You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Wednesday <strong>December</strong> 19 20<strong>18</strong> 5<br />
Local<br />
News<br />
Now<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
Retired cop now Facebook weatherman<br />
• By Emily O’Connell<br />
A FORMER high profile detective<br />
turned ‘weatherman’ has become<br />
an online hit.<br />
Retired Detective Inspector Mal<br />
Griebel, 74, has posted rain gauge<br />
results on the Rolleston Community<br />
Page on Facebook for about<br />
two years.<br />
But, in recent weeks, interest in<br />
his posts has soared as he takes a<br />
more comical approach.<br />
In the last month, Mr Griebel’s<br />
posts have received<br />
feedback<br />
from hundreds<br />
of Facebook users,<br />
with his most<br />
popular getting<br />
more than 420<br />
reactions.<br />
Mr Griebel<br />
Mal Griebel<br />
started recording<br />
the amount of<br />
rain in his rain gauges when he<br />
moved to his 13.3ha Rolleston<br />
farm about 40 years ago with his<br />
wife Jan and two children.<br />
The farm, which originally<br />
had sheep and then cattle, was a<br />
“sideline thing” for Mr Griebel<br />
who was kept busy with his police<br />
work.<br />
He puts the comical approach<br />
to his posts down to him being<br />
“bloody stupid and putting some<br />
witty things in.”<br />
RAIN: Former Detective<br />
Inspector Mal Griebel<br />
has become Rolleston’s<br />
‘weatherman.’<br />
“I actually enjoy it [making the<br />
posts] because I’m only hanging<br />
around here waiting to die so it<br />
fills in my time,” he said.<br />
Mr Griebel worked on many<br />
high profile cases over the years.<br />
He led the investigation into the<br />
abduction and murder of sixyear-old<br />
Christchurch schoolgirl<br />
Louisa Damodran in 1986.<br />
Her killer, Peter Joseph<br />
Holdem, remains behind bars.<br />
Several attempts for parole have<br />
failed because he is still regarded<br />
as a risk to the public.<br />
He said the farm was a good<br />
balance to his often grim police<br />
work. “It was good when I was<br />
running murder inquiries to<br />
Louisa<br />
Damodran<br />
Peter<br />
Holdem<br />
come home, after being away for<br />
quite a few days, to be able to grab<br />
a beer and wander around the<br />
farm and reorientate myself,” he<br />
said.<br />
While Mr Griebel likes to have<br />
fun with his posts, he is concerned<br />
with society.<br />
“You know with these murders<br />
and that sort of stuff, I believe<br />
people should start respecting<br />
themselves, respecting their<br />
families and respecting their<br />
communities.”<br />
Mal Griebel’s post on November 20 received more than<br />
420 reactions on Facebook<br />
“RAIN. ONLY for those<br />
interested, near the rural end<br />
of Brookside Road, Rolleston, I<br />
have some facts, as at 3.20 pm<br />
today, 20/11/<strong>18</strong>!<br />
Fact 1: I MUST remember to<br />
turn off the electric fence when<br />
I go to check<br />
my gauges! I<br />
am quite sure<br />
that some of my<br />
cattle actually<br />
grinned while<br />
some of the<br />
others took<br />
off in fright<br />
and some<br />
just turned<br />
their heads to<br />
ignore certain<br />
language. No<br />
my hair did not<br />
stand up on end<br />
as I don’t have<br />
much left.<br />
Fact 2: My steers have more<br />
sense than me. I should have<br />
stayed inside in the warmth of<br />
the log fire but my cattle knew<br />
better and declined to move to<br />
a new feed break but stay warm<br />
and cosy against the shelter<br />
belts!<br />
Fact 3: Now what facts you<br />
are probably really interested<br />
in.<br />
On <strong>18</strong>-11-<strong>18</strong> we had 15 mm<br />
of rain. On 19-11-<strong>18</strong> we had 8<br />
mm.<br />
On 20-11-<strong>18</strong> we have had,<br />
so far, 22 mm, and please bear<br />
in mind that<br />
it really only<br />
started hosing<br />
down a bit<br />
before lunch<br />
so most of that<br />
would have been<br />
in 3 and a bit<br />
hours, eh?<br />
Fact 4: In<br />
ChCh our usual<br />
average annual<br />
rainfall is 648<br />
mm or 25.92<br />
inches.<br />
So far this year<br />
we now have had<br />
727 mm or 29.08 inches, AND<br />
IT IS STILL RAINING and a<br />
few weeks to go till year’s end.<br />
Fact 5: If we have had sufficient<br />
rain to warrant it, I will<br />
give an update in the morning.<br />
Fact 6: I am now off for a<br />
nice relaxing soak in my lovely<br />
hot spa bath accompanied by a<br />
couple of ales!”<br />
Holiday Season<br />
Kerbside bin collection<br />
Christmas Day<br />
Tuesday 25 <strong>December</strong><br />
All collections scheduled for this<br />
day will take place on the prior<br />
Saturday 22 <strong>December</strong>.<br />
All other collections will occur as normal.<br />
To receive these alerts via text visit<br />
selwyn.govt.nz/binalerts.<br />
New Year’s Day<br />
Tuesday 1 January<br />
All collections scheduled for this<br />
day will take place on the prior<br />
Saturday 29 <strong>December</strong>.<br />
Collection<br />
will be prior<br />
Saturday<br />
SAME DAY<br />
BICYCLE SERVICE<br />
• 24 HOUR TURN AROUND<br />
on all servicing jobs<br />
• Fully Qualified<br />
Mechanic instore<br />
• BIG JOBS - same day<br />
NO wAITING 2 weekS!<br />
We love bikes as much as<br />
you do and you can trust<br />
that when you leave it with<br />
us, it’s in good hands!<br />
BOOk YOUR SeRVICe TODAY!<br />
www.selwyn.govt.nz<br />
401 Main South Rd, Hornby | Phone (03) 925 9689
Change language