That was odd, I thought, but I called the Lions Club, who were as confused as I was.
So it seems we are just lacking Christmas spirit in our two cities. Isn't this a shame? I fondly remember as a child going to the Christmas parade every year, thinking how amazing Santa looked - never seeming to age - and how lucky the children were who were chosen to be his elves sitting on hay bales on the back of the truck. It was such a sense of community and excitement. Whatever happened to that? Or is watching people go past on tinsel-covered trucks just not the done thing any more? I supposed lolly scrambles have been banned too.
Never fear, the children and I are heading to Waipukurau this weekend to watch their parade and I'm sure it will be a delightful occasion. No doubt the town responsible for running the lambs, when people said they shouldn't, will put on a humdinger. Maybe there will be a cow-pat throwing competition. What ludicrous fun.
Cities, you could take a leaf out of your junior cousin's "Christmas to-do's" book.
M Nicholson, Hastings
Place in the sun
I was delighted to learn that Hawke's Bay regional councillor Liz Remmerswaal is promoting solar hot-water heating.
Hawke's Bay is a perfect location to obtain the maximum benefits of solar water heating.
The costs would not be prohibitive if government and local authority subsidies were taken into account,
Australia has instituted a system of renewable energy credits based on national renewable energy targets.
Our Government needs to put in place some incentive or tax credits where home owners using their own renewable energy will be rewarded.
More important, solar hot water will become very affordable if state electricity assets are sold.
We all know what deregulation did and the benefits that we didn't get - all we really got was a choice of switching from one retailer to another.
Well, who pays for that service?
Plus there has been one price increase after another.
My crystal ball is telling me that if the state electricity assets are sold then those companies will have to compete in a truly commercial environment and provide commercial returns to shareholders and stakeholders.
Don't be surprised to see power prices rocket in the next term of Government under the pretence that prices will have to rise to build new-generation plants when this need not happen in the near future if most New Zealanders in sunny areas such as Hawke's Bay get on the solar hot-water bandwagon.
An investment in solar water heating would provide a return of almost double that of a similar investment in the the proposed power company shares.
At least the Hawke's Bay Regional Council will have the opportunity to debate this issue and I look forward to hearing the outcome.
Colin Gregory, Napier
Women know best
I think those protesters that stand outside the hospital should put their energies to better use and perhaps protest outside a courthouse in response to the children who are being hurt and killed at the hands of so-called parents and caregivers.
It takes courage and a great deal of soul-searching to come to the conclusion to end a pregnancy and for a woman to be confronted with these people is terrible.
Sometimes the best decision a woman can make is to end a pregnancy - and she has her reasons.
The woman herself best knows her own heart and mind.
Thank goodness we live in a country where this service is available and medically safe. Is the best outcome for a 12-year-old to be giving birth? A "baby" has a baby - and then what?
The grandparents look after the child.
And who looks after the grandparents, who should be enjoying their retirement years but are instead confronted with nappies, crying, sleepless nights and tantrums.
More needs to be done to bring attention to the children dying year by year after years of abuse and neglect.
I feel sorry for those children born to live a few short years just to be abused.R LeeNapierRoses in rainAlthough the heavens opened up, the Dixieland band had to abandon their playing, the bouncy castle never bounced, the members of the Hastings Rose Society and their buttonholes were waterlogged, Rose Sunday was nevertheless a credit to the Hastings District Council.
We wish to congratulate Tony Baird and his staff on the beautiful Frimley Rose Garden. The roses are looking the best they have done for a few years, mainly attributable to the wet spring we have experienced and the diligent team at Frimley.
The park and rose gardens give a lot of pleasure to the people of Hawke's Bay. Please take the time out to smell the roses.
Well done HDC.
Committee and members Hastings Rose Society
