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Saturday 2 May 2015

Saving Our Harbour The Senior Way



We went on the Save Our Harbour demo today, arriving at the meeting point opposite Countdown on Quay Street very promptly, just a few minutes before eleven.   Initially we were disappointed by what appeared to be the mediocre turn out.   The husband pointed out that he was not surprised as there had been no real advertising – nothing in today’s Herald he said rather smugly (he’s not a natural protester at the best of times).
`That’s because there was not much time to organize it,’ I told him, `The Council vote was a mere  forty eight hours ago – and probably no money for advertising either.’   
Feeling righteous I donated ten dollars to one of the women with armfuls of stickers for windows and windscreens.  
By five past eleven the crowd was thickening fast with would-be insurgents pouring in from every direction, some with the aid of walking devices for the elderly because it soon became obvious that this was not your average demo.   
`I’ve never been on one of these protests before,’ the woman on my right said anxiously, `I hope there won’t be any violence.’
She was immediately reassured by a bearded marcher waving a walking stick, `You’ll be right as rain love – I was at Aldermaston in nineteen fifty eight;  different atmosphere entirely!’
Having been on one of the Aldermaston marches myself I kept very quiet even when the husband dug me in the ribs querying, `Did he say Aldermaston?’
We were suddenly thousands but evenso we marched at a leisurely pace along Quay Street, past the ferry building and on towards the open space adjacent to the Events Centre.   We walked quietly for the most part, chatting pleasantly one to another.  It was clear this lot of rebel rousers needed some fast training in drawing attention to their cause.   The march Chant Leader, at the head of the throng did his best to incite a more mutinous mood but he was having a hard time.    Anarchy clearly does not come easily to the over sixties.  
Christine Fletcher was the best speaker – for one thing she explained succinctly exactly how last Thursday’s `compromise’ had come about.  It appears that voting on contentious items can be left to the end of the day when a number of people have already gone home and Bob’s your uncle as my old Nan would have said.
What was very clear was just how much Aucklanders loathe and detest Len Brown.  The moment his name was mentioned a most anarchic rumble of active hostility emerged from the throats of the demonstrators.  The Chant Leader at once stopped looking depressed and leapt to his feet.
`Who’s got the power?’  he roared joyfully.
`WE HAVE!’   we  bellowed in unison.

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