North Canterbury News: April 29, 2021

OPINION
6 North Canterbury News, April 29, 2021
In the Electoratewith
MattDoocey
MP forWaimakariri
Authorised by MattDoocey,Level1ConwayLane,188 High Street,Rangiora.
It was great to have
Anzac services again
Last year, my family andIjoined our
neighbours to stand at our letterboxesto
mark the Anzac Day dawn service as our
country fought anew threat —thatof
Covid­19.
This year, my wife andItookjoy in
attendingservicesagain around our
district and standing withour residents to
honour our veterans’contribution to the
peaceand freedom ourcountry enjoys
today.
Our districtheldarange of services,
starting on Saturday before continuing
intoAnzacDay,and eachone is special.
Thankyou to all ourRSAsand
community organisationswho organised
suchspecial events to bring us together as
acommunity; lest we forget.
Iwas thrilledwhen theCanterbury
District HealthBoard reversedits
decisiontodeclinesurgeryfor Rangiora
mumGinalast week after Iwent in to bat
for her.
Ginawas let downbythe postcode
lottery health systemafterbeingtoldthat
thesurgery she needed wasnolonger
offered by theCDHB.
Withoutthe surgery, this mumwould
have had apoor qualityoflife.
Shewould have beenunable to
continue workingasher speech would
have been severely impactedand she
wouldhavehad to eatthrough astrawfor
therestofher life.
Iurgently wrote to thehealthminister
and, afterhedeclined to intervene, I
wroteto, and then metwith,the board
chief executiveto push for Gina to have
her surgery.
Iwas thrilledwhenwegot it over the
lineasaone­offsurgery.
Helpingresidents likeGinaisone of
the most rewardingpartsofmyjob as
local MP.I’m thrilledfor her, her family
andI’m proud of thecommunity that
rallied around her.
Isupport theabolishment of the
postcode healthlotterysystem as part of
theGovernment’s move toacentralised
healthbody, announcedlastweek.
However, having worked in the British
National HealthService for more than10
years, Iamscepticalofacentralised
approach thatwould give more power to
Wellington.
In the caseofGina, as the localMPI
wasable to go directly to thechief
executiveofthe Canterbury District
Health Board to represent my
constituent’sconcerns. IamconcernedI
won’t be able to do this whendecisionmakers
are based in Wellington.
Our rural firestations playavaluable
role in our communitiesand it was agreat
honour recentlytoofficially open and
speakatthe SwannanoaTemporary Fire
Station.
Weare lucky to have suchhardworking
volunteer firemen and women,
whocommit hoursofvoluntary service in
keeping our community safe.
Not onlyare our volunteer firebrigades
thefirst point of call forprotecting lives
and property fromfire, butinourrural
communitiesthey can also be the first to
respond to medicalemergencies and
motor­vehicle accidents.
Being able to formallyacknowledge
theircommitment andthatoftheir
families was aprivilege.
Waimakariri
Focus from Dan Gordon, Mayor
We will remember them
It was heartening to see increasing
numbers of Waimakariri residentsattend
one or more of the nine Anzac Day parades
and services acrossthe district.
Ihad theprivilege of attending seven
services and found them all very moving.
Thankyou to all RSAs and community
organisationsfor their hard work and
exceptional organisation of the services
and commemorationsacrossour district.
On Anzac Day we reflectonsacrifices
made by New Zealandersinbattles fought
in far­off lands, includingthe South
African War, World War 1, World War 2,
the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency,
the BorneoConfrontation, the Vietnam
War, and recent conflicts such as
Afghanistanand peace­keeping roles in
places including Iraq, Bosnia, Cambodia,
East Timor, and the Solomon Islands.
Anzacservicescarryaspecial
significance for everyone.
My familyand Iremember the service of
my great­grandfather who was amember
of the NorthCanterbury Mounted Rifles,
and my grandfather, who left from Kaiapoi
to serve in WorldWar 2.
He was captured in the North African
desert and spent fouryears as aprisoner of
war. My grandfather’s name, Ronald
JamesEdwardGordon, is rememberedon
the Kaiapoi War Memorial.
Iamnot sure how my great­grandfather
and grandfatherfelt when they left,but
many young men thought it wouldbean
adventure that would last only ashort
time.Looking back, we know this was not
the case.
