Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.
It’s important to remember what the Olympics actually are
As you are no doubt aware, the Olympics have kicked off in Paris, France and New Zealand has just won its first medal – the Black Ferns beating Canada to secure gold. Up until this fantastic achievement there were was some anxiety about the lack of medals won by Kiwi athletes and I think we miss the point of what the Olympics is all about.
I was talking about this with a friend yesterday. We started off reminiscing about past Olympiads and Kiwi successes, as well as controversies and incredible wins against the odds. When I mentioned to him that we hadn’t won a medal yet he reminded me that we forget that every Kiwi there is an Olympian. They have been chosen or qualified to be the best in their field here, so they can compete with the very best in the world in Paris. That is no mean feat.
Wwe should celebrate and honour the sacrifices Kiwi Olympians make to go toe to toe with the best in the world.
5 stars – sporting excellence on a global stage, that’s some positive, good news!
Kiwi music icon leaves behind an enviable body of incredible music
Martin Phillips, RNZ News
This blog is dedicated to good, positive news and on the face of it, a death may not meet that criteria. But every death is preceded by a life and if that life has been about creating beautiful, inventive, and inspiring art then I firmly believe we can talk about it here and celebrate the huge measure of good.
Martin Phillips, driving force, songwriter, and singer of The Chills passed away, aged 61, in his home town of Dunedin over the weekend. The Chills were never what is classed as a mainstream band, not because their music lacked popular appeal, but because of the peculiarities of the music industry where certain artists and sounds are heavily promoted and marketed, and some are not.
Like so many New Zealand bands, the Chills struggled to attain radio time and album sales but garnered a substantial following and influenced thousands of other bands throughout the world. All of this was down to Phillips’ songwriting prowess. If you have never heard of the band then I heartily recommend an evening on YouTube, or better still, a visit to a local record store. You will not be disappointed, in fact I know you will be enthralled.
5 stars – celebrating a unique and revered Kiwi artist who brought huge amounts of joy to so many others.
Milk mystery perplexes locals
For the past few months inhabitants of Alexandra, Otago, have been perplexed a mystery person leaving bottles of flavoured milk on top of one particular petrol pump at a local gas station.
“Poppy Prendergast has been tracking the enigmatic appearances for a few months, and said the bottles were now appearing every few days. They were always found at the pump that serviced trucks, she said, so many thought the person in question must be someone who passed through the town regularly.
“‘This fuel stop is located kind of in the industrial area, it’s a dead-end road, so if you’re not going there at peak hours it is fairly isolated,’ she explained. ‘There’s a few theories going around … there’s a lot of people saying, ‘Well, it’s definitely got to be a truckie’. People are keeping track, people are noticing, this is getting discussed … I am kind of wondering now if the culprit knows we’re watching, and they’re doing it for entertainment purposes.’
“Further adding to the mystery, someone was also removing the bottles. It was unclear whether it was the same person who had left the suspicious items there in the first place.” (Source: “Mystery milk bottles confound Alexandra residents,” by Soumaya Bhamidipati, 25th July, www.rnz.co.nz).
