Southland District Council is on the move after sealing the deal on a $3 million building.On Thursday, the council announced its October purchase of Henderson House with the intention of having all its staff in one place.As it stands, employees are split across three buildings — an earthquake-prone Forth St premises and two leased sites on Don St.The move would spell the end of the Forth St site which included three connected buildings and previously belonged to Southland County Council.The oldest of those was built in 1939, with the district council taking over in 1989 following amalgamation.There was optimism the upcoming move would prove cost-effective for the organisation.“Having staff in one council-owned office building will mean there is a saving when we stop paying the leases on our two Don St offices,” council chief executive Cameron McIntosh said.Built in 1990, Henderson House is located on Invercargill’s Kelvin St and will be refitted to the tune of $15.75 million in accordance with long term plan budgets.Its purchase price was exclusive of GST.In regards to capacity, the new site had an occupancy limit of 200 but just how many people it would staff was yet to be decided.No decision had been made on the future of the Forth St premises either, and a timeframe could not be given on when staff would be moved.The changes come at a time when Southland District Council is proposing the region’s four councils morph into two unitary authorities.McIntosh said the new building did not affect its goal of seeing that happen.The council had also explored shifting its office into the district but decided against it because of costs and challenges attracting new staff.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Invercargill Police have arrested a 19-year-old man for indecently exposing himself to members of the public.The man has been bailed to an address out of Southland to reappear in the Invercargill District Court later in the year.Police said this behaviour was concerning but are pleased to have been able to prevent this offending from continuing.Members of the public are asked to come forward with any unreported interactions with this man over the last two weeks.If you have seen or interacted with a brown-haired, Caucasian man driving a green sedan in the North Invercargill area over the last two weeks, please let Police know, they said.Please contact Police online or ring 105 and quote refence number 241009/6007.

NoticesChristmas Hamper AppealEventsCinderella and her Ugly Sisters - Show - Invercargill

Milford Road OPENNO Avalanche HazardExpect minor delays at hazardous tree felling sites.Pop’s View/Hollyford Valley Lookout area will re-open over the weekend, but close again from Monday until Thursday while tree felling takes place nearby.To conserve the bat species within Fiordland, this work is restricted & must be carried out while they are not in torpor.Please drive with care & adhere to road works signageWeather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Fine, apart from morning cloud & fogTomorrow: Mainly fineSunday: Cloud increasingMonday: Cloudy with light rain developing later

