Flagging fortunes

‘‘Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters. Why is it that spending $4 million on a referendum a few years ago about MMP was a huge waste of taxpayers’ money, according to the politicians. But spending $26m on a piece of bunting is money well spent today.

Are we spending $26m because one politician, John Key, thinks it’s a good idea or because it’s a real need the public must address?

Putting $26m into my local community would alleviate most of its problems for the foreseeable future.

Changing the flag will achieve nothing, in my view. Your editorial on the flag referendum set me thinking and, as to every bank note, so there are two sides to every flag.

Leave one side as it is and on the other we can have a stylised fern frond. From some angles it will morph to look like a pony tail.

John Key will enjoy the reminder as he travels abroad.

Ever the pragmatist he will also appreciate the nod to both sides offered by this suggestion.

What else joins the fern will be our choice by way of a competition. I have noted in The Southland

on more than one occasion, reports that there is to be an international flight from Invercargill to Australia for the Melbourne Cup in November.

It is being advertised as the ‘‘first international flight’’ from Invercargill.

This is not correct. When the city of Invercargill commenced a sister city relationship with Hobart there was at least one direct flight I can recall.

My grandparents travelled on it.

I can recall a photo of the flight from The Southland Times, or it may have been The Southland Daily News, of the passengers at the aircraft prior to boarding.

I am guessing a date around the 1960s as this was when I started secondary school.

Does anyone else recall this flight?