Nor'West News: March 26, 2019

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday March 26 2019 15
Your Local Views
SPORT
How do we regain
what we lost?
Justice of the
peace and
Fendalton-
Waimairi-
Harewood
Community
Board
member
Shirish
Paranjape
reflects on the terror attack
During my overseas travels,
I would often say (boast?) that
New Zealand is one of the
most peaceful countries on
earth, police normally do not
carry arms and politicians and
other leaders are extremely
approachable.
They often drive their own cars
and travel economy class like all
New Zealanders do.
Only our prime minister has a
security person when in public.
My overseas friends would
confirm that they had heard
same/similar opinions about
New Zealand. Those who had
visited would recount good
memories of their visit.
One day, one person changed
it all.
The question now is, “how do
we regain what we lost?”
I feel we should not take any
knee-jerk reactions due to this
incident.
Even if changes are necessary,
for example, with the gun
control laws, they should be wellconsidered/well-discussed
and
debated decisions, rather than
“heat of the moment knee-jerk
reactions”.
There is no need to swing from
one end to the other, although
inevitably, a few things may need
to change.
I have been fortunate enough
to have travelled to many
countries all over the world.
Friends, family members and
colleagues often I ask me if I feel
safe in a particular country or
city, and how do I judge it.
My answer always is the less
police/security persons I see, the
safer I feel at any place and the
presence of families and children
in public area, particularly after
sunset, makes me feel safer at any
place.
Too much police/security
presence can be unnerving, as we
found out this week.
The presence of a police
helicopter circling over us had,
for many residents, exactly the
opposite effect than the desired.
The stated official purpose
was to provide assurance to the
community, but it’s presence had
many residents worried.
I recall a story from several
years back.
For a week, I had hosted guests
from the Middle East.
On the last day of the visit, they
said: “Shirish, you have done so
much for us, and shown us many
places here, but we have not seen
one thing at Christchurch.”
“What is that?,” I asked.
“In the whole week here, we
haven’t seen even one officer of
New Zealand Police,” was their
reply, being so used to police
presence back in their country.
I took them to Christchurch
Central Police Station, where
they not only saw an officer,
but the lovely officer smilingly
obliged and allowed the visitors
to take photos with him and his
police car.
This is the Christchurch, this
is the New Zealand we like, and
others envy.
Let us do everything we can,
individually and collectively, to
regain it.
I end this article with a poem
which my daughter Neha wrote
and sent from London, where
she is undergoing her two-year
overseas experience.
To Christchurch and its people,
Too many innocent lives lost
Too many prayers left unanswered
Too many people hurt
Too many dreams shattered
Too much hate in the world
Just too much anger
How did it come to this?
Is all of the world now in danger?
The people of Christchurch, we
like our red and black
But not the red that comes with
blood stains
Not the black that accompanies a
terror attack
Christchurch will be back up
though,
Once again rising from the ashes
Once again, our people will find
that smile
After we’ve wiped tears off each
other’s eyelashes
Christchurch is my home, as it is
yours
I hope you all feel safe again,
albeit with horrific scars
I wish for this paradise to be
beautiful again
I hope you see your prayers
weren’t in vain
triPle treAt
2019 modiFied inVAsion
Plus
CAnterBury
suPerstoCK ChAmPs
& rAmP rACe derBy
P29/18287/CHCHP
DouBLe GLAZe
EXISTING OR NEW
WINDOWS
AND SAVe!
P29/18287/CHCHP
DouBLe GLAZe
EXISTING OR NEW
WINDOWS
AND SAVe!
FridAy 29 th mArCh &
sAturdAy 30 th mArCh
6Pm stArt
CLEAN SWEEP: Jenna Borthwick won six gold medals at the
age group national championships and now holds all New
Zealand under-17 girls records in track cycling.
PHOTO: GEOFF DICKINSON
Jenna sets records to
dominant track event
ST MARGARET’S College
cyclist Jenna Borthwick
dominated the age group track
national championships in
Cambridge, winning six gold
medals and making her way
into the record books.
Jenna, 16, dominated the
competition. On her way to
gold, she broke every New
Zealand under-17 girls record,
including some of her own.
On the opening day of the
competition, she set the New
Zealand record in the under-17
2000m individual pursuit. In
qualifying, she bettered the
previous mark set by current
junior world team pursuit silver
On the final day, Jenna
topped off an incredible competition,
securing a further three
titles to add to the three she
won earlier in the week.
She teamed up with Villa
Maria College student Mikaela
Grant, Rangi Ruru’s Charlotte
Spurway and Amelia Sykes
from Avonside Girls’ High
School to win the under-17 girls
team pursuit. The team went
into the final as underdogs,
3.5sec slower in qualifying than
the quartet from Southland.
In one of the races of the
evening, Southland led the
charge through the 1000m and
2000m marks, but the gritty
medallist, McKenzie Milne. She DOUBLE Cantabrians GLAZING produced a stunning
final 1000m which saw
then lowered that time again to PROVIDES:
win gold in the final.
INSULATION them sneak past Southland by
Jenna backed up her win in 0.75sec, an astonishing 7.4sec
REDUCED CONDENSATION
the individual pursuit with faster than their qualifying
NOISE REDUCTION
gold and another New Zealand time.
record in the 500m time trial.
Her time of 36.278sec beat Vantage
LOWERED Jenna HEATING and Amelia COSTSthen
MORE paired HOME up SECURITY in the team sprint,
elite rider Ellesse Andrews’ setting a new national record of
record from 2015.
PLUS 36.947sec ALL GENERAL in qualifying, before
She then lowered her DOUBLE own GLAZING
GLASS, going IDEAS on to win & ADVICE: gold in the
PROVIDES:
national record, clocking
BROKEN evening WINDOWS session.
INSULATION
11.932sec in the sprint, the REDUCED CONDENSATION SHOWERS In her final outing of the
first time an under-17 female NOISE REDUCTION
BALUSTRADES competition, Jenna joined
LOWERED HEATING COSTS
has broken the 12sec mark. Charlotte in the madison where
MORE HOME SECURITY
SPLASH BACKS
Jenna showed her class to win the pairing worked in tandem
match sprints from in front PLUS ALL GENERAL CAT & DOG DOORS
to gain a lap on the field and
GLASS, IDEAS & ADVICE:
and behind, with her complete
BROKEN WINDOWSsecure maximum sprint points
dominance marking her SHOWERS as one to blow away the competition.
to watch.
BALUSTRADES •More sport, page 16
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