A BIRTHDAY party was held at Powick Hospital for a man living 600 miles away, the Gazette reported 50 years ago.

"From a picture frame, garlanded with flowers, the white-haired 81-years-old absentee guest looked on to a gathering of students and distinguished guests," the paper explained. "It was to honour Prof Charles Gustave Jung, the eminent Swiss psychologist, and to provide an opportunity for East and West to meet and talk that Indian students decided to hold the birthday party at Powick.

"Certainly, there could not have been a pleasanter excuse for a party -- or more charming hosts.

"To pay tribute to Dr Jung, the students arranged for two speakers, and to celebrate his anniversary, they cut an iced cake and sent him a telegram."