Letters 16 April 2010
Pickled onions
The article (GBW 12/4) about Golden Bay Lions Club pickling onions as a fundraiser bought to mind Phil and Meg Hedges who did this as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army in the 1980s.
Phil and Meg owned the Lighthouse Lodge guest house in Collingwood which was subsequently upgraded to become Skara Brae and now The Station House under a succession of new owners. Phil bought sacks of pickling onions which he processed and distributed in large jars free of charge to hotels and taverns around the top half of the South Island. Once the contents were finished the jars became collection containers. Phil raised many times the value of the onions this way. In fact, the tiny Collingwood “outpost” became more successful than many of the large Salvation Army branches through these efforts. Phil said he wore the ends of his fingers off peeling the onions.
Having barely survived as a prisoner of war, he held a strong social conscience and helped many people during his time in the Bay.
Joe Bell
Climate change our fault?
Dr Lowe, in Pohara (GBW 5/4/10), maintained that man-made CO2 is the unarguable cause of deleterious climate change. The real situation is highly uncertain. Here are some of the reasons.
The International Panel (IPCC) has said scientific theories have to be adequately tested to be acceptable. But they also say computerised climate models cannot provide predictions, so how can the theory be tested?
Computerised climate models are only as good as the inputs and these are incomplete because of lack of knowledge. IPCC itself reports 48 key science uncertainties spread over nine subject areas.
A 2008 peer-reviewed paper by Goldberg gives eight pieces of evidence that man-made CO2 has not affected the climate and is minuscule in relation to natural processes. This paper was not considered.
Dr Lowe claims that our CO2 contribution is permanent, and so is the damage. But Goldberg shows that CO2 takes only four years to recycle through the whole system.
Dr Lowe considers that to be considered, critics of a theory have to provide an alternative for the criticism. Goldberg shows how huge natural processes dominate climate behaviour.
There are too many uncertainties to have any confidence that it is “our fault”.
Peter Foster
Integrated health centre
Assuming and consulting are two different things, and the IMG seems a bit confused about this. They are drawing assumptions from a very small number of returned questionnaires that contained loaded questions, not one of them being, are you happy to see your health facilities moved 4 km away from the bulk of our population? Are you happy to take on a huge debt and privatise our hospital? Are the staff happy to work harder for the same money? Are some staff happy to be laid off? Anyone can see that health budget expenditures are all being squeezed and this is no time to be suggesting a new expensive facility.
John Peters was out of line to attack our nurses’ statement of concern. If they did get something wrong, it is not their fault that there has been no proper engagement with the staff (or the public) explaining possible ramifications.
Victoria Davis
It was so sad to see the public notice last week (GBW 9/4) advertising a meeting to be held with regard to the integrated health centre on 20 April in Takaka.
Not only were the instigators of the meeting anonymous but the whole notice was couched in the most negative manner; large print with a black background, and nicely timed to be held before the “real” meeting six days later. What a sad indictment on the authors of the notice that they have to remain anonymous. One wonders what their motives must be to be so secretive and cowardly. I wonder if this may be the last death throes of neoconservative fundamentalists who see their little empires slipping away.
John Weston
Ed. An article on the group’s concerns appears in this issue on page 2.
Questions for Barry Cashman (GBW Letters 9/4):
1 Why does he think a group of Golden Bay residents have spent five years of their own time trying to sort out the best deal for the long-term future of health services in the Bay? Most of the time all they have got for it has been criticism and ridicule.
2 Did he go to the Open Days, one of many opportunities in the last five years that residents have had to find out information on the proposal?
3 Did he fill in a questionnaire provided after those Open Days where he had an opportunity to give his suggestions and ask further questions?
4 Has he studied the website www.gbhealth.org.nz/opendayfeedbackforms?
5 Does he not realise that more than 75% (2006 census) of Golden Bay’s population lives outside the township, and that wherever the medical complex is sited some people will be further away than others? The hospital site chosen is no more than six minutes max by vehicle from the furthest dwellings in the township area. The Wrinklies bus is available for the few without vehicle access.
6 The Joan Whiting Rest Home may have to close in a few months unless consensus on the proposal is agreed to.
Come to the meeting on 26 April. Let’s get behind these changes and be grateful for what we already have and what we are about to receive.
Anne Gentleman
It is not my intention to stall progress in this matter but please let’s get it right and let the community have a say in what will be theirs. There are far too many out there who are concerned and don’t know or cannot understand what the future of the new structure really means.
1 Criticism has been brought on by not working closer to and getting the confidence of the community. Yes, as always in these matters there are matters that can’t be disclosed, but to be succesful it is important to get the community on side not make them feel they are being kept in the dark or bullied.
2 Yes I did attend for a very short time but the opportunities have not been many as Anne implies there has been.
3 Yes I did and stressed the importance of keeping the medical centre in the town area.
4 Yes I have accessed the website; the questions are very good and important ones but the answers do not fill me with confidence.
5 Yes I realise that everyone doesn’t live in the town area but it has the biggest concentration of elderly residents who are capable of accessing the medical centre themselves as well as our young people who have no transport themselves in most cases.
Let’s not be divided in this important matter but work together to come up with the best result. I don’t believe we are near that point at the moment.
Barry Cashman
Tourism seminar in Golden Bay
On Tuesday 20 April is a free two-hour seminar for all operators in our local tourism industry. This will be hosted by Nelson Tasman Tourism. This will be a valuable chance to meet with our regional destination marketing team, and to network with other operators in our area. The programme will include a company update, guest speakers, and workshops. Registration forms are available from the Golden Bay i-SITE or by emailing <Jessie@NelsonNZ.Com>.
Jessie Horton, Golden Bay i-SITE
Preserving our heritage
Readers interested in the wellbeing of our regional museum, Nelson Provincial Museum, and public access to its wonderful heritage collections can contribute to a review of services that the museum will carry out. Contact the museum: enquiries@museumnp.org.nz) or by phone 03 548 9588.
Submissions on the draft annual plans of Nelson and Tasman councils, as they relate to the funding and accommodation needs of the museum, are due by 26 April (Tasman) and 28 April (Nelson).
The two councils established Tasman Bays Heritage Trust in 2000 to administer the museum on their behalf. However, as joint and sole shareholders, the councils remain ultimately responsible for the museum. I have prepared a summary of the draft plans and other current issues affecting Nelson Provincial Museum and am happy to send them to anyone either by email or post. Contact me on 524 8112 or by email <penny.griffith@paradise.net.nz>.
Penny Griffith
Village Green noticeboard
The Summer Events noticeboard on the Village Green is usually taken down at the end of March. Still, as there seems to be a tremendous amount of events it would be good to leave it there. However, so the board doesn’t look “tatty”, PLEASE show that you care about your event and laminate your poster and use staples or enough pins so it doesn’t blow away.
Sheryl Nalder, Chairperson, Village Green Society