The Waimakariri District lost 251men in
WorldWar 1, about 10 percentofthe
populationatthe time. The totalnumberof
New Zealand troops and nurses who
served overseas was 100,444 from a
population of aroundone million, so about
10 percent of our populationfoughtinthe
war, with 18,500 dying and 41,000 being
wounded. In World War 2, our district lost
around 73 men. About 140,000Kiwis
served overseas during World War 2. Of
those, 11,625died, aratio of 6684 deaths
per million,which was the highestrate for
Commonwealthcountries.
It is important to remember the bravery
of those who headed intothe unknown.
Youngmen like the three Toddbrothers
from Kaiapoi —Oliver, Ernest, and Jack—
who left New Zealand in 1916,1917 and
1915 respectively. Oliver was killed in
Belgium in June 1917, aged 31, leaving
behind his wife.
His younger brother Ernestwas killed
during the Battle of the Somme in April
1918,aged just 22. He left behind awife
and an infant son. The onlybrother to
return was Jack,who becameafarmer.
During my research, Idiscoveredthat a
Belgian artistand cyclistnamed Ronny
who regularly visitsthe military cemetery
in Nieppe, France, where Oliverisburied,
sculptured abeautiful figurine and
randomly chose Oliver’s grave for his
memorial.
On June17, 2018,100 yearsafter Oliver
died,Ronny completed acycling race that
endedatop MountVentoux in France,
whereheleft aspecial mementoto
remember Oliver’s courage and selfsacrifice.
He continues to visit the
cemetery weekly.
The many memories passeddown by
generations of Waimakariri residents
shows that the supreme sacrifice made by
New Zealanders is never forgotten, neither
here nor overseas.
We remember them—today, tomorrow,
and forever.
McALPINES MITRE 10 MEGA RANGIORA -OCEAN WATCH
This
Week
Sun
Fishing
Guide
Moon
Wind
MASTER BUILDER
LocaltoNorth Canterbury.
CALL ARTHUR 027 2451601
arthur@robertsonbuilding.co.nz
www.robertsonbuilding.co.nz
BARNS/FARM BULDINGS•RIB RAFT FLOOR SYSTEM INSTALLATION
PROJECTMANAGEMENT•ADDITIONS•NEW HOMES
HOME MAINTENANCE•EQC REPAIRS•ALTERATIONS
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Ok
Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Apr 29 Apr 30 May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5
Rise 7:17am
Set 5:34pm
Best
Times
1:49am
2:19pm
Set 9:27am
Rise 7:03pm
Moderate SW easing
to gentle SE
Ok
Rise 7:18am
Set 5:33pm
Best
Times
2021055
2:50am
3:21pm
Set 10:46am
Rise 7:51pm
Gentle SW turning
E
Trustees sought for new biodiversity group
The Waimakariri Water Zone
CommitteeBiodiversity
Working Groupisseeking
trustees for an independent
community­basedBiodiversity
Trustthat will workto
improve thelocal
environment.
Biodiversity Working Group
member Dr Judith Roper­
Lindsaysays the group is
Ok
Rise 7:19am
Set 5:32pm
Best
Times
3:52am
4:23pm
Set 11:57am
Rise 8:48pm
Gentle SW turning
E
Ok
Rise 7:20am
Set 5:30pm
Best
Times
4:54am
5:24pm
Set 12:58pm
Rise 9:53pm
Gentle Wturning
E
seeking people fromavariety
of age groups and
backgrounds to reflectthe
range of people living in
Waimakariri who are
interestedinthe protection,
restoration,and development
of native biodiversity.
“We’reaiming for a
collaborative approach and
want to create acohesive
Good
Rise 7:21am
Set 5:29pm
Best
Times
5:53am
6:21pm
Set 1:46pm
Rise 11:02pm
Gentle Sturning
E
Good
Rise 7:22am
Set 5:28pm
Best
Times
6:48am
7:14pm
Gentle Wturning
SE
Waimakariri Biodiversity
Trustwhere everyone works
togethertorestoreand
enhance biodiversity so that
we can protect and develop
ourlocal sustainable
indigenous ecosystems.
