THE BRIDGE has been built and the journey over it all but completed.
That was the firm assurance given yesterday by Wanganui Women's Refuge governance group chair Pam Erni.
Responding to recent "negativity" swirling around the issue of re-establishing a women's refuge in Wanganui, Mrs Erni said the governance group was moving
the project forward and was now at the stage of interviewing for a refuge manager.
Mrs Erni said the governance group had been given a clear mandate, back in March, to pursue affiliation with the National Collective of Independent Women's Refuge (NCIWR) so had been steadily going down that path.
Far from being difficult to deal with, as claimed by some critics of affiliation with NCIWR, the national body had been "very supportive" of the Wanganui governance group. "The bridge is built, we are getting over it and are working very hard to get the refuge up and running," Mrs Erni said.
However, recent negative publicity criticising the process and apparent lack of progress was "terribly counter-productive".
Those involved were volunteers with other demands on their time and energy but were working "for the cause of women and children" in Wanganui.
"So it is disappointing to get such negativity when all we want to do is get on with it," Mrs Erni said.
She said the refuge would, like all other refuges around the country, be independent in the way the governance board ran it.
At the same time there were rules, regulations and standards that needed to be met.
"We don't see a problem with that. And there is strength in collectiveness which is why it is important to have that (affiliation)," she said.
It was also important that the people who became involved in the running of the refuge were adequately trained for that task.
"We are talking about the safety of women and children. They are at their most vulnerable when they come to the refuge so we must have people who know how to deal with that," she said.
The first of the information evenings for potential volunteers was held last night.
And Mrs Erni's final word yesterday, aimed directly at those who criticise from the sideline: "We've got our annual meeting on October 25 at 5.30pm at the Wanganui Community Foundation. So if people are feeling strongly about the refuge then they need to come along and put their money where their mouth is."
