Our Hood

 

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 437 Monday 23/07/18

 

Hi,something you learn real quick when you live on the West Coast is to respect the sea. Never take it for granted and don’t ever turn your back on it!!Unfortunately a lot of visitors to our hood don’t realise how dangerous and deceptive the magnificence of the environment can be.Sadly last week another two visitors were swept off the Muriwai rocks and drowned despite the best efforts of our amazing rescue services to prevent their untimely deaths.Christine and others from the volunteer fire, first response,and surf lifesavers battled hard to save these precious lives but lost the race!

Fletcher reckons school holiday footy camp rocked even though his team France lost the final on this occasion!Devonport Wharf struggles as a fishing venue….the closest we got to a fish was the ones in batter we had for lunch from the local chippie!.....cool day out in Nana and Poppa’s hood!!

Something funny….driving past a rugged looking builder type in the ‘A’ standard ute last week when I noticed a not so ‘A’ standard designer type poodle/cross pooch on his lap….hmmm not the look I expected.Whatever happened to the larger/mans best friend dog happy to balance in the tray with the wheelbarrows,mixer,shovels and spades?!I must say it did make me laugh out loud!

Met the new neighbour and pleased to report he loves the Pohutukawa as much as we do,is keen to join the Fire Brigade and is a genuine allround good joker...what a turnaround in our hood.

I hope you are going well in your hood and ready to have an ‘Upbeat’ week…………Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon they should ride up front in the ute too….should they ever be invited!

 

 

 

“Volunesia…that moment you forget you are volunteering to help change lives because it is changing yours.”

 

Last week our local rescue services excelled yet again.

Ordinary locals with extraordinary passion to serve their community and care for others.

Within minutes of the alarm being raised they mobilised rescue equipment and were on the scene.

Victims were located quickly and immediate attempts were made to resucitate and save them.

Just another day at the office for the Muriwai volunteer services who are trained to save lives.

Its always sad when no matter how fast or how well trained you are when lives are still lost.

There are only split seconds between life and death so with each incident the dice is rolled.

If ever Christine needed a sign or a confirmation she was doing the right thing this was it.

Emergency response whilst catastrophic and calamatous is her happy place…the zone for her.

The Ambulance role with St John will advance her training and fine tune her first responding skills.

She like the other committed local rescue volunteers have an inbuilt enthusiasm for serving others.

The rest of us can take something important from observing people like this in action.

If we are passionate and driven to do the things that make us happy and content we will excel.

In the rescue services world it can be the difference between life and death!

In the business world it can be the difference between inspiring, leading and succeeding or failing!

In our private lives it can be the difference between mutually beneficial fun relationships or divorce!

In the sporting world it can be the difference between contributing and winning or losing!

So find something you are passionate about and pursue it relentlessly and you will be happy.

Not only that,while making a huge difference doing so you will also make others happy.

I amaze myself sometimes at the amount of inspiration and motivation I get from observing others!

Hope you also get something from this simple yet powerful observation…..good luck ‘Upbeat’ team!

 

“Volunteers are not paid because they are worthless,but because they are priceless.”