Latest news with #JohnPaterson
The Herald
07-05-2025
- General
- The Herald
The man who started it all
And just three years later he was still teaching when he and friend John Philip set the wheels in motion in a joint newspaper venture, with Paterson as publisher and Philip as printer. It would be almost 100 years though ( 92 years to be exact) before The Herald started publishing news on its front page. 'On behalf of John Paterson's descendants I would like to congratulate the Eastern Province Herald newspaper on its 180th birthday,' his great-great grandson Gordon Paterson, who lives in New Zealand, said on the occasion of the newspaper's 180th anniversary. He said Paterson and Philip had established the newspaper on May 7 1845 to contribute to the development of the fledgling city. 'Paterson, having the heart of an educator, knew the newspaper was a medium through which city service entities and infrastructure could be promoted and established. 'Productive citizenship and service to the community could be encouraged, as could entrepreneurship and enterprise which would develop the economic welfare and standard of living within the city.' Paterson said the book, One Titan at a Time (published in 1960), which documents the life and times of John Paterson, was a source of pride for the Paterson family and a 'challenge for us all to live productive lives as our forefather did'. He said: 'Speaking on the occasion of the 150th birthday of this remarkable newspaper, president Nelson Mandela stated: ' The moral of its story is that The Herald was founded on the rock of civic duty by a citizen, as committed to imparting academic knowledge to pupils as he was to uniting a community to take responsibility for its wellbeing. 'In that sense, John Paterson was a trailblazer whose message is as relevant today as it was one-and-half centuries ago ... Indeed, 150 years ago, Paterson could have chosen to focus on the wealthy among the new settlers, who lived in comfort amid the chaos in the settlement which he so vividly described. 'But he was concerned with the interests of that community as a whole'.' Paterson said this reinforced the notion that his great-great grandfather was a visionary who saw the broader picture of The Herald's mission. 'We wish The Herald family all the very best for its continued contribution to Gqeberha as the city charts its course during challenging times. 'Ultimately the city's success will be dependent upon the 'civic duty' of all its citizens as was the case back in 1845. 'May The Herald continue to inform and unite its citizens, thus continuing its contribution to a city which provides a future of peace and prosperity for all,' he said. John Paterson also founded Grey High School in 1856 — in his own words 'to be a fortune to one and all of the succeeding generations of youth in Port Elizabeth' — and six years later, started one of SA's most prominent and largest financial institutions, Standard Bank. Gordon Paterson has often spoken with great pride of his great-great grandfather's legacy.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Two women locked in cell with up to 20 people in ‘disgusting' NT watch house
Two Aboriginal women say they have been locked in a hot, poorly ventilated cell with up to 20 people and a single tap above a toilet for drinking water in 'disgusting' conditions within the Alice Springs watch house. Police watch houses across the Northern Territory have been repurposed as long-term prison cells as record imprisonment numbers push the system to breaking point. The women's affidavits, submitted to the Alice Springs local court last month, describe their cells as 'hot, stressful and smelly' with no fresh air and inadequate space for each person to have a mattress. They said they showered every second day, sometimes walking past the men's cells to do so. 'The cell really stinks and is disgusting. You can not get away from the smell,' said Deanna, 30. 'I have not been given bottled water and have to drink the water from above the toilet. The water is warm or hot … There are arguments every day between the women.' The 'inhumane' conditions inside the watch house are a violation of human rights, alleged Dr John Paterson, the convener of Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (Apo nt), an alliance of bodies representing Aboriginal people. 'No one deserves to be deprived of basic healthcare or denied access to clean drinking water,' he said. 'It is unacceptable, discriminatory and harmful, and has no place in the Territory or in Australia. 'Regardless of your political views on justice, we must all draw the line at allowing this degradation of humanity, of health and of culture, to exist within our community.' Simone, 35, said she had been held in the watch house for more than eight weeks, except for six days spent in hospital because she had back pain and 'doctors were worried about my kidneys'. After returning to the watch house, she said her lawyer later found some medication with her property that she had not been receiving. She said doctors also told her to use her puffer. 'When using my puffer I am meant to rinse my mouth after every use,' she said. 'I am sometimes not able to do this, as the only source of water provided is a bubbler on top of the toilet and these are shared by up to 20 people between the three cell areas shared by all the women. 'This is disgusting and the sink is often filled with sick and other peoples [sic] saliva. The toilets are blocked and stink.' Apo nt has called for an urgent meeting with the NT government. The NT Corrections minister, Gerard Maley, has been contacted for comment. Last month there were 2,613 people locked up in the NT – more than 1% of the territory's population of 255,100, according to the Department of Corrections. The NT Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has previously said the figures showed her government's tough on crime approach was working, but has conceded the rising prisoner numbers were pushing the correctional system to 'breaking point'. Work is under way to add up to 1,000 beds to the NT prison system by 2028.
