Pegasus Post: February 19, 2019

6 Tuesday February 19 2019
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
Unusual
items
taken in
scout hall
burglary
• By Matt Slaughter
A USED toilet brush was
among the hundreds of dollars
of equipment stolen from the
Otakaro Park Scout Group in
Dallington.
However, group leader Angela
Smith-Williams said the bad
situation has been transformed
into a learning experience for
the cubs and scouts.
The Otakaro Park Scout
Hall on Halberg St was broken
into between February 4-7. A
range of unusual items were
taken, including orienteering
compasses, cooking pots, art
and craft supplies, toilet paper
and cleaning products.
Mrs Smith-Williams said
a box of cub badges was also
taken. She questioned why
anyone would steal an item
which means so much to
the cubs. “They’re of no use
to anyone else, but cubs are
incredibly proud when they
earn them.”
Although the burglary was
a big blow for the group, it
created an opportunity to teach
the scouts and cubs about the
role of the police, Mrs Smith-
Williams said.
“We’re hoping to link up later
in the term and see if we can get
a finger-printer in, or if we can
go to the police station and have
a look at how they do it all.”
A Facebook post made by
Mrs Smith-Williams after the
burglary was shared 182 times
and many people have donated
time and equipment to get the
scout group back on its feet.
“It’s just been amazing how
the community has rallied
behind us.”
She said the burglary had also
taught the kids a valuable lesson
about generosity.
Road safety tips for pupils and parents
• By Matt Slaughter
THE BEGINNING of the school
year has seen children and
parents in the eastern suburbs fill
footpaths and roads at pick-up
and drop-off times.
The safety risks that come with
this have prompted police to
make an effort to educate pupils
on how to stay safe heading to
and from school.
But pupils are not the only
targets of the messages – a big
push is being made to get them
to share the road safety tips with
their parents.
Schools community officer
Constable Matt Swaney said
parents’ safety concerns during
the school rush often created
more safety issues.
“There’s a feeling from a lot of
parents that the roads aren’t safe
and, therefore, they want to drop
their kids as close to the gate as
possible. In the process of doing
that, they’re actually making the
roads more unsafe by doubleparking
and parking on yellow
lines and contributing to the
problem they’re trying to avoid.”
“Our message to kids is a lot of
common sense stuff like to use
school crossings.”
Constable Swaney said too
often this message is not getting
through to parents and children
are being encouraged to teach
them good habits.
“You get parents who will cross
•From page 1
Mrs Profit said the traps had
been relatively successful over
Christmas, but the midges had
returned to her property in huge
numbers.
“It’s absolutely atrocious
. . . it may have worked over
Christmas, but it is definitely not
working now.”
City council general manager
of city services David Adamson
said the 30 per cent reduction
in midge numbers has occurred
around the ponds themselves,
but “no monitoring of the midge
numbers is undertaken in the
LESSON: Constable Matt Swaney teaching pupils from Whitau School in North Linwood about
road safety.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
their kids 100m down the road
because that’s where their car is
parked. The message to kids is
don’t encourage that.”
Constable Swaney held a
session on road safety with pupils
at Whitau School in Woodham
Rd, North Linwood, last week.
The school’s road safety coordinator
and caretaker Stewart
surrounding areas or
properties.”
Mrs Profit said the
city council’s current
strategy is costing too
much considering the
results.
“They breed in the
ponds but they don’t
stay there . . . they may
have 30 per cent less in
the ponds, but we haven’t got 30
per cent less in the houses.”
She said placing salt around
the edge of the ponds or
reinserting some sewage back
into them would be better and
Janet Profit
Russell said the messages being
relayed to road patrollers in the
session were getting through.
The tips have been spread to
pupils of all ages, even those as
young as five, and to parents as
well, Mr Russell said.
He said pupils “don’t run
across the crossing now like they
used to – they wait until they’re
more cost-effective
options. However, Mr
Adamson said the salt
option had been proven
to be “uneconomic” and
adding sewage had the
potential to cause an
odour and “a significant
impact on the water
quality of the final
effluent being discharged
out into Pegasus Bay.”
He said the current range of
the trapping and monitoring
techniques being used would
“have a cumulative influence as
they take effect in coming years.”
PEGASUS POST
told.” Mr Russell said Woodham
Rd is “one of the major roads
that a school is on and just for
the safety of the kids, some of the
traffic needs to be told to slow
down.”
“That’s quite important for a
lot of people to realise and the
road patrol just reinforces that,”
he said.
Bromley midge problem: ‘Nothing is working’
CAMERON BAILEY
The reduction in the midge
population achieved by the
techniques means they are
currently the best options, he
said.
But Mrs Profit said she
was willing to “make midge
sandwiches and take them to the
council” to give it a taste of just
how bad the problem was on her
property.
She doesn’t hold out hope that
it will get better, in spite of years
of trying.
“I’m not just fighting a losing
battle, it’s been a losing battle of
11 years. It’s longer than a war.”
Testimonial
“Heather and I would like to convey to you and your personal assistants Samantha and Lisa,
our appreciation for your input and management for the marketing of the Waltham Street units.
Truly a class act – the photography and descriptions were superb, we were kept informed,
were given the opportunity to have input where appropriate, and ended up with a fantastic
result! Thank you, sincerely, and best wishes.”
Allan and Heather Burgess
NO.1 HARCOURTS CANTERBURY 2012-2018
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