Do you know anyone called PURDY?
I received a message from a friend in the UK, i have slightly edited it but the gist is as follows:
Sgt Raymond Purdy was in the Metropolitan Police, he was shot and killed in the line of duty chasing a suspect on 12th July 1959. The suspect was captured by police, and was the last man to be hanged for killing a police officer.
A friend of a colleague, knowing the area where Sgt Purdy was killed went to look for the Police Memorial TRust plaque. However there wasn’t one!!! Contacting the Police Memorial Trust they were surprised to find the dedication of Sgt. Purdy hadn’t been remembered and recognised and are acting to recognise his loss with a memorial plaque; the plaque is almost complete.
It transpires that Sgt. Purdy’s wife and children moved to New Zealand and now we are trying to locate existing relatives so that they can be contacted about a memorial to Sgt Purdy.
The Police Memorial Trust in UK would love to speak with them.. The Trust can be contacted at www.ukpolicememorial.org...
Can I ask NZ residents to please help us find Sgt. Purdys family, please pass this message on to your friends and relatives so we get nationwide coverage and the best chance of finding this family.
Many Thanks
Jim Cassels
Rangiora
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
-
36.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
-
63.8% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Loading…
