Letters to Editor: Breathing easy thanks to course

Breathing easy thanks to course

For the past two years, I have been on medication for asthma.

This medication alone was not improving my life.

Last year, I suffered from repeated bouts of bronchitis. I was admitted to hospital twice, once in October and again in November, I was steadily getting worse.

During being admitted for the second time, a nurse commented that I was breathing incorrectly using only the top half of my lung capacity and, when I saw the doctor, I was referred to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme at Hawke's Bay Hospital.

I have been attending since January and have noticed a considerable improvement already. Sue Ward and Carole Donnelly run the programme and they have other speakers to help us learn about how stress can affect us, we have just learned relaxation techniques.

Also how diet can affect our health, and suggestions on how to make better lifestyle choices.

For the past two years, I had entered the Tremain's triathalon and didn't think I would be able to do it this year but I have improved so much in the last month that I am going to do the 20km biking part as usual.

I am very grateful to have had this help as without it I would not have been able to compete and my health has improved instead of continuing to go downhill.

I would encourage anyone having any breathing trouble/breathlessness to talk to their GP and attend this free eight-week course before their health deteriorates - as I believe I would not have been as sick as I was last year if I had attended this course two years ago.

Gary Britten, Hawke's Bay

Animal agony

SPCA makes me mad. Some years ago, my daughter was walking home from work and passed a dumped kitten which had been run over. It couldn't move and was barely alive.

We rang the SPCA, the council and the animal ambulance with no help. SPCA is only open mornings. The only suggestion was that I pick it up and take it to a vet. I'm not a fan of animals but don't like mistreatment. End result - sent hubby to the scene hours later when he got home from work. The kitten was still alive. Where is their compassion?

J Gifkins, Hastings

Pool a perfect idea

In 2010, the Napier City Council was asked to contribute $500k towards a new hockey turf at Park Island, which we agreed to do with the money coming from the proceeds of the Parklands subdivision account.

We were told that Hawke's Bay needed one further hockey turf for its growing membership. Now we have HDC building a further turf complete with a resplendent grandstand on the pretext that they will get two internationals a year.

The one sporting facility that is missing in this area however is a 50m swimming pool of national standard.

As a Napier City councillor, I would be more than happy to vote money towards a pool that would be a truly regional project. Bearing in mind that the nearest national indoor competition pools are located in Hamilton or Wellington with other lesser pools in Gisborne and Palmerston North.

Many sports including learning to swim, water polo, canoe polo, surf live saving and competition swimming would benefit from such a complex.

Mark Herbert, Napier

Oil in CEO's eyes

The CEO for Central Hawke's Bay District Council has been sorely misled by the oil companies if he thinks there'll be plenty of job opportunities for locals if Tag Oil/Apache Corporation find oil in Hawke's Bay.

Contrary to Mr Freeman's claims in HB Today, February 15, there will be few if any permanent skilled jobs for locals in Hawke's Bay.

As I remember it, Apache Corporation's rep, Mr Ferguson, pointed this out at the meeting with the regional council on January 25.

And any oil found will be owned 100 per cent by Apache and Tag Oil.

Central government might get a measly royalty of 5 per cent, but I doubt if much of that will come to Hawke's Bay.

Helen Yensen, Bluff Hill

Servicemen reunion

A group of ex-service people in Nelson are inviting all ex-National Service, Compulsory Military Training and Territorial Force people to a reunion in Nelson on the weekend after Anzac Day.

The reunion is marking the passing of 50 years since the inception of National Service when a ballot of birth dates was used to select a proportion of young New Zealanders to undertake three months of military training.

During the past two years, the New Zealand Government has been awarding the New Zealand Defence Medal to these people for their attested military service to New Zealand.

The organising committee is arranging a full programme of activities on Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29. Registrations are being received from across the country and from Australia.

Anyone interested should telephone or email Lindsay Jukes on (03) 544 5749 or ljukes@vodafone.net.nz

Ian Barker, Nelson