Oscar Pistorius has been granted parole after almost nine years, North Korea has supplied Russia with missiles and El Nino is expected to lash NZ this summer.
A woman who died in a house fire on Boxing Day was remembered by her son as a woman with a passion for helping and for her community.
“She had been sending me TradeMe links of houses she likes ... the next minute, I would be receiving calls from Dunedin real estate agents who would be saying ‘Oh, your mum’s just called. When would you like to view the house?”’
She was a big fan of op shops. Scott Dunning and his partner had already mapped out a route of Dunedin city to take her so they could visit as many second-hand stores as possible.
“She really wanted to hit every op shop in the city — she wanted to see the castle, the gardens, the sea lions and we were always hoping she would make the move down to be here with us.”
Dunning was involved with many causes around the city such as Students For Sensible Drug Policy Dunedin.
He said his mother was the inspiration behind all of his work.
“I inherited my passion for the community from her — all the effort I put in for the Otago students, I learnt it from my mum.”
Sandra Dunning was a keen volunteer at the Pukekohe IHC for over a decade.
Scott Dunning set up a Givealittle page in honour of his mother as “a last good deed” to celebrate her lifetime commitment of caring for others.
All the money raised would be going to IHC, Women’s Refuge, and Sands NZ.