A southern mayor fears lives could be at risk amid a funding shortfall for his region’s roads.On October 11, Southland mayor Rob Scott penned a letter to Transport Minister Simeon Brown explaining the issues his council faced trying to maintain its 5000km network — the second largest in the country.A copy of the letter was included in an agenda for this week’s council meeting alongside data about shortfalls.Scott said the average Southland resident was responsible for the cost of 151 metres of road compared to 4 metres for every Aucklander.“Noting the size of our roading network . . . with only 21,000 ratepayers to cover its costs, our people feel the pinch of every dollar that we spend.”The council had reluctantly reduced its funding request to $147 million, meaning 105km of sealing and 13km of rehab work would go by the wayside, Scott said.But even then, NZTA Waka Kotahi only approved $125 million, leaving the council “stranded” and needing to find a sum which was the equivalent of an 18 per cent rating increase, he said.Some of the cuts already proposed by staff were not satisfactory, such as dropping edge markings to save $1.2 million.“At face value this might not sound like a big issue, but it is a significant safety concern especially in our 100km/hr rural roads.“We don’t have streetlights, and at night and/or poor weather conditions these lines are a vital tool in monitoring one’s position on the road.“This is the kind of decision that has the likelihood of people losing their lives.”Three requests were laid out to the Minister — reconsider the request for the full $147 million, remove “ring fencing” budgets so council could redistribute funds within its roading programme, and make Funding Assistance Rates more equitable.Information included in the council agenda said the Southland roading network was made up of 3000km of unsealed and 2000km of sealed roads.There were 840 bridges in the network, 56 of which were either closed or had weight restrictions.Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Scott said he had met with Brown once since sending the letter.“The numbers are hard to argue with there, and I’m optimistic that we’ll get to a good outcome.”Minister Simeon Brown said he had been advised by NZTA that a funding request of $143 million was received, of which 87 percent had been funded.No council in New Zealand had received a full allocation for its request, he said.“There are always more bids for funding than there is money available, and NZTA must prioritise funding across the entire country.”Brown had forwarded Scott’s letter to the authority and asked them to find a solution to the line marking issue.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Proposed steps to address parking and road safety issues on Stewart Island/Rakiura have received general support from the public.The island often deals with cars being parked for up to months at a time in the township, normally when people have left for the mainland.A total of 49 submissions were received during recent consultation on a parking shake-up.Proposed changes — which could see 30 new parking restrictions and changes to 16 existing restrictions — were supported either fully or in part by 84 percent of submitters.However, only a quarter (25 percent) supported all of the proposed measures.Those who didn’t give full support shared a range of concerns, including a need for long-term parking, transport for sea and air services, and extended time limits for some spaces.Rakiura resident Bill Watt presented to councillors on Wednesday and was generally supportive of proposed parking changes, but said it was important to maintain walkability on the island.“Walking is so much a part of the way of life here, and the way of life for visitors, even though . . . I think the last estimate was over 800 cars on the island.”Watt highlighted a need for disability parking in his submission which was backed up by another submitter, Alistair Faulknor.Faulknor shared concern for elderly and immobile people on Rakiura, saying options were limited if struggled to walk or couldn't afford a taxi.Problems with road safety on the hilly roads near Observation Rock were also consulted on, with one-way systems put forward as a possible solution.A suggestion to target a one-way system on Leonard St, Excelsior Rd, View St and Dundee St was preferred over all streets within the area being made one-way.Submissions were received between 10 October and 10 November.Council team leader organisational policy Chris Rout said refinements would be made ahead of deliberation and adoption of the bylaw — set for 11 December.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

As part of Play Week with Active Southland we have been able to get out with the chalk and enjoy the sunshine during the sunny days we have had over the last two weeks. We had Southland Basketball come out and do some training with all the Year 3-8 students.We hosted the REAP extension class for Tokanui and Gorge Road School as part of our Kahui Ako Community of Learning.The children enjoyed a day of learning about robotics.Tokanui School proudly supported by Tokanui Tavern

Emergency services are responding to reports of a serious crash on State Highway 94 near Deer Flat, between Milford and Te Anau.The crash was reported to Police at 11.55am.Initial Information from the scene is that a van has rolled and several people have been injured.Police advise the road is blocked in both directions and is expected to remain so for some time.There is already significant traffic backed up on either side of the crash scene, they said.No detours are available.Motorists planning to travel between Milford and Te Anau are advised to delay travel.

State Highway 6 is closed between Orion Road and Flora Road, near Makarewa, following a crash.Emergency services were called to the two-vehicle collision just before 11:15am.Police have advised two people are trapped, and emergency services are working to extract them from their vehicles.Motorists are advised to avoid the area. Detours are now in place.The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

