Loss, family and disappointment

It's been a big week - not trying to overstate it, just how it is.  My father in law John Ernest Harrison, known as Jack, passed away peacefully in his own home last Saturday morning.  He was 90, about eight weeks from his 91st birthday.  He had been very sick after a bout of pneumonia that he picked up in hospital when he was admitted after a fall a couple of months ago.  He was allowed home, where he wanted and needed to be and was in the loving care of family in his final days.  My lovely bloke is the youngest of Jack's seven children.  Jack's death was anticipated and expected, but still hard when it actually happened.
Jack Harrison 18 July 1926 - 3 June 2017
As you can imagine with seven siblings and their partners and children in attendance Harrison family get togethers are loud and chaotic affairs.  It is absolutely one of the upsides of sad occasions that family all converge, catch up and reminisce.  All seven siblings and their partners were able to make it, 11 of the 13 grandchildren and 2 of the 10 great grandchildren descended on an unsuspecting Dunedin.  The funeral was a special and truly personalised event.  His children ensured that his passions were represented and his life was celebrated.  I love the photo montage above - particularly the way he looked at Eula, his wife on their wedding day and in the bottom photo at their 50th wedding anniversary, a true life long love story.
The Cromwell Harry's all scrubbed up, custom made casket in Jack Harrison Cartage Contractor colours, Dodge hearse and Chrysler decals on the casket 
The disappointment this week is not related to Jack's passing, his funeral or family at all.  I received an email on Wednesday from a Cromwell resident proclaiming her disappointment in my vote at the April meeting of the Cromwell Community Board to proceed with the Cromwell Memorial Hall refurbishment.  She had voted for me and was most disappointed that I hadn't shared her views in regard to the Memorial Hall.  I'm disappointed too, disappointed with the level of mis-information in regard to the hall and the process that is being followed and at the criticism of the individuals who put the petition to the public.  Let's not get personal about this, let's put some context around what has happened and what is happening - I don't like this blame game and public shaming that is occurring in our community.

At the time of the petition the options were clearly to proceed with the refurbishment as per the detailed design plans or have a low cost, lick of paint, earthquake strengthening only type refurbishment - to save money - not to provide a safer, better community asset.  That is why people signed it.  The fence posts have shifted since then and new ideas have come to the table - but let's be clear about these too - the motivation behind the drive for a new building is still about cost saving.  
Making a disappointing decision at the 18 April 2017 Cromwell Community Board Meeting
My role on the CCB is to make informed decisions based on the information at hand, the reports prepared for us by Council officers, public opinion and the debate around the table.  It is also to accept the decision of the Board and to move forward with the majority decision.  Here is the email from and my reply to my disappointed former supporter:

Dear Anna,
Having voted for you I was most disappointed with your decision to vote for the refurbishing of the Cromwell Memorial Hall.
After further looking into the refurbishment of the hall and a Geo-Tec report I have serious reservations about the safety and suitability of the hall for the future.

 Regards ...
Dear ...

Thank you for voting for me.  I acknowledge your email and your views - and I also acknowledge in a democratic process we are not always going to have the same view point on every issue.

I have a clear conscience about participating in a robust debate and making a decision based on both the information at hand at the time and the desire to see a high quality final result for this community asset. 

Site safety is a matter for the building consent process that will ensure hazards are avoided, reduced or mitigated and conditions for either a new build or refurbishment will be subject to the same rigour in the building consents process and conditions placed on the building process will have to legally be met.  The Geo-solve report will form part of that process.

The hazards on the site would be the same for rebuild or refurbishment - the same issues will be highlighted through the consents process and the Board will be bound by the conditions to ensure safety in order to progress the build. 

I am looking forward to seeing the plans and costings that come from the process that is now in place for design and build estimates.  The community will be consulted as part of the process once we have this information - so make sure you take the opportunity to participate in the consultation to ensure your view point is considered.

Currently the CODC are asking our communities to complete the residents survey online - this is another good forum to make sure your view is considered as we make decisions into the future.  Click on the link to complete the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/codc2017

Thank you for your email 

 Kind regards
Anna Harrison

 Hopefully the Board and the Community will come together and we will ensure that a high quality, safe solution is found without tearing each other apart in the process.  Please follow my advice above and participate in CODC residents survey and look out for the consultation that will occur in regard to the Cromwell Memorial Hall.

Comments

  1. Catherine Forsyth11 June 2017 at 12:32

    Sorry for your loss Anna, it looks like Jack had a 'life well ' lived and that is always a blessing. Lovely photos and memories. Great response to the email you received, we all have to vote as we see fit and we can't be brought!
    Well done and good luck with the Hall process.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. house full of blokes11 June 2017 at 13:37

      Thank you Catherine, It has been a week of memories, stories and celebrating his life. We need the community to stay highly engaged in the hall process so that we get a clear direction and a strong mandate for the final direction that the rebuild or refurbishment will take.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lamb Shanks with sweet chilli and black bean

Image
This dish has a rich, tasty sauce. The shanks are browned and then cooked in the sauce until the meat is very tender. This can be done in the oven, crockpot, stove top or in a deep electric frypan. Best served with mashed potato sweetened with carrot, kumara (sweet potato), pumpkin or parsnip.  Ingredients Lamb shanks - 1 per person 1/4 cup black bean sauce 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce 1 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic - crushed Method In an electric frypan Heat the pan on the highest setting place the shanks (no oil needed) in the pan, pop the lid on and brown on all sides - this will take 15-20 minutes.  Turn pan down to a simmer setting combine all the other ingredients and pour over the shanks. Place the lid back on and leave to simmer until meat is very tender approx 1 1/2 hours. Turn the shanks from time to time to make sure they are coated in the sauce. Keep an eye on the sauce and add more water if needed....
Read more

Community consultation, conversations and questions

Image
Many of you will have seen that my fellow Cromwell Community Board (CCB) member Robin Dicey posed some questions for our community in The Bulletin last week.  Like all of us on the CCB Robin is looking for ways to engage and connect with the community.  We all want to be doing the best for those that we represent and to be making decisions that reflect what the residents and ratepayers of Cromwell actually want to see in our great wee town.  So, well done to Robin for trying to get the conversation going on a range of issues.  I've popped an image of Robin's questions below - you can also find them on page 12 of The Bulletin dated 12 January 2017.  Robin has included his contact details for anyone interested in contributing to the discussion.  I would be very happy to be contacted too - anna.harrison@codc.govt.nz or via my Facebook page Anna Harrison Cromwell Community Board. One of the questions Robin asks is in regard to the level of community con...
Read more

Circus Time!

Image
I've been pretty quiet over the last couple of weeks.  I've attended all meetings required of me, engaged in discussion and discourse, listened and expected to be heard and thought that there had been a resolution to halt the action to remove Neil Gillespie as Board Chair with only 13 months to an election and with the immensely important Master Plan Project in full swing.  I left a meeting on Tuesday 21st August thinking that a decision had been made to seek further governance training and to set out a rules of engagement document outlining roles and responsibilities of board members and their relationship with each other, council, the mayor and council staff.  So when I was contacted less than a week later on Monday 27 August I was surprised to hear that a requisition letter calling for the removal of Neil as chair had been sent to Sanchia Jacobs, CODC Chief Executive.  I relayed that surprise to the journalist who rang the next day.  I was not blissfully unaw...
Read more