Longwhitecloudadventures: Welcome, way back when and whoa-no thanks

Wanganui High School has a new headmaster - Mr Garry Olver. He said he was thrilled with his appointment and was keen to move here from Auckland as soon as possible. "We think Wanganui is a delightful city. But what makes it so very special is its people. An example of this is when I was waiting to catch a flight back to Auckland after a round of interviews with the board of trustees on Saturday, July 7. I sat in the departure/arrivals lounge at the airport and within two minutes a friendly local farmer struck up a conversation with me and we got chatting as if we were long-lost friends. I thoroughly enjoyed his conversation and we shared many a good laugh. This has never happened to me in Auckland, and I have lived here since 1993."

"It is a school that an educationalist can only dream of leading. It thoroughly deserves the outstanding reputation that it has across New Zealand, and internationally to some extent, as being a leading school in NCEA achievement, sporting events and cultural activities"

Mr Olver has been deputy principal at Rosehill since 2005 and is from South Africa.

On the subject of school days - here is a photograph which has very recently emerged from the dusty annals of 'times long ago'. The author armed with sleeping bag, battered blue weekend case, hockey stick and trusty guitar has her straw basher (donkie brekfis) on her head and is accompanied by her friend Lydia - who is equally weighed down with camping gear but sans the basher, electing a beanie instead as suitable headgear. Thanks Lydia for this pic - happy days!! Circa 1972 ish? (PS - thinking about it, this has to have been taken in 73 or 74 since the bashers were only for 9's and matrics! )

The lass who is doing the talking in this cartoon, clearly doesn't have any issues with 'helmet hair' - but then, looking at the motorcycle in question, there doesn't appear to be too much room for her tail behind the driver-(however dainty and narrow the tail might be).
In which case a helmet for her would not come into it.

In any event, the

author would assume that it would be a tad disconcerting if her better half disappeared on the motorcycle (pictured below) - but questions would surely be asked within an hour, not a YEAR!

Members of the Wanganui District Council have threatened to take all possible action to stop the relocation of sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson into their community.

Wilson - also known as the Beast of Blenheim - is set to be released from prison on September 1 after being jailed for 21 years in March 1996.

Now 65, was convicted on 22 sex charges against woman and children between 1971 and 1994.

Last week the Corrections Department announced Wilson will be subject to what they believe will be the most stringent conditions imposed on any New Zealand prisoner upon his release.

The 17 special conditions include one that will make him the first child-sex offender to be tracked by a global positioning system (GPS).

He has to live in a $70,000 relocated state house on Whanganui Prison property and must be accompanied by minders if he leaves the property.

At a fiery public meeting this afternoon organised by councillors Ray Stevens and Michael Laws, more than 200 members of the public took turns to vent their frustration at the decision.

As a result, seven councillors - Mr Stevens, Mr Laws, Phillipa Baker-Hogan, Jack Bullock, Randhir Dahya, Hamish McDouall and Sue Westwood - signed a direction to chief executive Kevin Ross to call a full council meeting to discuss a policy regarding Wilson.

A resolution was also adopted that the council take all actions, including a judicial review, to ensure Wilson was not paroled into the district.

Mrs Baker-Hogan said members of the public were keen to speak at the meeting, ranging from victims of sexual abuse to those proposing ‘‘vigilante justice’’ on Wilson if he was released.

She realised Wilson had to be released under the law but said there were other options for his release such as army camps and it was unfair to lump him on Whanganui.

‘‘He’s not our bad boy.

‘‘I understand it’s a national problem, I understand he has to be released...but it’s using our city that’s had nothing to do with this man and is trying its best to survive in a recession and using it as a test case.’’

Mrs Baker-Hogan said she had little doubt the council would pursue legal options but hoped it would not come at great expense to the taxpayer.

Council chief executive Kevin Ross said he had received the direction and expected a meeting to take place in the next few days.

Needless to say, this is an ongoing saga and to be perfectly honest, it is totally understandable that Wanganui residents don't want this monster here - but how are the authorities going to pick a place - out of a hat? We don't think that there will be anyplace that will welcome him.