I have just read Jaz's Thankful Thursday post about the mining tragedy on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. I would really suggest that if you want to understand what is typically this country then you would appreciate a lot reading that post.
The tragedy is not, of course, something for which I or anyone is thankful.
New Zealand is roughly the same physical size as Britain. In terms of population, though, it's small with about 4.2m compared with the 62m in Britain ie less than 7% of Britain's. That's one of its great attractions for me. It's not that I don't love people. I do: in small numbers. I've lived on an Island in Scotland for over half of my life and have enjoyed the 'smallness' where it is unlikely that I would ever go into the local town of Stornoway (population of 'greater Stornoway' about 9,000) without meeting people I know. So when there is news in NZ it tends all to be 'local' in that it tends to be shared from the southern tip of Stewart Island to the northernmost part of the North Island at Cape Reinga.
So the earthquake in Christchurch on 4 September this year was felt psychologically, if not necessarily physically, by people in the whole of the Country. Now that there has been a mining disaster at the Pike River Mine near Greymouth (population 10,000) on the remote West coast of South Island it is being felt throughout the Country.
Like Jaz I am thankful that I live in a country that cares.
Like Jaz I am thankful that I live in a country that cares.
Posts
