Letters to Editor 30 October 2009
Readers of The GB Weekly online
Where are you and what is your connection to Golden Bay? We’d love to know who you are. Please get in touch.
Marg Braggins and Neil Wilson
Golden Bay Cycle & Walkways Society Inc
The committee has worked hard in the background for the last few years with little to show. However, that has now changed. Thanks to the hard work by the committee and the willingness of Jamie and Andrea Ward, whose land we are on and a grant from Pub Charity, we are now ready to start work. Many of you said no to being on the committee, but would be willing to help out with the working bees. Well, those working bees are now in progress, so your help would be very much appreciated. We will try to have work happening each Saturday until it’s done. If you can help, then please phone Phil Castle on 525 6224. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Wouter de Maat, Chairman
Golden Bay Cycle & Walkways Society Inc
Help needed for literary projects
In 1997 I produced and published GB Bibliography briefly describing all the books and other significant writing about our district I was able to locate. I added more in GB Grab Bag (2002), and a second supplement in Grab Bag Three (2006). Now I have been persuaded to put out a complete second edition. I would greatly appreciate help with new entries and additions to present entries.
The second project will be Grab Bag Four. These books are like historical society journals and I welcome articles of local interest written by others, to add to several I have already prepared or have in mind. Suggestions would be welcome. GB Chopping and Hockey have been suggested, and the Mangarakau coal mine. An important part of this book will be the first section of another long-term project, Prominent Golden Bay Families. The Museum, Genealogical Society and Heritage Golden Bay are involved with this endeavour.
The third project will be a further history of the Takaka Schools, to add to and update the booklets written many years ago. The committee for the forthcoming reunion is involved with this. Photos, short, entertaining and inoffensive articles and anecdotes are required.
I will need all the help I can get to complete this programme in the time available.
Pat Timings
Joan Whiting Rest Home
There are those in this community who seek to keep from change those things they helped to establish. They spend their energies to prevent any change to what exists. Yet to stifle change is to stifle life, for life itself is based on change. Such changes cannot be avoided if we are to survive, for life itself means change, constant change, and if we want to embrace life we must then embrace change. Nothing endures for ever unchanged, not the earth below nor the skies above. Even the stars come and go. The strength of man is to create anew and adapt.
Change for change’s sake has little merit but if applied as needed, wisdom and foresight will dictate what change must occur and where.
The Joan Whiting Rest Home must allow itself to be subject to a changing world and a new generation orchestrate its longevity. Either we accept change and go forward, or we stagnate and decay, the choice is ours.
Alan Vaughan
Everyone wants an efficient, highly skilled, well-resourced, inclusive health service. Medical professionals want to work in a collaborative, supportive environment. They don’t want to work in isolation. The distances between our existing facilities make Golden Bay such an unattractive option for new staff, as well as causing difficulties for current staff. The integrated model is one which the majority of health professionals, world wide, prefer and are requesting. It is totally logical. It has the potential to provide a fantastic health service.
Unfortunately, the predicament of the wonderful Joan Whiting Rest Home has clouded the issue. We all want this rest home to continue but the debate threatens to derail any plans to upgrade all the health services.
In an ideal world Joan Whiting carries on and the new integrated facility is built. There’s a perception that rest home facilities in a new health complex would be less attractive than at Joan Whiting. Why is this? Any facility can be made attractive with input from the health professionals and landscaping. And I’ll happily provide landscape plans, pro bono, for a new health facility.
The true strength of Golden Bay lies in working together. The issues of wages, facilities, buildings, funding and location can all be resolved, in our favour, through the combined strength of the whole community. Let’s work together and get the facility started.
Sue Lindsay, Angelus Landscapes Ltd
Bay Art
May I congratulate the organisers of the Bay Art awards opening evening. Especially the canapés and wine selection. It truly was an evening of good wine, good food and good company, sharing the talent of the Bay’s artistic creators.
It was however soured by a traffic cop situated barely 50 metres from the school entrance, heading west, breathalysing all drivers leaving the function. I thought this was foreign to the spirit of “country living”, and though the writer passed the breathalyser after consuming three wines, he puts it down to the wonderful food and plenty of it!
Reg Turner
Memories of Cobb surveys
Your article concerning Mac Harwood and the mention of Harold Wellman, geological surveyor, brought some memories to light:
About 1939 I was working for Wellman around the Cobb Valley, along with “Charlie”, a newly arrived Englishman. My job was to carry the surveyor’s staff and assist in the surveying as well as carry samples of interesting rocks which Wellman had discovered on our journey. Usually we would be away from camp for two or three days at a time.
On this trip we had descended a steep slope into the gorge. The Cobb River was flowing at a high rate and while crossing the river I slipped into the river and lost the staff. Further surveying was now out of the question, but Wellman was interested in continuing so that he could check on possible sources of different rocks. We camped at the top of the western slope. We had only a few slices of bread and a little cold meat to eat.
Flies had got into the meat so there were maggots burrowing around but we were able to scrape most of them off. We slept in our bags on the rock and in the morning continued on our way. By afternoon we were able to straggle into the Upper Takaka pub, hungry and thirsty.
Wellman bought a round of beer, whereupon Charlie went to the far end of the bar to drink his.
I was nonplussed and that evening I asked Charlie why he took his drink and left us. During our trip we had all been very congenial so this surprised me, as did Charlie’s answer, “Ya sh-sh should n-n-n-never drink with the b-b-b-b- bloody boss.“ Charlie tended to stutter at times.
Pete Lewis, Canada
A Retrospective of Quilts
What a superb exhibition! The Collingwood Memorial Hall proved an excellent venue – there was light and space to view the myriad quilts. My thanks to you talented quilters for sharing your truly magnificent selection of quilts.
Tish Potter
Congratulations to the Golden Bay Patchwork and Quilters Guild on the magnificent exhibition held at Labour Weekend. The inspiration, creativity and hours and weeks of work which went into each quilt made this a truly awesome display.
Our out-of-town guests were delighted to be able to visit the exhibition and were impressed with the skilled artisans we have here. My 5- and 10-year-old granddaughters were amazed at the colours and patterns, and the fact that these quilts were made in people’s homes and not in a big factory. They now feel inspired in their own artwork. Thank you for bringing this exhibition to Collingwood.
Tessa Gillooly
Golden Bay Boys and Girls Show
Kids, bring along your bicycle helmet to the Golden Bay Boys and Girls Show on Saturday. If the weather is fine you can have a ride on the new Boredom Busters Yamaha 50cc mini bike. If you’re too small to ride by yourself, someone will “donkey” you around. It’s lots of fun!
Dave Myall
Drivers needed for Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels helps many elderly people in Golden Bay and Golden Bay people recovering from hospitalisation to stay in their own homes when they need support. More drivers are needed for monthly delivery duties. If you would like to support our community by becoming a Meals on Wheels driver, please phone me on 525 6042 or Moira on 525 7202.
Carol Froriep
