Why mess with the city’s classic ingredients?

COUNCILLOR Whiley’s ‘‘moving forward’’ growthatallcosts response (ODT, 4.7.18) to Hilary Calvert’s article is typical of the Dunedin City

Council’s grip on reality — a reality that seeks to transform our hitherto quaint burgh and once New Zealand’s bestkept secret into a thrumming megalopolis.

There’s already plenty of that about and I suggest councillors with a yearning for that kind of place and associated zest could relocate to the likes of Auckland or Queenstown, where it’s skyhigh.

The council needs to better understand that, without growth, death doesn’t necessarily follow.

In my 60s now, I stopped growing some time ago and remain anything but dead. I am able to find peaceful stasis with my physical, mental and spiritual environments, even on the dishevelled planks of our present harbourside wharves.

And now, these, among other things, stand imperilled by the council’s urban vision and version of keeping up with the Joneses.

It’s what’s not here, rather than what is here, that has always underscored Dunedin’s characteristic idiosyncrasy and charm: the weather’s not that flash, the buildings not that high, the harbour and roads are relatively uncluttered and the population isn’t too dense. These things among many define the place and ourselves.

So why tamper with the classic ingredients that accent for so many their special relationship with this already special place?

If it’s not broken, don’t bother fixing it, and give our pockets a break.

Tony Marcinowski

Macandrew Bay

Wonderfully helpful

ON Saturday night, my international student PJ was at the Dunedin skateboard park riding BMX bikes with a group of his schoolmates, all international students with limited spoken English.

One of the boys did a flip and unfortunately landed hard on his face, passed out and his face was bloodied.

As it was late, 8.30pm or so, there was no adult around, so my student ran to the railway station area and asked for help from two passersby — a 20ishyearold girl and a woman who may have been her mother.

They understood his distress and babbling English, called an ambulance, and went to the aid of the injured boy who was apparently delirious and in great pain. They helped the students to ease the discomfort of the very cold boy by giving him all their jackets.

The ambulance came quickly, to their great relief.

The boys, from Bayfield High School, would like to thank the anonymous girl and her mum for being so kind, generous and comforting to a group of frightened foreign students (Thai and Chinese).

My student said: ‘‘She say any Kiwi will help like her. All Kiwis like her.’’

Thank you all. Tongsiew Ooi

Dunedin

Busstop locations

A COUPLE of hundred yards on from the Andersons Bay causeway bus stop is Shore St, where there is room for a temporary bus stop. It also has a large vehicle park which would easily accommodate a couple of buses.

It is also very close to Bayfield High School.

Am I missing something in thinking that this would be a much better site for a bus stop than the Otago Regional Council’s current ‘‘obstruct the busy causeway’’ scheme?

An informative reply would be appreciated. L. McConnell

Dunedin [The letter was referred to the ORC but no reply was received.]

A secret identity

IN the age of transparency, there is no hiding behind a false name. Just who is Civis? D. S. Boyes

Liberton