Hi EverybodyWow, its almost at the end of the school year, as we are halfway through term 4! But towards the end of term 3 we were busy with Daffodil day Mufti day, where we raised $165.20 for the cancer Council!School Camp – In week 9, the Year 5&6 campers along with Whaea Nish, Mrs Robinson and Miss C set off to Camp Columba.A big thank you to our parents who joined them.A lot of work goes in behind the scenes to plan a camp and the preparation starts a long time before departure day so thank you to Whaea Nish for having this all in hand.They had loads of fun, faced up to challenges and got up to plenty of mischief!Ella, Cayden, Billy & Natalie got to go to the Southland Charity Hospital open day, and found our School Brick!Here they are with Missy Vining who was their tour guide on the day!At the start of term 4 we welcomed 4 new Students!Alex & Connor in Room 1Sunny in Room 4Zaedyn in Room 4They had a great first week at school, and have settled in really well to their new classrooms!Wallacetown School 160th Celebrations – Our Committee has been working very hard on planning the celebration over King’s Birthday weekend in 2025.We now have signage up around Town and surrounding areas, and plans are soon to have a registration portal open!Check out, like and follow the Facebook page that has been set up. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563899440815Principal for the Day – Monday 21 October was a big day!! As part of a the Jingo Fundraiser, Miss Clare McKenzie from Room 1 family won the raffle to nominate her to be the ‘Principal for the Day’ ( under the guidance of Miss Brady!)It also was her 6th birthday, so a day not to forget!She had a busy day on Monday, with duty, tasks, some shopping, a meeting with our BOT Chairperson, and even a Zoom call !She declared it to be a mufti day for students to dress up (if they wanted) as princesses or superheroes, and for that day only there was to be no handwriting in the classrooms!We wonder who might win this next year and what they might choose to do!!School Pool -The swimming pool is now open!We sell keys for this, so school families and the wider Wallacetown Community can use this outside of school hours, on the weekends and over the Summer holiday break.If you are interested in getting a pool key for the season please see Annie at the office Monday – Friday 8:30-12:30pm.Emergency Management Southland brought their Earthquake Simulator to school! It was great for the children (and staff) to feel how the jolts would feel!                                    Alby, Jack, Cody  just dropping and getting ready to cover                                    Jet, Cayden & Ms Mckenzie just checking in on each other!The first Tuesday in November is a fun day for many!! – we like to have a horse themed mufti day to Fundraise for the Southland Riding for the Disabled.This year we raised $115.50 .We had some great outfits come galloping through the gate!Week 5 we had Water Safety week, with teachers from REAP in the pool with the children!It was great to see the children’s confidence grow with these lessons, and we are thankful that we are able offer these opportunities to themEden and Cody show off their skills in the pool as Water Safety with Vicky and Janet from REAP starts this week That’s a wrap from us at Wallacetown School for 2024. We are looking forward to farewelling our year 6 class at their Graduation dinner on the Monday 9 December, and then we have our School Prize Giving Breakup  on the Thursday 12 December at the Wallacetown Community Centre, so hope to see you there!Merry Christmas, and we will see you in 2025 …First day of school is the Tuesday 28 January 2025!!Wallacetown School proudly supported by Pypers Produce

It's 1943 and charismatic jazz musician US Marine Randolph Harrington is found murdered on the banks of Southland's Ōreti River.Retired Detective Inspector John MacBride, a shell-shocked WW1 veteran, heads the complex investigation with only his inexperienced Detective Constable and two old-school Detectives from Dunedin tohelp.What follows is a string of hostility, red herrings, broken hearts and contraband as MacBride tries to solve the case - while all the time battling his own demons - before the Americans ship out.For author LS Joye - aka former Southlander Lauren Sleeman - 'Wrongdoings - a Southern tale of murder' is her first crime fiction book, having until now concentrated on mythological fiction works.Now Wanaka based, Sleeman said she wrote Wrongdoings as a homage to the influences of the south she grew up with.Sleeman's father founded well known Winton business Sleeman Electrical many years ago.“I wanted to write an easy-to-read story of my beloved birth province Southland, a story which encompassed old-school, colloquial Southern humour and history”.“With this in mind, I chose one of my favourite genres, crime fiction, with a flawed lead character who, like many men of this era, endeavoured to contribute to society while suffering under the shadow of the ‘Great War’, World War 1.“I selected the year 1943 because it was a significant year in southern history with the tragedy of the Hyde rail disaster.""In the wider social milieu in the years 1942 to 1944, United States servicemen were stationed in Aotearoa New Zealand, bringing about both an economic boom and a certain intrigue, especially for young Kiwi women which resulted in marriages for approximately 1500 of them.“Several themes of the story also reflect my work as a psychotherapist.""The phenomenon of narcissism would not have been as evident in the 1940s as it is now, but narcissistic individuals can and do cause great harm, no matter the era.""Likewise, PTSD known in the 1940s as shellshock, along with domestic abuse and violence are also perpetual problems in society which frequently remain hidden.""Consensual sex versus rape is another issue alluded to in the story,” Sleeman said.Wrongdoings is written and published by LA Joye.Distributed by Relish Books it is available as a paperback at Paperplus Winton, Wanaka and Alexandra for $35.

