Sad: An Open Letter

To:
The Base Commander, RNZAF Whenuapai
The Chief of Air Force, RNZAF
The Chief of Defence
The Prime Minister of New Zealand
...and anyone else who will listen.

Dear Sirs and Madam, (I use these terms not as a mark of respect but simply for ease)

I spent hours last night laying awake, worried.

As I lay I wondered; Who else in my neighbourhood was laying awake worrying?

And then I wondered how much sleep they would get and after their broken night what would they go to work on today. Perhaps they were going to fly a plane? Maybe they had to fix a crucial part on a Helicopter engine? Maybe they were going to pack a parachute?

As they do their job today are they able to fully concentrate on the task at hand or has lack of sleep affected their work?

Or perhaps their mind has wandered as they worked. Wandered back to the coughing that racked the small body in the next room last night. The cough that is a result of a permanent winter cold attributed to the environmental asthma their daughter had developed since moving back to New Zealand to this house. Perhaps their mind wandered to their small baby boy who at only 5 months old is already chesty and full of mucous, who knows what rubbish he will have inhaled into those tiny lungs in this mould ridden home. Or perhaps his mind wandered to his wife home alone that day with only the baby for company. Knowning that sometime, someone would call to paint the house. But not knowing when. And not knowing who. Perhaps the guy that came to their door would be the very same painter that the hard working Airforce Police officer (one of two for the whole base) had identified as a known criminal, a career burglar.

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Each week I watch 'Homesick' and as I watch I see houses, which could easily be my own, determined by experts to be unsafe, due to environmental risks like mould and pests. Due to a lack a insulation and the resulting cold and damp. I am told by the housing officer that there is nothing to be done. And yet if you work in that office, or if you go through the 'right' people you can get things get done. I don't know the right people. I can't get anything done.

Explain to me;

Why they are putting Heat Pumps in our home. I have a fire in my lounge to heat my home already what will the heat pump do? Cool my lounge in the summer and heat in in the winter. But we will still all have to go to bed in damp uninsulated rooms where mould is growing rampant.

Why they are replacing my friends lino when hers is less than 5 years old and mine is original?

Why did that same friend just get a new bath, when her neighbours is 50 time worse? It has practically none of it's original surface for goodness sake.

Why the houses in Ohakea got their privet hedges taken out and decent fences put in and I can't even take a leak in my backyard if I get locked out without 1 of my 9 closest neighbours having a full and uninterrupted view? Why do I not have a right to privacy?

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We were posted to Australia. We spent 2.5 years in Nowra hosted by the Australian Defence Force. Over there Servicemen and women are afforded respect.

As a part of that respect we had a house that had a spare room so that you could have family visit or just have a little space to live and be. We had two living room type areas, outside we had shade and a place to enjoy the yard. The deadlocks and the door chains were a given. Our homes were carpeted and curtained as a matter of course. Our home was dry, clean and warm. There were no mice and insect pests were uncommon. If you had a problem that needed fixing you phoned and they fixed it. You didn't have to use coercion or undue influence, things were fair. It all happened as a matter of course... it wasn't a case of 'who you know' as it is here in Auckland.

In fact the Australian Defence force were in the process of getting rid of all their 1970/80's homes and building brand new homes all four bedrooms, or more, with attached double garages.

.............................

Do you know what?

I honestly believe that someone else is going to die. I really think that our partners are so overworked, under-appreciated, and stressed because of their working and living conditions that at some point probably not too far in the future someone will die.

It has happened before and it seems to me none of the lessons have been learned. In that case; the airforce lost one of it's best men, his people lost a leader and a friend, a family lost a son and brother, a wife lost a husband, and the children lost a father. The consequences of that loss are still keenly felt now 6+ years down the track.

There was a near miss just a few weeks ago and the blame will come down on an overworked CPL. But it's not that Corporal's fault it's the fault of the whole system that has that person working in an undermanned area with no end in sight. It's possible to stop this situation but the chain of command just passes the buck up and up until the impact is lost. Until those whose lives are at risks become service numbers and job slots on a computer page, not someone's husband, son, father or friend.

I have been able to see the problems for year's. We joke that it is just the 'Defence Force way' the worst or slowest way possible... but the joke is not funny anymore. We're tired and sick and we've had enough, our family is looking at joining the push to Australia and I'm sure we're not alone. The Airforce, at least, is already at crisis point, where does it go from here?

As always it comes down to two things; money and courage. The courage for those that have voices to stand up and say enough is enough you need to do something and you have to do it NOW! Because if you don't;

• we won't patrol your waters.
• we won't send our men and women to help those in need overseas.
  
• we won't help you with New Zealand's profile with overseas governments.
• we won't save your butt in Australia Ms Clarke.
• we won't be available for search and rescue.
• the scientists will have to stay on the ice.
• we won't send our men and women to help in a civil emergency.
• we won't send our men and women to fill in when the prison officers strike.
  
• and we won't be on 24hr stand-by to defend New Zealand.

We just won't do it. We refuse. Because if it gets any worse we won't be able to... it won't be a choice anymore there simply won't be anyone here to get the planes in the air. They will have taken their families to a place where their health is not at risk, to a place where their safety and security is not threatened, to a place where their lives are not at risk. To a place where they feel valued and appreciated by actions not mere words.

The money of course needs to come from the government. It needs to be a government that says we have respect for these people, for our citizens and their families. A government sitting on a big fat surplus for years. You know I and many other New Zealanders would happily forgo tax cuts if only you would spend some money where it's needed. On our children in their schools, on the poorest of families living in state owned homes. And on the bravest of men and woman who are working hard so that they can be ready and waiting to defend our country in a myriad of ways. Ways that half of our population have no idea about, because our Government has no pride to boast of the goodness of these people and the job they do.

What is it they say on the advertisements?

Step Up!

Well I wonder why anyone would if you won't.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Stockley