Shame on you, rugby

On the debate about New Zealand Rugby selling to an investor, remember, nobody invests without the promise of getting generous rewards on their investment. This is no gift.

So the regions need money. Well this is a game played by many fit and active younger people so what’s wrong with them getting out and doing some fundraising like so many other sports and all our schools, preschools, Plunket and myriad organisations that keep our communities ticking over using the most basic equipment and often not that when fundraising struggles.

What I find most offensive is that parallel to these rugby big noters/ dreamers who pay some players obscene money, Starship has its begging bowl out for urgently needed children’s intensive care beds and Wellington Hospital is asking people to dig deep to fit out the new children’s hospital. But by far most offensive is that while rugby has its hand out for millions from international “investors” St John is fundraising for ambulances and basic equipment.

Remember those people — the ambos — people who voluntarily give their time to train to help rugby and other injuries — the St John uniforms voluntarily giving time and skill on the sideline of every rugby match from small people early in the day through club rugby, reps provinces to All Blacks and all voluntarily!

I beg readers to join me. I will not be parting with a cent to line the pockets of international mega rich and to pay obscene wages to the few while we all contribute to ACC to cover the players’ injuries . . .

Basketball, netball, tennis, athletics, league and soccer are looking a lot more worthy and when European football had a big money dream fans stopped it. Shame on you, rugby. [Abridged]

ELIZABETH STILES-DAWE

Whanganui

Velodrome folly

When I was a teenager I often attended the cycling competitions held at Cooks Gardens. I had no great interest in the sport but it was something to do of an evening.

Gordon Sharrock, Graham Bing, Geoff Lankow, Ronny Cheatley and others put on an entertaining hour or two and a hundred or two would turn up to watch the action.

Television was still a novelty. Computer games were decades away. Cellphones and iPads and all the rest of modern-day electronic wizardry were well into the future.

The marching teams, highland pipe bands, international cricket teams, and other sporting attractions have slowly dwindled away.

A major reason for the declining attendances at Cooks Gardens events is because television and other electronic attractions have made massive in-roads into people’s lives.

Current thinking revolves around covering the velodrome at a cost of $20 million-plus. For such a small regional population this is ridiculous. Various economic forecasts are “pie in the sky” calculations. Attracting international entertainers or thunderous rock groups is a pipe dream. The notion that “If we build it they will come” is the worst possible reason to mortgage the city for years.

The Regional Velodrome Development Trust and Cycling Whanganui have been working hard for 20 years to drag the ratepayers into a financial commitment to this project. Sensibly, successive district councils have balked at the proposal. Rightly so, because no ground-swell of public support for such an expenditure exists . . .

I urge every councillor to see the funding problem as an unnecessary, unjustified and profligate use of ratepayers’ money.

By all means repair the track surface. By all means check out the supporting trusses. That will require only “pocket money” compared with $20m-plus.

GEORGE MacLACHLAN

St Johns Hill

Letter reprinted due to a production error in Saturday’s edition.