Christchurch Earthquake

My thoughts are with all the people in Christchurch, New Zealand who are suffering greatly due to the earthquake this week.

So far most folks I know in Christchurch have reported in safely either directly or via friends and I hope that continues to be the case. Communication has been difficult and a lot of people have been displaced from their houses so i hope that is the reason for not hearing from everyone.

For a city, Christchurch remains a relatively small and close knit community and I doubt anyone in the region will be unaffected by these events.

It makes for grim viewing but when I look at the images of what remains of the city, all the familiar buildings and my favourite places seems to have gone and the task of getting it back on it's feet seems gargantuan.

As the tragedy unfolds and the realisation of the loss hits, I hope everyone pulls together to get through these difficult times, as lives, homes and communities will need to be rebuilt.

Take care Christchurch.

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Pike River Mine Disaster

The tragic events at the Pike River Mine on New Zealand's West Coast made headlines around the world.

I was deeply saddened for all the 29 miner's and their families but was taken aback when I saw a familiar name on the list of those lost.

From my time spent in Christchurch I had the pleasure of knowing Allan Dixon very well. Al was not a miner when i knew him but had been in the past and must have returned to the coast to work in the mines once again.

Al was a fantastic example of all that is great about New Zealand, he was a very friendly, generous and good fun person to be around, fiercely proud of his country and the West Coast in particular - an all round good bloke.

Al was always up for a laugh and one time on a visit to the Hokitika Wild Foods Festival he took great pleasure in trying to get us all to eat Hu Hu Grubs (not recommended) where I chickened out of eating a live one and opted for a bbq'd one instead.

On another occasion Al took us on a tour around his home town of Runanga and the mines where he used to work. He had lost friends in the last mining accident on the west coast and his kinship for his fellow miners was clear.

The West Coast of New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places in the world and it's hard to believe such a stunning place can be home to such a tragic event.

It is evident from the stories in the news that mining is in the blood of the community and this event will hit everyone hard and I really hope that lessons can be learned from this to avoid such an event again.

I am very grateful of the times spent in Allan's company and very pleased to have known him.

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