LIONS ROAR LOUDEST
What more glorious tribute can I bestow on the Wellington Lions provincial rugby team other than mention it here.
As a past executive member of the Wellington Lions Supporters Club, I am in raptures right now except for one biggly niggle.
So we not only won the Ranfurly Shield off Hawkes Bay, but will hold onto it for at least the next 10 months, but we also won the national provincial championship for the first time in 22 years and in appearing within that time in 8 finals.
Taking the Shield from HB was very pleasing as I did travel to Napier one year for a Shield clash only for the Lions to be denied victory in the very last moment by a drop goal from way out.
And beating Canterbury on their home turf in the NPC final by outfoxing them and outperforming their tough forward pack, was a joy to behold.
Here is the niggly bit. WE got a measley three players out of our top 15 Lions side in the AB Fifteen to play two matches in the Northern hemisphere when we should have had up to 12 in this 28-player strong squad.
Our players were hard done by which is another gripe I have against the ABs head coach who had a big say in the team's composition. Don't forget Wellington had a record or near record unbroken run of wins including pulverising Waikato and Auckland in the competition's knock out phases.
Just a thought to finish off, the head coaching job for the Lions has become vacant for the 2023 season. Will Tana Umaga be a contender?
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️