Letters to Editor: Giving reaps gift of gratitude

Giving reaps gift of gratitude
Last Saturday I had a down-to-earth experience as part of a volunteer contingent that went out to Waimarama. We were shovelling sludge, which was physically demanding because it stuck to your shovel, stuck to the wheelbarrow when you tried to tip the sludge out, and grabbed your gumboots when you tried to move around.
I was out there some time after the initial devastation but by looking at the landscape now, which is heavily scarred and still has water running off (where does it all come from?), the evidence is clear.
This was awesome in itself.
The logistics of getting people from Hastings to Waimarama, briefing, choosing and getting them out to the many sites, and feeding and watering the volunteers was awesome. Well done, Hastings District Council.
It was also awesome seeing so many volunteers there from all ages (80-plus) and all walks of life.
The most awesome thing of all for me was the gratitude of the residents of Waimarama. On-site and back at base this was expressed. They were so grateful to have someone removing the sludge dropped on their place. They had already removed heaps and the bit we did meant less for them to do. This made me proud to be part of the Hawke's Bay community.
In the end, it was a privilege for me to be able to help. If you give a little you receive a lot. It is not possible for everyone to help at Waimarama but it is possible for you to volunteer.
To give helps others and you will receive at least gratitude, which is a huge reward. You will also acquire knowledge, which will help you and your family and friends in the future.
Commit a bit of time to volunteering. Ring me at 844 9278 and I shall show you how.
SIMON COWAN, Taradale
Glass on cycle lanes
I am writing in response to Brian Anderson's letter concerning the sweeping of cycle lanes in Hastings.
As a passionate cyclist, I can certainly understand the frustration that comes from getting punctures.
However, I can confirm that our cycle lanes are swept with a large sweeper truck three times a week (at about 4am) to remove the majority of debris, and the lanes are subsequently swept weekly with a smaller sweeper to ensure we pick up the small pieces of glass.
Our team work closely with the sweeper operators. We are in contact regularly, undertake checks and even ride along with them to ensure the quality of work.
Hastings District Council, through our iWay project, is firmly committed to making walking and cycling an easy, safe and fun transport option which saves you money.
We are investing significantly in cycle lanes (both on road and off-road) to further improve rider safety and we will also be enhancing safety at intersections, another matter mentioned by Mr Anderson.
That said, if people are having issues with glass in cycle lanes we want to hear about it. We are currently looking to integrate a "glass reporting" function on our iWay website (www.iway.org.nz) so that people can quickly and easily let us know where they have come across glass, so we can then get it cleaned up.
Until this function is up and running, I'm more than happy for Mr Anderson to give me a call personally.
PAUL EVANS, Hastings District Council
Scientific 'fraud'
K C Wellwood (Letters, May 7) would have us believe that the"fraudulent email fiasco" is evidence for the rejection of climate change.
He is obviously unaware that six separate inquiries have investigated the allegations raised through the leaks. None found evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct.
The latest finding was published at bbc.co.uk on Friday.
IAN FINDLAY, Greenmeadows

Greed, not service
Once again we have the discussion on stores opening over Easter weekend.
One way to solve the problem would be to have all stores open 365 days of the year and have big sales on Christmas Day and Anzac Day.
Don't worry about family get togethers on Christmas Day, and let those who want to parade on Anzac Day do so. There will be plenty of clients on those two days, so their consciences will be clear as they are "providing a service to the public".
I was sorry to see Oderings open on Good Friday, as I often shop there because they have good quality seeds, seedlings and plants.
To those of us who have a Christian faith, all we can see is greed under the pretext of service.
The old saying "what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?" was made 2000 years ago but still applies today.
ALLAN SINTON, Taradale
Glasgow leases
Bravo, Ross Allan and C O'Brien - both have recognised the negative impact of Glasgow leases which have, for a multitude of reasons, run well past their use-by date.
Any council study that has not investigated what the Northern Territories Government (NTG) in Australia did with its residential leasehold titles is both negligent and wanting.
The Government realised that the residential leaseholds were holding back the development of the area and had negative impact on all residents.
In 1978, the Government did away with leasehold and reintroduced freehold. At the stroke of the pen, about 14,000 leasehold titles were transformed into freehold in Darwin also. Not one cent changed hands.
M RAMSAY, Hastings
Mitre 10 hero
My late husband purchased a log fire from the Mitre 10 Mega store about three years ago. I needed to replace one of the wall bricks so I duly rang the plumbing firm which had installed it - four times - with reassurances that someone would get back to me. No one ever did.
Four weeks passed, the weather was getting very cold.
I visited our Napier store and stood in the "fire department", and a bubbling young enthusiastic man approached me and asked if he could help. His name was Craig.
When I told him my plight, he said they could easily be removed but I had tried this previously with little success.
Craig offered to come after work to my home and remove it for me - which he did - and got all dusty and dirty as well. He had to borrow a friend's car as his had broken down.
I returned to the Napier store the following day to pay for the new brick and Craig offered to come and reinstall it after work once again, which he did. Now is that not exceptional service? Craig is my hero!
MARIE EWENS, Napier