The Labour Party is blaming the government's new wait time targets for so many patients being unable to get onto a waiting list for hospital treatment.However, some patients say there is nothing new about this kind of rationing.At just 51 years old, Invercargill man "Jim" (not his real name) said he was "walking like a penguin" because of severe hip disease.After months of waiting, he has just heard back from the orthopaedics department at Southland Hospital: "referral declined".Jim said he had heard of other patients getting referred "five or six times" before finally being accepted."It seems to me like all that's going to do is clog up the GP system, and you can't get into the GP for three weeks either, so maybe this is one of the reasons why."His GP suggested he could pay for the surgery privately."I guess I can save for a couple of years, or we could start borrowing against the house, but it's a little bit frustrating that at the same time, we're paying tax that's meant to cover these sort of things."Health NZ said all referrals for specialist appointments were assessed according to clinical criteria.Other factors - such as resourcing or wait times - were not considered.However, one specialist, who asked to remain anonymous, said they triaged all referrals based on clinical acuity - but it was management that determined who could be seen."Currently they're rejecting all routine and semi-urgent referrals. We're only seeing cancer and urgent referrals. This makes it look like our first specialist appointment waiting times are not too long, but it ignores the significant need in our community for our services."I feel for GPs who can't get their patients to see us. To meet the demand we'd need more specialists, clinical facilities and surgical theatre capacity."Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall - who served as health minister in the last government - told RNZ's Midday Report the problem with wait time targets was that they "incentivised" people to hide negative realities."And that's a feature we see again and again across the health service at the moment."Statistics that keep an eye on rationing, whether that's to do with nursing ratios or waiting lists, are being buried and we don't have access to them."However, while GPs report the thresholds for getting referrals accepted appeared to be getting higher (partly due to the number of sicker patients), rationing in the public health system goes back many years.One Wellington woman said her referral to a specialist service was rejected in January 2020."They had looked at my case notes and the referral letter and decided that my situation could be better treated by my GP, which is madness, because my GP couldn't treat me."That's why they sent the referral letter in the first instance."Health Minister Shane Reti. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneThe woman ended up paying for a private specialist, and was finally diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in April 2021."They always say that prevention and early diagnosis is fundamental in the treatment of cancer and other chronic health conditions, we're advised to see our GPs early."They don't refer on a whim."Our health system is based on the premise that our GPs have the specialist knowledge to know when to refer their patients. This relies on the hospital accepting the specialist referral so that the patient receives the appropriate care, otherwise the whole system just falls over."Another woman, who was turned down for a specialist appointment by Waikato Hospital in 2020, finally saw a specialist last year, who said she was an ideal candidate for surgery.Unfortunately, she was about to move to the Kāpiti Coast, and had to start the process all over again, and get a referral to MidCentral, which had "a totally different response"."[They said] 'You'll never get surgery, you're too functional!'."So it just shows how different things are depending where you are. All that stuff about doing away with the postcode lottery by setting up Te Whatu Ora, it's absolute rubbish."Health Minister Shane Reti said he had been transparent about the challenges the health system faced, but it was "important to be ambitious"."The health system went backwards under the previous government and its failure to drive targets. Having effective targets, and reporting on them publicly, helps identify where there are problems - and how we can take action to improve them."Health received an additional $1.4b of new money for "cost pressures" in Budget 2024, he concluded.Te Whatu Ora clinical lead for planned care Dr Derek Sherwood said clinical referral criteria thresholds for first specialist assessments (FSA) had not changed - with the exception of cataracts (as part of reducing variation and increasing access)."New Zealanders can be assured that all referrals for an FSA will continue to be individually assessed by our clinical teams to standardised clinical criteria," he said.The agency was working to develop a national data platform to give a better understanding of patients who did not meet the criteria for specialist assessments.Under the old district health board system, each region held data about declined referrals in different ways."Developing this capability at a national level will take time but it will help us to understand local variation and where there may be areas of unmet need."Published with permission

