Passchendaele Day an apt commemoration
The president of the NZRSA, Sir Wayne Shelford, wants to install another non-public holiday to commemorate serving and served armed forces personnel.
If another non-public holiday were to be observed then I would suggest October 12.
In a few hours in the early morning of this day in 1917 while advancing in the mud, heavy rain, up against uncut barbed wire, and under attack from reinforced elevated German positions, at least 843 New Zealand soldiers died. This happened when they were going up the Bellevue Spur with the ultimate aim of capturing the now much destroyed village of Passchendaele.
Most soldiers were killed by machine gun and rifle fire, but some died as a result of drowning after falling into the highly liquidised mud and then being unable to get out. It is the worst disaster ever in terms of New Zealand service personnel killed in action in a day.
Once the civilian population of New Zealand became aware of this adverse wartime event, to them it must have been rather sobering, especially for those that had lost family members.
Later, at the entrance to the Dunedin Railway Station a plaque was installed, with the word Passchendaele on it. This station plaque is still there.
If successful this observance could be very similar to what happens now on November 11 (Armistice Day) each year at cenotaphs/war memorials around New Zealand. No need to be a public holiday but genuine respect should still be shown.
Arts opportunity
I am in total agreement with Jeremy Anderson (ODT 8.5.23) which is why I proposed that the Dunedin City Council should purchase the Carnegie Centre and turn it into not only a performing arts theatre but a complete performing arts hub.
The vacant land at the back of the building offers a blank canvas to design not one but two small to medium-sized theatres seating between 350 and 500 people. If retractable seating is used, then the space could accommodate a variety of uses. As Mr Anderson alluded, the building needs to be able to accommodate a variety of trades associated with the performing arts and to this point the Carnegie has around 2200sq m of space suitable for rehearsals, writers and designers' office space, a restaurant/ bar, hairdresser, front of house facilities and other useful space to generate revenue.
This is not an empty building but a profitable functioning building that quite honestly, I don't care if I sell it or not. It is an opportunity for Dunedin and the performing arts
Competitive edge
David Richardson is spot-on in his opinion piece "Why has the University of Otago lost its competitive edge?" (ODT 8.5.23) when he states “It is the enthusiasm of the university’s staff and its students that can reverse this trend if they feel supported, valued and listened to”.
In Mr Richardson’s career as a secondary school teacher and principal he was aware these qualities underpinned a school’s ability to provide quality education to its students. Schools that did not listen to their staff, value them and support them in their teaching soon learnt the error of their ways as they saw their rolls fall. Parents and students knew what made for a successful school – one which had happy and hard-working staff committed to doing their best for their students.
The same applies here at the University of Otago and the administrators ignore this at their peril.
The value of planning, pomp and circumstance
Thank you for your superb coverage of the coronation of Charles III.
It is often said this ceremony at Westminster Abbey dates back to Christmas Day, 1066. Strictly speaking, it does, but the first bears no resemblance to Saturday's event.
In 1066 William the Conquerer took over England from the Saxons. Tensions were so high that when locals outside the Abbey shouted support for William, his troops thought they were rebelling, so the soldiers left the Abbey and the coronation to set fire to Saxon homes.
In one report, William was virtually left alone in the Abbey while his supporters rushed out to join the fray. One can imagine William — the winner of the Battle of Hastings — sitting on his lonesome at his own coronation thinking I might have to crown myself.
Yes, the same event, but after 1000 years the royals have learned a great deal about the value of planning, pomp and circumstance.
Sitting ducks
With the duck-shooting season here once again these defenceless and vulnerable birds are victim to the savagery of hunters in their pursuit of this callous and inhumane culture they describe as "sport", but otherwise is actually a quite abhorrent way of "recreation".
Most disturbingly these individuals are family adults who think it’s perfectly OK to involve their children, some as young as 6.
This is the most offensive human nature and they clearly have no conscience and certainly nil regard for animals.
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