The Star: December 20, 2018

The Star 3
News
• By Emily O’Connell
MADDIE COLLINS will know
today if she can go home for
Christmas.
The West Melton 14-year-old
has been in Starship Children’s
Health in Auckland for three
weeks, trying to determine
what is causing a decline in her
kidney function.
Top cop’s a weatherman
• By Emily O’Connell
A FORMER high profile
detective turned ‘weatherman’
has become an online hit.
Retired Detective Inspector
Mal Griebel, 74, has been
posting rain gauge results on a
community Facebook page for
about two years.
But in recent weeks, interest in
his posts have soared as he takes
a more
comical
approach.
In the last
month, Mr
Griebel’s
posts have
received
hundreds
of
reactions,
with his
Mal Griebel
most
popular
getting more than 420.
Mr Griebel worked on many
high profile cases
during his long career in
Christchurch, including
heading the abduction
and murder of six-yearold
Bromley schoolgirl
Louisa Damodran in
1986.
Her killer, Peter
Joseph Holdem, remains
behind bars. Several
attempts for parole have
failed because he is still regarded
Louisa
Damodran
Maddie, who suffers from the
kidney disease nephrotic syndrome,
underwent a successful
kidney transplant in January.
Preliminary results from a
kidney biopsy on Tuesday are
expected back today and her
mother, Sarah Manson-Collins,
said if the results are good,
they will be flying back to
Christchurch for Christmas.
as a risk to the public.
Mr Griebel started recording
the amount of rain he was
getting with rain gauges when
he moved to his 13.3ha
Rolleston property
about 40 years ago with
his wife Jan and two
children.
His farm, which
originally had sheep,
then cattle, was a
“sideline thing” for Mr
Griebel who was busy
with his police work.
Mr Griebel says his
comical approach is him being
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
“bloody stupid and putting some
witty things in.”
“I actually enjoy it [making the
posts] because I’m only hanging
around here
waiting to die
so it fills in
my time,” he
said.
He posts on
the Rolleston
Community
Facebook
page.
Peter Holdem He said the
farm was a
good balance to his often grim
www.selwynsounds.co.nz
She said the biopsy was
“straight forward” and full
results will be available in about
a week.
Mrs Manson-Collins said
Maddie is feeling “fantastic”
with her new medication and
injections, which is helping treat
a recently-found parasite.
Maddie and her family were
told on January 16 their fiveyear
wait for a kidney match
had been found.
They flew from Christchurch
to Auckland early the following
day and Maddie underwent
an initial operation and then a
second operation to reposition
the kidney hours later at
Starship.
There was only a two per cent
chance of finding a match.
RAIN: Former
Detective
Inspector
Mal Griebel
has become
an online
‘weatherman.’
police work.
“It was good when I was
running murder inquiries to
come home, after being away for
quite a few days, to be able to
grab a beer and wander around
the farm and reorientate myself,”
he said.
While Mr Griebel likes to
have fun with his posts, he is
concerned with society.
“You know with these murders
and that sort of stuff, I believe
people should start respecting
themselves, respecting their
families and respecting their
communities.”
Thursday December 20 2018
in brief
Maddie hoping to be home for Christmas $319k Treaty artwork
2019
ON THE DOMAIN LINCOLN
2 MARCH 2019
TICKETS
ON SALE
NOW
for Victoria Square
A new $319,000 public artwork,
which pays tribute to the Treaty
of Waitangi signatories, will
be permanently installed in
Victoria Square after it was
approved by the city council.
The artwork, Mana Motuhake,
was gifted by Ōtākaro and is the
work of master-carver Fayne
Robinson. It will be installed
near the Queen Victoria statue
in the new year. Ōtākaro will
pay for its installation and the
first 12 months of maintenance.
Dyers Pass Rd crash
victim named
A Christchurch man who died
when his car went down a bank
on Dyers Pass Rd has been
named. Yi Jie Chen, 60, crashed
on December 11. However, the
exact time of his death is still
unknown. His car, which burst
into flames when it crashed,
landed in the Christchurch
Adventure Park. Staff spotted
the vehicle and alerted police
around 9.50am.
Plan to buy land to
widen central city lane
The city council wants to
buy a strip of land next to
Strand Ln to double the width
of the road and improve
connectivity between Hereford
St and Cathedral Square. Chief
executive Karleen Edwards
is investigating whether
the Greater Christchurch
Regeneration Act can be used to
widen the lane quickly.
Prestigious award for
bowel cancer surgeon
Christchurch bowel cancer
surgeon Frank Frizelle has
been awarded the New Zealand
Medical Association chairman’s
award. Prof Frizelle and his
team were the first in the world
to discover a bacterial toxin
carried in the gut, which leads
to the development of bowel
cancer. The discovery could lead
to a lifesaving vaccine.
Photo Exhibition on Western China to be
Held in Upper Riccarton Library
A free-admission photo exhibition on
Western China is scheduled to be held
in Upper Riccarton Library (71 Main
North Road, Sockburn) from December
17 to 31.
Thirty photos on display depict the
natural scenery, historic sites, and social
and religious life of China’s Xizang
Autonomous Region in Western China.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is regarded as
the roof of the World both in geographic
and spiritual concept. The exhibition
offers an opportunity to explore the
diversity of China apart from its wellknown
metropolitans like Shanghai and
Beijing.
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