“ONCE UPON A TIME”

Among the many issues, Horowhenua Grey Power has a watching brief within the community (along with other organisations) for example:

Health – being released from hospital at an ungodly hour, lack of doctors, appointments for clinics at the Horowhenua Health Centre and not Palmerston North Hospital, underutilised dialysis unit etc; and

Local Transport – Horowhenua Grey Power is/was the driving force behind the set-up of the bus service to Waikanae timed to catch the train to Wellington free on the Gold Card. HGP is represented on community committees such as the Horowhenua Road Safety Committee as an advocate for our Horowhenua Older Persons so that you are able to move around the community safely. We have been on this committee from its inception and it has now been in recession since the first COVID-19 lockdown back in 2020. While I understand the mitigating circumstances, we should be able to now meet in a safe environment (mask wearing as required) and get on with making our footpaths and roads safer to move around. The HDC document “Age-friendly Communities Strategy” (a document Grey Power fully supports both locally and nationally) states the benefits as being:

• Making it easy for people to stay connected with each other;

• Helping people stay active and healthy;

• Supporting people who are no longer able to take care of themselves to live with dignity and enjoyment;

• Treating everyone with respect.

Horowhenua has no local bus services and our older citizens have to rely on taxis or shanks’ pony (used to refer to one’s own legs and the action of walking as a means of conveyance) but can you do this safely? The answer is NO as we are hearing of accounts where falls are because of unsafe footpaths or crossing the road. Admittedly we and the council cannot do anything about this if we are not advised and it is important that you contact us (but we need verifiable information) that can be followed up on.

So - is it not time we get back to some normality, and not just for this committee, but for all of our communities comings and goings, and in particular the advocacy Horowhenua Grey Power provides for its members?

Gary Benton Vice President