Hope

On the other side of the Southern Alps on the West Coast, 29 miners remain trapped in the Pike River Coal Mine. An explosion occurred near the entrance on Friday afternoon. The mine is too dangerous to enter and fate of the trapped men remains unknown; sons, brothers, husbands, partners and dads.

The small communities on the West Coast wait and hope as we all do. Everyone will know someone trapped down there. Many of us have friends or family on the west coast, or have visited 'the coast' and know its history and the importance of coal mining. Even with modern technologies and safety equipment it remains a dangerous industry.

Of course none of this equals the reality the miners families live with. As time goes by it's hard to imagine a positive outcome but until anyone knows otherwise, it is important to hold onto hope.

So we watch, wait, hope and pray.