EDITOR: Holiday toilers take heart

Spare a thought today for the many thousands of people who aren't fortunate enough to be enjoying the delights of the summer holidays.
With the holiday and tourist season upon us, shops and tourist-related activities have really hotted up. And so have the staff numbers.
But I can vouch for the fact that it is pretty hard to stay focused at work when you know the sun is shining and most people are out there enjoying it.
Now I know I am not suffering the worst of it, as I don't have to work every day through the holidays.
There is no doubt about it, though _ the whole Christmas thing puts you in holiday mode and it is hard to snap out of it when you hit work the next day.
The mind and body are in relax mode but that doesn't always fit so well in the workplace.
I often think about the people working in the various cafes at the Mount.
While I have no doubt the money is flowing in, I do wonder about the owner-operators who must work hugely long days through January capitalising on the holiday crowd.
While holidaymakers are relaxing, I imagine these people are working from dawn till after dusk with few, if any, days off and little opportunity to enjoy the summer conditions.
So we have two groups of people operating in parallel universes _ the workers and the holidaymakers.
I know which one I'd prefer to be.
A few years back I tried to talk to my then boss into getting me a computer screen with a tiny television screen in one corner.
I don't think such a device existed then or exists today but that was hardly the point.
I told him that I thought it was a cruel and inhuman punishment to expect me to work through the holidays without having at least the ability to watch the Test cricket.
Having been brought up in Australia on a diet of cricket in the summer, I do it a little tough over here.
Thankfully SKY keeps me in the picture and allows me to watch the Australia v South Africa battles but what am I to do at work?
Without that special computer screen or at least a television in my office, I am forced to settle for keeping up with the scores on the internet.
It is akin to torture.
And that summer holiday torture is further heightened by the thought of my family splashing about in a pool somewhere or enjoying the delights of our wonderful beaches.
As they leap about in the water, there is a little spot reserved for dad but he is currently unavailable due to work commitments.
It's just not right. But then, I guess in my case it is self-inflicted.
I have chosen to work now so I can have a couple of weeks off with my family later in January. When I do get out there among the holiday crowd, I intend to take full advantage and recharge the batteries.
AS we head into the New Year tonight, please be careful out there on the roads.
We are currently in the middle of a horrendous holiday road toll period, which shows no signs of stopping.
It seems every single day more lives are being snuffed out by either victim's own actions behind the wheel or actions of other drivers.
I firmly believe that the only thing that kills us on the roads is our own actions.
Blaming roads or corners just doesn't wash with me. If drivers are keeping to the speed limit and obeying the laws of the road, they shouldn't be involved in accidents.
Every time I drive to Auckland taking the Karangahake Gorge route I look for reasons why the roads around Maramarua are so deadly.
But I just can't see anything.
They just seem to be roads that, if treated with respect, will see you through to your destination.
I suspect I am probably preaching to the converted with these words, as the ones who need to learn how to drive safely are probably not your traditional newspaper readers.
So I guess we have to be careful and keep our eyes open on their behalf and have our idiot radar operating on full.
FINALLY, it has been a huge news year in the Western Bay of Plenty and we hope you have enjoyed the service we have brought you.
Unfortunately, the biggest news is usually not the nicest news and such was the case this year.
Six murders, the May floods, a child abduction, a killer fire and Bob Clarkson's testicles have been some of the biggest stories in an eventful year.
And we'll be back next year to continue the 133-year Bay of Plenty Times tradition of bringing you all the news that matters in our community.