Land work near bay baches has finished

Press, 28 March 1983, Page 9

Land work near bay baches has finished

Land-clearance work which apparently sent a dislodged boulder crashing through a Governors Bay bach has ended.

The Zephyr Terrace bach of a Christchurch couple, Mr Bruce Hille and Mrs Evelyn Hille, was virtually wrecked more than a week ago by the boulder which weighed several tonnes. It rolled down the hill apparently while a bulldozer was clearing gorse on the farm above their property. Only a bedroon was left intact as the boulder’s path took it diagonally through the bach to crash to a halt against a porch wall. The farm owner, Mr S. J. Hay, said that he had to clear noxious weeds from his property or face a Crown prosecution. It had taken three years but the job was now done.

“There will be no more machine work done there by me,” he said last even-

ing. Clearance work had been done according to advice from the North Canterbury Catchment Board. During that time there had been only one similar mishap when a small boulder damaged a neighbouring house.

“But boulders can come down off that rock face at any time, and they do periodically. It is called an act of God,” Mr Hay said.

The Hilles are philosophical about the bach, which they said was a “gift of God.” The couple bought it about 18 months ago for their family and friends to use. They are both members of the Opawa Methodist Church.

Damage would probably be covered by Mr Hay’s insurance company but some things could not be replaced, such as a destroyed table which had belonged to Mr Hille’s great-

grandfather. The Mount Herbert County Clerk, Mr D. A. Hillier, said the council had no jurisdiction in the matter. Another Zephyr Terrace resident had telephoned the council last week about the danger of falling boulders and he had told her to approach the farmer concerned through her solicitor. “Once it gets on to private property it is really out of our hands,” he said.

The Rev. R. H. Tripp, of North New Brighton, said he was worried that clearance work could affect a house that he had bought recently just below the Hilles’ property. The dislodged boulder was a “fluke accident” but his house was “in the line of fire" if work caused any slips or mudslides. A large slip came down several years ago and he wanted steps taken to prevent such problems.