Close to a thousand unlicensed drivers are on the waitlist for a highly successful, Southland-born community mentoring driver licensing programme rapidly spreading in popularity throughout the southern region with help from 40 volunteer mentors.The number of unlicensed drivers caught on Southland roads per capita is believed to be among the highest in the country and Drive My Life is aimed at reducing the number of unlicensed drivers on southern roads and keeping people out of the court system.In the nine months from January to September this year the programme received 1167 referrals from 80 different agencies, including Police, the Corrections Department, ACC, churches, counselling services, schools and migrant organisations.In that time 592 participants passed and 322 continued with the programme.With 824 currently on the waitlist organisers say wait times have extended to 10 to 12 weeks but despite that greater numbers have passed this year than last year.First founded in 2016 by Road Safety Southland Road User Safety Advisor Maureen Deuchrass and Police School Community Officer Constable Marty Lohrey came up with the idea after working with a local teen parenting unit.“A group of teenage mums were driving their partners and kids around when they were not properly licensed and getting a lot of fines,” Deuchrass says.One young woman had racked up $3500 worth and was ordered through the courts to wear an ankle bracelet.“We worked to get a couple of them through to their learner’s licence and many didn’t have safe vehicles to practise in, so we sought funding through Community Trust South and ILT.”The Southland District Council provided a vehicle and petrol.They trialled the programme targeting the Murihiku Young Parents’ Learning Centre and the results were astounding.“It changes people’s lives immeasurably as driving offences are the quickest way to end up in the criminal justice system,” Deuchrass says.“It’s the fastest pathway to prison.”Demand became huge.“Of the original group of girls, we put through to their learner’s, one 18-year-old mum had two young children and her learner’s licence was her first ever qualification,” she says.“It gave her such confidence that she went on to do Level 2 NCEA. Her parents also didn’t have licences and walked her two wee children to the AA office to congratulate her that day, both in tears.”Early Southland mentor Ann Eustace, who’s since moved to Nelson, says it was immensely rewarding, and she wanted to help the programme up there but there wasn’t one.“When they pass the pure joy, the look of great pleasure and happiness that comes from passing their practical, that’s reward enough for me,” Eustace says.Mentors can sit in the test car while participants are tested.“It gives them huge confidence and pride. It must be such a boost to their self-esteem. When they all pass eventually, that joy. They’re just about jumping out of their skin,” she says.There’s been a massive demand for the programme which has now become firmly established throughout the wider Southland region and up into Fiordland, the Wakatipu and Central Otago.In 2018 Southern REAP CEO Dawn Brocks brought her skills in sourcing funding for the programme and the model has since been adopted through REAP in other areas with demand increasing.Brocks now coordinates Drive My Life in Invercargill, Gore, Central and Northern Southland and Queenstown with Central Otago operating the model through its own funding streams.Volunteer readers and translators assist during testing for those with learning difficulties, the neurodivergent, or those who aren’t proficient in English. It’s been great for the migrant and refugee communities – particularly Filipino and Columbians, Deuchrass says.It’s been an enormous self confidence booster for so many of the thousands of participants who’ve successfully completed the programme, resits encouraged if necessary until they get there.“If the Police pick up a young girl who’s been forced to drive, maybe her boyfriend is drunk and she’s not licensed, then they refer her to us instead of her following a criminal pathway,” she says.It’s also enabled many to secure work. “You’re seven times more unlikely to get a job without a licence.” Some who go on to get jobs have come back as mentors.One young woman had been abused by her partner, trapped at home and not allowed to leave the house.“While he was in jail she got her licence with us.”Having no licence has huge ramifications, she says.One unlicensed couple lived near Makarewa off the school bus route so their children couldn’t go to school until they did the programme.For many it’s also their first form of ID.“These are vulnerable young people who may not have people in their lives to help them, no discretionary income, no decent car, no parents or grandparents giving them lessons.”The programme operates five star-safety rated vehicles for the practical driving component across the south and participants range in age from 16 to 64, with the average age around 25. More than 56% are females.Deuchrass says participants are equipped with increased knowledge of the road rules, receive professional instruction and complete a defensive driving course, if necessary, giving them the tools needed to be much safer drivers.