“I am really keen to see
younger peoplegetting
involved, along with people
whoare living in our towns,
Fair
Rise 7:23am
Set 5:26pm
Best
Times
7:39am
8:03pm
Set 2:25pm Rise 12:11am
Set 2:55pm
Gentle Wturning
SE
lifestyle blocks and farms so
thatwecan really reflect who
we are as acommunity and
learn from eachother.”
Judith says the trust will
takeadistrict­wide approach
to indigenous biodiversity
protection and restoration.
Those interested canemail
judith@roperlindsay.com for
an information pack.
Swell
Pegasus Bay
Tide Chart
3
2
SE 0.7 m E0.5 m E0.6 m SE 0.6 m SE 0.6 m SE 0.7 m SE 0.7 m
3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9
1
0
Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows
Waimakariri 6:05am 2.5
7:05am 2.5 12:55am 0.3 8:05am 2.4 1:52am 0.3 9:05am 2.4 2:51am 0.4 10:04am 2.3 3:51am 0.4 11:01am 2.3 4:51am 0.5 11:57am 2.3 5:48am 0.5
Mouth
6:38pm 2.6 12:20pm 0.3 7:36pm 2.6 1:17pm 0.3 8:35pm 2.6 2:14pm 0.4 9:33pm 2.5 3:12pm 0.4 10:31pm 2.5 4:11pm 0.5 11:28pm 2.4 5:10pm 0.5
6:08pm 0.6
Amberley 6:05am 2.5
7:05am 2.5 12:55am 0.3 8:05am 2.4 1:52am 0.3 9:05am 2.4 2:51am 0.4 10:04am 2.3 3:51am 0.4 11:01am 2.3 4:51am 0.5 11:57am 2.3 5:48am 0.5
Beach
6:38pm 2.6 12:20pm 0.3 7:36pm 2.6 1:17pm 0.3 8:35pm 2.6 2:14pm 0.4 9:33pm 2.5 3:12pm 0.4 10:31pm 2.5 4:11pm 0.5 11:28pm 2.4 5:10pm 0.5
6:08pm 0.6
6:14am 2.5 12:08am 0.3 7:14am 2.5 1:04am 0.3 8:14am 2.4 2:01am 0.3 9:14am 2.4 3:00am 0.4 10:13am 2.3 4:00am 0.4 11:10am 2.3 5:00am 0.5
5:57am 0.5
Motunau 6:47pm 2.6 12:29pm 0.3 7:45pm 2.6 1:26pm 0.3 8:44pm 2.6 2:23pm 0.4 9:42pm 2.5 3:21pm 0.4 10:40pm 2.5 4:20pm 0.5 11:37pm 2.4 5:19pm 0.5 12:06pm 2.3 6:17pm 0.6
6:16am 2.5 12:10am 0.3 7:16am 2.5 1:06am 0.3 8:16am 2.4 2:03am 0.3 9:16am 2.4 3:02am 0.4 10:15am 2.3 4:02am 0.4 11:12am 2.3 5:02am 0.5
5:59am 0.5
Gore Bay 6:49pm 2.6 12:31pm 0.3 7:47pm 2.6 1:28pm 0.3 8:46pm 2.6 2:25pm 0.4 9:44pm 2.5 3:23pm 0.4 10:42pm 2.5 4:22pm 0.5 11:39pm 2.4 5:21pm 0.5 12:08pm 2.3 6:19pm 0.6
6:12am 1.9 12:02am 0.2 7:12am 1.9 1:01am 0.2 8:12am 1.8 2:01am 0.2 9:13am 1.8 3:02am 0.3 10:12am 1.8 4:02am 0.3 11:09am 1.7 5:01am 0.4
5:57am 0.4
Kaikoura 6:41pm 2.0 12:22pm 0.3 7:40pm 2.0 1:21pm 0.3 8:39pm 2.0 2:20pm 0.3 9:38pm 2.0 3:19pm 0.3 10:38pm 1.9 4:17pm 0.4 11:36pm 1.9 5:15pm 0.4 12:04pm 1.7 6:11pm 0.4
*Not for navigational purposes. Wind and swell are based on apoint off Gore Bay. Maori Fishing Guide by Bill Hohepa. www.ofu.co.nz www.tidespy.com Graphic supplied by OceanFun Publishing Ltd.
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