“I remember going to the local school with the kids to meet the trucks rolling in with donations to help us and how great that felt to know someone cared,” Grocott said. “I was watching the news last night and I thought, ‘now it s time for us to return the favour’.” Anyone who wants to donate good quality items can drop them off to 6 Brancroft Place, Parklands; Christchurch Community Talk and Support, Burnside; 3 Gillatt Gardens, Halswell; and 75 Proctor St, Papanui. The only items accepted are non-perishable food items, new toiletries, home wares, toys and clothing, and vouchers for shops that are open including New World, Countdown and Mitre 10.
Andrew Gorrie/Stuff
Helen Kelly died of lung cancer in 2016, but her legacy as an activist and the Council of Trade Unions’ first female president lives on in health and safety law reform. “Helen Kelly was a fearless activist and leader,” Martin said. “That’s why this book honours her and [we] honour her by attending its [local launch].” Before Kelly’s death in 2016, at age 52 from lung cancer, she served as Council of Trade Unions president for a decade. She spent most of her adult life fighting for workers’ rights and her life was inseparable from the history of the modern union movement.
A representative of 22 of the Pike River families says the group plans to seek a court injunction to stop the mine being permanently sealed.
Protesters plan to go to court to stop the Pike River mine, where 29 men died in 2010, from being sealed.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
A group of more than two dozen of the victims families and their supporters yesterday protested against the government s intention to close the mine where 29 men died in a series of explosions in 2010.
Bernie Monk, whose son was killed in the disaster, said the families want the work halted, and for the mine to remain unsealed until the police have finished their investigation into the disaster.
Photo: RNZ
A public statement last week, issued by the Pike River Family Reference Group, said families had reluctantly accepted a government decision to close the recovery project.
A number of families said they were blindsided by that.
The Pike River Family Committee, which is separate to the reference group, met last night and say three-quarters of the families want to self-fund a feasibility study into recovering the mine s main ventilation fan.
But the level of support for the study is also in dispute.
Last week s statement by the Pike River Family Reference Group - which is the official group working with the government s mine recovery agency - sparked uproar among some relatives of the 29 dead miners.
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