-Fiordland College is proudly supported by Milford Road Alliance

Milford Road OPENNO Avalanche HazardExpect minor delays due to sealing & hazardous tree felling operations.Pop’s View/Hollyford Valley Lookout area is scheduled to close from tomorrow (Wednesday) for a week while tree felling takes place nearby.To conserve the bat species within Fiordland, this work is restricted & must be carried out while they are not in torpor.Potential for stopping at Kaka Creek Lookout for outbound traffic from Milford only to avoid traffic congestion.Please drive with care & adhere to road works signageWeather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Mostly cloudy, rain developing laterTomorrow: RainThursday: Rain, becoming heavy, clearing laterFriday: Mainly fine

At 81, Bill South’s had more than a few brushes with death, but this hardy Southland farmer always seemed to escape unscathed, and in the end his spelling ability wasn’t what saved him.In 1963, aged 20, Bill applied to join the Police and was told he needed an extra six months’ training to learn to spell. Bill wasn’t having any of that, so the Police force’s loss became the NZ Army’s gain.Not only would he serve bravely in the jungles of Malaya and Borneo, but Bill served in Southland too, the volunteer Parade Marshall organising local Anzac Dawn Parades and services for 50 years, the longest serving southern marshall to do so.This Local Legend story is brought to you with the kind support of Macdonald & Weston Funeral Directors“I’d walked down the street just after the Police turned me down and I met my mate, Tom, who said, “I’m joining the Army and I’m going to Malaya,” Bill says.“I said, ‘That sounds like a darned good thing and on 3rd June, 1963, I was on my way to Burnham Camp to train until October, ready for two years in Malaya.”However, during a training camp in Rotorua Bill contracted deadly spinal meningitis.20-year-old Bill South during basic training at Burnham Camp. Photo: Supplied“They gave me 12 hours to live and flew my mother up to say goodbye. They said if I survived 12 hours I’d make it.”He reckons he had the Army to thank for that.“I lost four and a half stone, but my 14 and a half stone weight after my training saved me. I’d never been so fit in my life, but I was pretty sick.”After recovering in March 1964 Bill was off to the main British military base in Terendak, Malaya, to prepare for his battalion’s first posting on the Thai border.Bill South during camouflage training in Malaya. Photo: Supplied“The Indonesian CT’s (Communist Terrorists) had threatened to take out Malaya and Singapore before the cock crowed at midnight, but we managed to hold them back,” Bill says.“More than 250 of them landed one night amongst our seven battalions, so not many survived. They all surrendered.”It was a baptism of fire for a young country boy from Grove Bush, Southland.He’d been a night rabbit shooter as a teenager, but the stakes in the Malayan jungle were a lot higher.Private Bill South (Sixth from left - Centre row) with the 1st Battalion Royal NZ Infantry Regiment. Photo: Supplied“There were that many shooting you just knew that’s one of theirs. There was no choice,” he says.“We became the 1st Royal NZ Infantry Regiment – the Gurr Battalion.”In 1965 they moved to Sarawak in Borneo for six months, another target for the CTs, the first European battalion and second division there where they relieved the Gurkhas.“We fought under the 28th Commonwealth Brigade Unit, led by the British.”Bill South's first army parade in Malaya. Photo: SuppliedHere Bill endured his first contact with the enemy, their rounds firing back at him.Out on patrol in the jungle, they’d start ‘harbouring up’, digging shell scrapes to hide in while patrols were out checking.“Our luckiest escape was walking back to camp after three weeks in the jungle near Sarawak when my cover scout yelled, ‘Grenade!’