Letters: Thanks for the memories St John's

Devastated parishioners of St John's Church. PHOTO/FILE

I was devastated to see on the news the destruction by fire of the beautiful St John's Church in Rotorua.

St John's had been my church home all my life from 1937 till I came to live in Wellington in 2005.

I attended both the old St John's on the historic hill site in Pukuatua St and new St John's in Ranolf St. Over the years I was happy to assist St John's in many ways and served under several ministers.

In these days of closing churches and failing church membership, I know St John's has retained a warm welcome to all and provided a strong and vibrant ministry, with outreach to the wider community of Rotorua. For many years St John's folk have managed and provided a busy foodbank and drop-in centre.

Therefore I appeal to any person who has had a connection with this church over the past years to consider a donation to assist in St John's hour of great stress.

I particularly ask that any folk who were members of the very large St John's Bible Class in the mid 1950s early 1960s to help St John's.

Under the leadership of the late Miss Jean Murray and the late Mr Bob and Mrs Barbara Nairn, to name but three, their strong leadership, wisdom, fellowship and fun helped guide us through our teenage years to make us the citizens we are today.

Thanks St John's for the memories. God bless and keep you all.

JEAN GLEN (NEE GIBSON)
Wellington

Give him a raise
I have often been critical of the Rotorua Lakes Council and its various guises but I also give credit when it's due. Yesterday (February 14) we had a public walking track cleared of vegetation that was overgrowing.

I happened by chance to meet the person in the orange overalls, who I took to be the foreman and started to thank him and the others for doing a great job. Then he informed me that he was the gang, foreman and tea boy.

He was such a pleasant guy, but I felt it was wrong to have him working alone with machinery in isolation.

In this age of health and safety you have to ask why was he alone in an isolated rural area.

Council, this guy deserves a raise!

DEREK PACKHAM
Lake Tarawera