyal.org.nz. And their aim is to help people overseas and at home.

2:30 NZ Reading

Julian Wilson reads ‘The Christmas Fairy’ by  Kristine Pearson.

2:45 Feature album

Mad Dogs And Englishmen - Joe Cocker (1970)   

3:10 Christmas Truce
Christmas Eve 1914, soldiers along the Western Front during the First World War did something extraordinary. They laid down their weapons, and ventured out of the trenches into No Mans Land to exchange holiday greetings and even play a game of Football. It was a spontaneous gesture of peace in the middle of a terrible war.   This year marks the 100th annivesary of the Christmas Truce. We'll talk to Alan Cleaver who is in charge of  Operation Plum Pudding, researching what happened on Christmas eve 100 years ago and collecting letters written by the men who were there. We'll talk to Alan Cleaver about his work and commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Eve Truce.

3:35 New Whaling Centre - Veronika Meduna 
On the 21st of December 1964, New Zealand's last whale was killed at the Perano whaling station in the Marlborough Sounds. To mark half a century since the end of commercial whaling in New Zealand, Picton opens a national whaling centre. Stories from Our Changing World.

3:45 The Panel Pre-Show with Zara Potts, Jim Mora, Steve McCabe and Sue Wells.