Letters 2 December
Needed! One Christmas tree!
For many years our good friend, Mike Campy, faithfully went forth with chainsaw and truck and produced the perfect Christmas tree for the hospital. Sadly, Mike is no longer with us. We remember him often - he was a kind and thoughtful fellow, not just in relation to his efforts at Christmas time, but in many other ways.
So here we are, beginning to prepare for the special time, and needing to find a tree. Is there anyone out there who might assist? We are happy to bring a trailer and do the fetching/transporting. If you can help, please phone me or Sharon at the hospital on 525 9808. Thank you.
Alexia Russell, Golden Bay Community Hospital
Rejection of claims
I must defend myself against the claim by Tony Sandall (GBW 25/11). I stand by my letter (GBW 18/11).
MPs Kevin Hague and Damien O’Connor provided positive responses. Chris Auchinvole’s reply of 1 September 2010 was defeatist (copy below). I subsequently wrote to Minister Ryall on 3 September 2010 bringing Joan Whiting’s proposed closure to his attention. Fortunately, a campaign to keep Joan Whiting open until the integrated facility is completed was successful.
Community thanks are due to all who helped with this including MPs Kevin Hague and Damien O’Connor, Grey Power’s Roy Reid, Joan Whiting campaigner Liza Eastman, Joan Whiting staff and residents and The GB Weekly and Nelson Mail. Many others also helped.
Interestingly, Mr Sandall made no comment about National’s support for the punitive targeted rate on communities with community boards to legalise the exorbitant staff charges of up to $336.00 per hour imposed by Tasman District Council. TDC staff are employed regardless of whether there are community boards or not. Mr Auchinvole chaired the committee which recommended changing the law to legalise these charges.
I reject Mr Sandall’s claim that the concerns I have raised from my experience of Mr Auchinvole’s performance are “wrong and totally misleading”.
Joe Bell
Copy of email from MP Chris Auchinvole to Joe Bell: Joe, Thanks for writing to me. The question you pose is a difficult one for rural communities. I have been reflecting on this for some time, noting that in fact there are very few truly rural sites in West Coast Tasman that are able to support the provision of rest care for the elderly. Certainly where we live, those without direct support from relations are not able to live locally beyond their ability to drive to town for Health services etc - to do so imposes a large dependency on friends and neighbours that cannot reasonably be met.
It is a huge credit to the Joan Whiting Trust that they have been able to extend services for as long as they have. As you know I have been keeping abreast of the changing events surrounding the home, and I note the decision, which will not have been at all easy for the trustees, was unanimous. I think for those who wish them well, and appreciate all that the trustees have done, I think we probably have to accept that they are in the best position to judge the home’s ability to carry on or not. We need to respect their considered view.
My efforts will now be directed to seeing how I can assist them in concluding their selected path.
Gold diggers have arrived
The gold diggers have arrived literally out of the blue, not with shovels but a lovely blue helicopter with magnetic survey equipment. It terrorised people and animals, flying back and forth over private property at Uruwhenua barely over the trees, before going into our national park to do the same. I assume this is thanks to National’s policies. Check your titles, you may not own the ground under your feet.
Aline D’Aoust
White Ribbon Day
A huge thank you to those of you who came to support the White Ribbon Day activities in Takaka and Collingwood last Friday.
It was wonderful to see so many of you on the Village Green enjoying the sausage sizzle and listening to the bike riders speak out against violence in any form. Their powerful message was that we cannot continue to tolerate, condone or remain silent about violence, and they relayed this message with passion and conviction.
The riders then travelled on to Collingwood Area School where they spoke to the children about staying violence free. The young people at Collingwood listened intently to the bikers, and thoroughly enjoyed the power (and the noise) of the bikes.
The bike riders have spent 10 days travelling New Zealand and meeting communities and we were priviliged that they took time to come to Golden Bay, especially as they arrived with us on international White Ribbon Day. There are some fantastic photos of both their time in Golden Bay and the other places they visited, on Facebook, under White Ribbon Riders.
Take a look and be inspired to join them on their ride next year, or just to keep the flag flying to help make Golden Bay a safe and violence free place for us all.
Emma Brazendale, Community Workers
Death by radiation
Imagine that wireless internet (wifi) and radiation from cellphone towers damages our nervous system, changes our reproductive system resulting in abnormal embryos, causes behavioural changes and damages our very DNA. Imagine this radiation interferes with bees’ navigation and is the cause of colony collapse disorder.
If these horrors were true, would you support high-speed broadband everywhere, wifi and cellphone towers? In fact scientists now recognise all these unspeakable biological effects on plants, animals and our bodies.
This radiation causes our cell membranes to break apart. When they rejoin, mutations occur that can lead to cancer. Children’s skulls are thinner, their bones softer, their immune systems immature, and their cells divide quicker, creating more potential for DNA damage. Do you want to subject your children to this harm? Neurological, reproductive and cardiac problems emerge before cancer, but when it develops, it typically appears as brain tumours, leukaemia and lymphoma.
In a choice between illness, tumours, mutations and no bees pollinating crops, and slower internet and less cell coverage, which is sensible and which insane? Though the risk is hidden and the effects not trackable to their source, the danger is real. Let’s apply the precautionary principle and be safe, not sorry.
Joanna Piekarski
