Memories of 1955 flood

I was very interested to see the photos of the 1976 flooding at Porirua station.

I wonder if anyone has a picture of the flood of 1955 in the same place.

I think there was one in The Evening Post.

The bridge in those days was closer to the old station and there was a row of small shops with wooden verandahs.

It was on July 18 and we became worried because I was nine months pregnant and right on my delivery date.

We packed up our young son and all we would need for the new baby into our Austin 7, and left to stay with my mum and dad in Strathmore.

My husband intended to return to our home in Titahi Bay and to work, but was turned back where the roundabout is now.

My second son was born in Wellington Hospital in the early hours of July 19, so I have the memories but not a picture.

was ‘‘Caring for the environment’’, as John Hornblow claims (May 26).

I suspect that he probably works for one of the agencies hell bent on loading up the environment and us with cancerforming pesticides.

It is not only Porirua City Council that uses glycophosphate, but also the regional council.

Watch out the concerned Bay resident, Mr Grace, because they even use a helicopter to spray it on Whitireia Park.

Who knows how far this particular matter travels, or its effect on the park fauna and public health?

The whole thing seems a bit dodgy – I have even witnessed spraying taking place when people have been walking around the park.

The biggest idiocy is that it is an ongoing cycle as the fastgrowing ‘‘weed’’ species are the first to recolonise if areas are not immediately re-planted.

Porirua City Council is even going to spray the estuary, which has high ecological value.

This spraying of toxic pesticides all seems like a dogma where people are unable to see reason.

How did we ever survive without it, and probably with a lower cancer rate in the population at that!