I hope these comments add weight to the efforts of those wanting to stop the Catholic school going ahead in Speargrass Flat.

As a frequent visitor to Arrowtown and someone who enjoys the arts trail along Speargrass Flat Road, I’m firmly of the opinion a school in the area is totally inappropriate and would go against the lovely, relaxed environment and spoil the experience for visitors.

Few if any children who’d attend the school would walk to it. They’d mostly come by car or bus, making a relatively quiet area busy. The road would at least have to be widened in the immediate area and services delivered to the school would add to the traffic flow.

The area appears to have been developed as a haven for the arts by the local authority and I wonder why it would now wish to spoil the ambience created.

Surely a site nearer a popu­lation base, such as Frankton, would be a much more
appropriate place for a school.

TOM STOUT
Auckland (abridged)

POSTED - www.scene.co.nz

 Hospital under-funding

Sarah Deering says:

I’m Natasha Murray’s twin sister (A Mother’s Cry, MS Aug 6) and was with her the night she lost her little girl.
It was a dreadful, unnecessary experience – one that’s since had a happy ending but which could so easily have gone the other way.

I’ve heard many tragic, traumatic stories experienced by both locals and tourists – all because of the under-resourced hospital here in Queenstown. We deserve better than this and we need to speak out as a community about the hand dealt to us.

Queenstown is known for adventure tourism and unsurpassed beauty – yet our hospital cannot deal with the accidents, tragedies and health issues that happen all too frequently.

Lets do something about this – together.