. Everyone flew in every direction, but it had been raining three days earlier so the fuses must’ve got damp.”Head scouts were handy. Another told them a tiger had just been lying on the track where they were marching, and they had a run in with a giant 17-foot (5.1m) python coming down a stormwater drain too.Bill ran over it with the Land Rover then finished it off with a hoe.He and four others were sent to hunt down some escaping enemy ‘soldiers’ in a mangrove swamp.Bill, far left, with the Otago Southland Regimental Association winning team after the JJ Walker Trophy Shoot. Photo: Supplied“After 10 days we found them in a bus shelter by a remote road with no weapons, the youngest was 14 the other 16,” Bill says.“They told us they’d been sent with no training to ‘shoot anybody not dressed the same as them’. It was very sad.”In November 1965 Bill got his wish to be a policeman, posted to the Garrison Military Police, 17 miles (27kms) out of Melaka, overseeing law and order among 7000 troops, breaking up fights, and directing military traffic and families to church.There were tragedies – two trucks in a Malayan regiment smashed into a mosque killing 44 of their own people.Then there was the mass brawl at the beach club that lasted 23 hours after a smart-mouthed Aussie soldier swore at and punched an Irishman walking past the military camp bars.Bill finished his three-years’ service ranked as a Warrant Officer Class 1 Substantive – the highest non-commissioned rank, having earned a Chief of General Staff Service Award for Outstanding Service to the NZ Army, among multiple other service medals.Warrant Officer Class 1 Substantive Bill South being presented with his NZ Defence Medal by the Brigadier in Auckland. Photo: SuppliedBack home he continued working at the freezing works, shearing and driving trucks, then after a break he joined the local territorials in 1973, serving in a voluntary role in Southland for 27 years.“The late John Dawson, a prison officer, asked me to fill in with just a couple of days’ notice in the first year as he wasn’t well. Then it happened again the following year,” Bill grins.“They just kept me coming back.”His first parade in 1973 attracted about 2000 people and his last a few years ago attracted between 4000 and 5000, many of them children which was lovely to see.“It was challenging at times, but very rewarding.”This Local Legend story is brought to you with the kind support of Macdonald & Weston Funeral DirectorsThroughout those 50 years Bill’s always tirelessly turned up as volunteer organiser of Invercargill’s weekly Wednesday Night Territorial training and parades.The RSA presented him with a framed photo of himself as Parade Marshall in recognition of the years of service.There were still World War I vets marching in every dawn parade when Bill first started in 1973, while now there are very few World War II ones remaining and only the odd ‘tough fella’ Korean vet hanging on.While society now honours returned servicemen and women as they should be and lest we forget, Bill says those old diggers would rather they did: ‘What happened over there stays there,” he says.Wrights Bush senior rugby team 1972 - winners of the Gordon Grieve Conduct Shield. Bill South is 3rd from left in the back row. Photo: SuppliedFarming at Waianiwa and Branxholme Bill only retired to Invercargill early last year.He’s been at the forefront of Southland rugby in his day, serving as a member of the Central Southland Rugby Selection Committee on its executive and has been president, secretary and player for Wrights Bush Rugby Club.Son Brad played for Southland in the 1990s while son Nathan is a Southland Claybird Shooting Champion.Bill’s also been president of the Drummond Golf Club, his lowest ever Handicap, 11, winning the club Junior Championship in his day and enjoying regional team wins.A serviceman all round, it’s now time to kick back and enjoy his retirement.

