Editors letter

Hello and welcome

Another year almost at an end and another Christmas to enjoy but also to reflect upon. 2005 will be remembered for many things but probably most for the number of world disasters - the latest being the Pakistan earthquake, which is now emerging as one of the worst disasters in many years with more people expected to die over the coming weeks and months due to the weather conditions and the difficult terrain which is hampering relief. As always, ESB staff, as well as the Irish people in general, have responded generously and our ESBI national colleagues in Pakistan are very thankful for the assistance we have given. It was heartening to see the response to ElectricAid's recent Pakistani campaign and indeed the increased numbers of staff, both retired and current, who signed up for membership.

In ESB too it has been a year of reflection as we went down memory lane with our colleagues over the years to celebrate the closure of our peat stations at Bellacorick, Lanesboro and Shannonbridge. These were nights of nostalgia and slight sadness but still an appreciation of how relationships have been fostered and nurtured over the years in that special way that is a trait of ESB. There were new relationships formed in locations such as Northern Ireland and Spain where we met new friends as plants were opened during the year. It made me realise how our lives have been enriched by the many friends we have met along the way and how these friendships have stood the test of time and distance. This is a spin-off of working in ESB that sometimes we forget or take for granted.

EM too has seen new changes of late and we hope you enjoy the new and interesting topics we will bring you. As always, please continue to send us anything you feel would interest our readers.

Thank you for your continued support and I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.