Two a penny

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It’s what neighbours do, says fire rescuer

– Wellington Tuesday, 06 January 2009

/The
BRAVE BID: Ben Tionisio, 18, cut his fist smashing a glass pane to save his neighbours’ dog from the burning house.

A youth smashed a door window with his fist to break into a burning home to save his neighbours' dog.
"It's just what neighbours do, eh," said Ben Tionisio, 18, nursing a bleeding hand suffered when he smashed the window to help retrieve the dog about 1.
And another neighbour braved the smoke, exploding upstairs windows and rising heat to check the Palmerston North family were not home and to search for the dog.
The Lyndhurst St house was a writeoff but the animals two cats and a dog survived.15pm yesterday.
Mr Tionisio, a labourer, was at home in front of the television enjoying his holidays when he heard his mother yell that the house across the road was on fire. The owners had insurance. "I heard the dog barking and just smashed the window, I punched it.
"There was smoke coming out the window and some chicks were yelling there was a dog inside," he said.
The neighbours retreated once they realised no one was home and when they could not see or hear the animals." Max, the two-year-old dog, got spooked and darted away.
Both Mr Tionisio and the second neighbour, Phil, who ran upstairs to check if anyone was trapped, shrugged at the danger of going to save neighbours whose names they did not even know. ..
"You do it for your neighbours . It's just what neighbours do.."
Glenn Richards, who lived at the house with his partner and parents, was counting the cost yesterday, after losing all his possessions. Just glad no one was hurt, and the dog is okay."
Fire chief Roger Calder said 16 firefighters took 30 minutes to control the fire, which began in the second storey and was not suspicious.
He had received a phone call saying; "Come home, your house is on fire.

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Nia might have survived, doc tells court

‘If she was seen within the first few hours .. she would have lived’

By Wednesday, 05 November 2008

NIA GLASSIE: Died in hospital with head and body injuries..
He said because Nia was not seen by doctors till almost two days after she first suffered the head injury, doctors "missed the boat".

Witness: Nia ‘slept three days’ before going to hospital

My head’s sore, Nia told relative

‘Best guess’ Nia in dryer for 20 mins, says witness

‘She was ugly and didn’t listen’ – Nia’s mum

Nia died from brain bleed, trial told

Force killed Nia, says pathologist

Nia’s aunt to accused: Did you do it?

Nia Glassie might have survived if she had been admitted to hospital sooner, Auckland Starship Hospital paediatrician Patrick Kelly has told a court today.
Under questioning from prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch, Mr Kelly said Nia had been in a coma for 36 hours when she was admitted to Rotorua Hospital on Sunday morning, July 22, last year.
Mr Kelly has been giving evidence in the High Court at Rotorua this morning.
Mr Kelly said brain swelling, caused by bleeding, had fluctuated during the previous two days and Nia had gone into a coma on the Friday evening, July 20.
She was transferred to Starship Hospital that afternoon.
Most of the brain damage had already occurred and the pressure inside the brain had reduced, he said.
When he saw Nia on Sunday afternoon she was over the “over the worst,” he said.
“If she was seen within the first few hours it was most likely she would have lived.
There was no guarantee she would have lived if treated earlier but she had survived 36 hours before being examined and was passed the worst, he said.
"If the injury came from the clothesline fall, she would have suffered concussion within an hour.”
Mr Kelly believed Nia’s brain injury most likely occurred on Friday, though not from falling off the clothesline two days before on July 18.
Mr Kelly said he was told by Nia’s mother, co-accused Lisa Kuka, that Nia had acted normally till early Friday evening."
Nia displayed no symptoms of concussion between Wednesday and Friday evening, the court heard.
Nia slipped into a coma and did not wake again. .
Cross examination of Mr Kelly’s evidence continues this afternoon.
The Crown allege Nia was kicked in the head that Friday evening sometime between 7pm to 8pm,by co-accused Michael and Wiremu Curtis.

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Bill to quit mortgage appealed

By CHARLIE GATES – Tuesday, 28 October 2008

A Christchurch family is appealing against a $15,000 bank charge for ending a five-year fixed-rate mortgage after eight months.
David and Catherine Johnson and their four children moved into a Cashmere house in February on a $270,000 mortgage fixed at 8. They have sold the house to move to Australia, but ending the mortgage early means they face a $15,000 charge.99 per cent interest for five years.
He said there should be a charge for ending the mortgage early, but $15,000 was unreasonable.
David Johnson has appealed to the Office of the Banking Ombudsman and complained to Westpac's Christchurch staff. The main concern is the severity of the repayment.
"We knew there was a penalty involved in a fixed rate.
He also said the potential charges should be set out more clearly by banks. It is just a ridiculous figure," he said. There is a complex formula that all banks use and you just can't follow it.
"It is just not transparent enough."
A Westpac spokesman said bank charges for the early termination of fixed-rate mortgages were higher as a result of the global financial meltdown and credit crunch. We want the bank to be reasonable and negotiate with us.
"It is obviously a tricky time .
"When we set the mortgage we secure the funding in the wholesale market and so the amount is based on the cost of us returning the money at current rates on the wholesale market," he said… This is obviously an example of where it has not been in their favour to break it. It is not something we would enjoy imposing, but it is the nature of the fixed-term agreement that there are costs.
The Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate by 100 basis points on Thursday, from 7. .5 to 6.