Editorial: Display of sympathy was needed

Grief is a personal emotion and some people grieve longer and harder than others.

There can never be a set time limit or manner in which grief should be expressed.

We have all heard of the different stages of grief, but until you have actually lost a loved one, you never know what it is like.

The story on the front page of today's paper is a good example of how difficult things become when grief is publicly displayed.

Two years tomorrow, Joshua Bennie - who was 12-years-old at the time - was killed while biking to Taradale Intermediate. His mountain bike crossed in front of a van outside Reignier Catholic School on Guppy Road, Napier.

The family has just been told that the Napier City Council wants to move the roadside tribute Joshua's friends put up for him, after a complaint from a nearby resident.

You have to feel for Joshua's mother Tracey Gibb, who has a pretty awful anniversary to deal with tomorrow and now has this extra pressure on her.

This little memorial is obviously one way she copes and she says the tribute serves as a safety reminder to children as well as a place his friends can acknowledge him.

I am sure the Napier City Council believes it is acting in the interests of the wider community, but only one complaint was received - from a nearby resident - so the tribute obviously isn't bothering the majority of people.

Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott acknowledges the issue is sensitive and says a plaque should be put on the school fence across the road. That may be a solution, but only if Joshua's family is happy with that. It is their grief after all.