Narelle Henson

I regret that Narelle Henson is setting aside her column. While not always agreeing with her God conclusions, I have always enjoyed her rationale as she arrives at them in print. I think Narelle sums it up when she says, ‘‘The very simple fact of the matter is that our arguments all boil down to yelling, ‘I’m right!’’’ In other words it’s all about what ‘‘I’’ believe, and so many of us simply ignore any evidence which is shown to be an attempt to unseat us from the steed of our own belief. What I have enjoyed about Narelle is that she, too, yells strongly in her opinions, yet somehow the timbre of her voice is just right to convey a genuine love of people, as if to follow up a gentle castigation with a hug of sorts.

Newspapers are in a transition period and if they are to survive as hard copy, they need their columnists and letters to the editor, and their articles, above ‘‘breaking news’’ items. As a Stuff journalist I have known for some years was recently quoted as saying, ‘‘The news to be read in daily papers is always yesterday’s news.’’ So, yes, it is the opinions, professional and profound, general and local articles, and simply private correspondents sounding off in the letters column, which form the heart of every national or parochial hard-copy newspaper. It is when that heart beats the slower and finally stalls, that newspapers as such will fly off into cyber-space , leaving advertising space to be the wan ghost of journalistic glory of yesterday. The very best wishes to Narelle . . . and, ‘‘Kia kaha e Waikato Times’’.

Dennis Pennefather Te Awamutu