-The year at Myross Bush is just flying by.It is hard to believe we are half way through November and there are not many weeks left for 2024.We have achieved a lot across the school with some great learning taking place.Visits to Kerr Bush have started up again (now that the weather is warming up) where we have joined with local neighbours to become one of the kaitiaki of KerrBush.This means classes visit and care for the environment to ensure it stays healthy for future generations.At the end of last term we performed our school proudcution of Peter Pan at the Civic.This consisted of everyone in our school having a role from singing and dancing, ensuring props were on and off the stage at the right time, and lead actors and actresses telling the story.A huge thankyou to the staff who supported all of this to ensure we dazzled on the stage.At the start of November we had 16 students attend the Jump Jam South Island Nationals in Christchurch.This group of dedicated girls performed a very slick performance of 24 K Magic with the support of Miss Georgia Ashworth and their parents.It was a very close competition and even though they didn’t place, I know the school and community are extremely proud of them.As we come to the end of the year, there are still many more exciting experiences to be had.We will be farewelling our Year 6 graduates and wish them well as they transition into their high schools next year.We know they will go on to do great things in the future.Meri Kirihimete from everyone at Myross Bush School.Myross Bush School proudly supported by Fiordland Escapes

University of Otago researchers have recorded earthquakes up to 40km deep in Southland, uncovering evidence of hidden faults in one of the country's least seismically active regions.Scientists from the university and GNS Science installed 19 temporary seismometers in Southland, alongside GeoNet's permanent network, and measured activity over a year.Lead researcher Dr Jack Williams said they were able to more precisely triangulate signals to determine where earthquakes were happening with the seismometres spaced closer together."Southland is a gap in our understanding of New Zealand's faults, but that doesn't mean they aren't there and can't cause damage," he said. "What was really striking was the depth of the earthquakes we recorded."Most earthquakes happened in the cold, brittle continental crust less than 15-20km deep, but Williams said the team found the seismically active crust extended up to twice the average depth in Southland."If you think of plasticine, when it's cold and you try to tear it apart, it fractures and breaks. But if you rub it and warm it up a bit, it's a lot more ductile," he said."The Earth's crust is similar. Near the surface where it's cold, earthquakes deform the crust by fracturing and rupturing it, but the deeper down you go, the warmer it is and the more ductile the crust becomes. This makes it less likely to tear apart and flow instead."With this research we essentially uncovered an extra-deep layer of the Earth where earthquakes can occur. This is possible in Southland because the lower part of the crust has an unusual composition with lots of iron rich minerals, which given the depth, make it relatively strong and brittle."As well as the "remarkably deep" earthquakes, the seismometres picked up 85 quakes throughout the year, six times more than GeoNet, Williams said."Most of these shakes were too small to feel, but they give us hints about where larger earthquakes may occur in the future."Williams said the team was also looking for evidence of earthquakes using high-resolution maps of Southland's ground surface released by Environment Southland."These maps show us evidence of surface ruptures caused by ancient earthquakes, giving us important new information about where Southland's fault lines are located."The findings could be incorporated into hazard models that predicted the likelihood and strength of future earthquakes, he said.The research was funded by the Natural Hazards Commission as part of a wider effort to better understand the earthquake risk in traditionally low seismic regions, including Otago and AucklandPublished by permission

A Southland doctor says he has had to sedate dementia patients due to a lack of care options in rural areas.Dr Daniel Allan, a psychiatrist for elderly people, this week told a health select committee of the challenges getting appropriate care for people with dementia in more isolated parts of Southland.He said he was having to use anti-psychotic medication for people with dementia and it was a regular thing among other colleagues too, even though it was a last resort option, caused by a lack of places for them to go.Dr Allan told RNZ's Checkpoint having to relocate people three to four hours' drive away from their communities and loved ones was a sign of an unhealthy aged care sector."There's lots of other things, like late diagnosis, misdiagnosis, difficulty finding rest home beds in these places, but sedation is one of the problems we also face."He said a common scenario was a patient might need a higher level of care, such as needing to go into a dementia hospital for the highest level of care."That may not be available in the locality in which I'm working, often in Southland."If the patient was from a rural area, medical professionals were faced with the problem of whether they sent the person a long way from their whānau for the last period of their life, he said."Sometimes families will ask for any medication that can be used, which is against our best practice and a very difficult thing for us doctors to do."Allan said there were serious medical side-effects from sedating people with dementia."It's the last option any doctor would want to utilise. We know there's increased rates of stroke, falls, pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, it's not good, but I guess we're weighing that up against the person being sent away to a place away from family."There must be significant risks in behaviour for doctors to consider sedation, he said."Often there is agitation and violence, but a lot of that in a good well-resourced place could be ameliorated with adequate non-pharmacological care."Often we can see that in urban centres but out in these rural places where there's less of that expertise we're left with little other choice."Asked if patients were in effect being subdued, he agreed."It's probably one of the greatest moral injuries we face as doctors in the sector, it's very difficult."Doctors felt conflicted about it, the alternative would be to do nothing and end up in a worse situation, he said.Regarding the Dunedin Hospital rebuild and the discussion on whether psycho-geriatric beds were needed, he said it was another sign of an unhealthy aged care sector."We do tend to rely more on our medical colleagues to be able to manage community issues, we're often placing people in medical wards and medical beds and using psychogeriatric wards in hospitals when we could be perhaps managing this better in the community."I think those beds are very important. We will definitely need those in the future and it's a worry to hear they may not be provided."Published by permission