Many of our projects this year have been associated with the Naseby's forthcoming 150th jubilee. While Stew Francis and the 150th committee has been focused on ensuring that the celebrations are entertaining and memorable events, your committee's efforts have been on the publication of a defmitive history of the town and district, the release of a new brochure promoting a walking trail around Naseby and the installation of interpretation panels at key sites to compliment the walking trail; fund raising and planning for the street lighting project.
Committee member Phil Ballard has done a great job co-ordinating the historic street lamp project, which will shortly see 12 replicas of Naseby's original streetlights produced and installed within the historic precinct, thanks to the generosity of a number of Naseby families. The Council and Otago Power have been very supportive of the project and thanks to their generosity the streetlights will be powered and serviced in conjunction with the operation of the existing streetlight grid.There are plans to fmd further sponsors and to install further lights in the future.
The publication of the 150th book has been our most ambitious fund raising effort. In order to fund the book we have had to raise almost $40,000 from trust funds and individuals. I'd like to acknowledge Hilary's remarkable and highly persuasive letter-writing talents, which helped to secure the vast majority of the book's funding.
The result is, that by the time the book is launched in late November, the net proceeds from its sale should start to become available to help support the Maniototo Early Settlers Association. The organisation does a great job maintaining and enhancing our museums, but struggles financially. It's our hope that sales of the book will provide a small but enduring legacy for the Association.
The most significant contributor to the book has been Doctor George Mason of New Plymouth, an eminent plant scientist whose ancestors were residents ofNaseby during the gold mining era. George and his family value their ties with the town and his contribution of$10,000 provided the seed money for the book. Our other valued contributors are the Otago Community Trust, Southern Victorian Trust, NZ Lotteries Heritage Fund, AH and I Reed Trust, Naseby Athenaeum, Maniototo Community Trust and Naseby Vision has also contributed funding to the project.
Early this year, thanks to support from WINZ and the Otago Community Trust, we were able to secure a three month contract to employ Dave Carraher to research and develop the Naseby Historic Walking Trail, which will take visitors around many of the historic sites in Naseby. Dave, with great help from committee members Marilyn and Eric Swinboum, together with Hazel Harrison and a number of other local people has done a great job in preparing the soon to be released brochure and the interpretation panels. The panels will be installed in Leven, Derwent and Avoca Streets before the 150th celebrations begin in January.
I would like to acknowledge the respective contributions of the Community Board and Project Maniototo and Amie Pont towards to cost of the design and installation of the interpretation panels and the design and printing of the brochure.
Naseby Vision and many of its members still harbour concerns about the quality of our water supply, particularly in times of heavy rain when the supply discolours badly. We have been continuing our discussions with the CODC and the Community Board on this issue to try and fmd a permanent solution to the problem. We met with the Council's CEO, Water Manager and with Councillor and CB Chairman Barry Becker earlier this year to discuss the issue and the introduction of metering. Stew Francis is now working closely with the Council as NV's water project liaison person.
The Council has recently taken steps to try and improve the system, but the long-term solution is costly and will inevitably cast a heavy fmancial burden on Naseby ratepayers. That is, unless there is a dramatic shift away from the current system of communities funding their own water supply to a system of rating harmonisation, where, these costs are spread right across the district. This means that all District ratepayers would pay the same uniform water charges in the same manner that other services are currently evenly spread.It is the only fair and equitable solution and would move away from the current regime that particularly penalises the residents and businesses of small towns in the District like Naseby. We are aware that some councillors and staff share our views. We have already made our views known during the District Plan submission process and will continue to promote this change at every opportunity.
This year Naseby Vision, together with the Naseby Crafts and Information Centre both received commendations at the Trust Power Central Otago Community Awards . We were deliglited to receive this acknowledgment from the community and were also pleased to be able to donate the Trust Power prize voucher to the Naseby Athenaeum as a token of our thanks for their support in providing an office for Dave Carraher while he worked on the trails project.
One of our other major achievements this year has been the formation of Naseby Vision's Business Group, which has been co-ordinated with good success by Grant Bean. Its' probably the first time that Naseby businesses have met to discuss the issues that effect them and to also have collaborated on the resolution of a number of issues such as a co-ordinated transport service from the Rail Trail to Naseby, promotional initiatives for Naseby and a range of other initiatives such as ensuring that visitors will always find at least one of the hotels or cafes open to provide them with meals.
There is still room for much more co-operative effort across all business sectors and we would like to see broader involvement in the business group. A more collaborative approach by local businesses is guaranteed to ensure better levels of service for residents and visitors and improved profitability for our local businesses. I'd like to thank the small but dedicated group that is determined to drive this initiative.
However, when it comes to promoting our town it seems nothing has changed over the past 100 years. The town's forefathers back in 1912 were trying to achieve what we still haven't fully accomplished. I'd like to read you a letter that was published originally in the ODT on 12 October 1912..
The subjoined
letter is an excerpt of a communication forwarded to the Minister In Charge of
the Tourist Department, the Hon. AL Herdman (formerly a resident of Naseby), Mr
R Scott, MP for the district, several other members of Parliament, and also to other
public bodies.
Sir, We have the
honour to address you on behalf of the Naseby Winter Sports Association, formed
recently as the outcome of a public meeting held in Naseby. The objects of the Association are, among
other things, to bring before the public and tourists the special advantages of
Naseby and its locality, both as a summer and a winter resort.
The town, some 90
miles inland from Dunedin, is reached by the Otago Central line to Ranfurly,
thence by an excellent coach road for nine miles. The town is well sheltered by the foothills
at the base of the Mt Ida Range. Its’
elevation of some 2000 ft above sea level, and its’ distance from the sea gives
it a continental climate. There are, besides boarding houses, four hotels in
the town which can provide ample accommodation for a large number of visitors
at a reasonable tariff.
As a summer resort,
the town possesses a bowling green, tennis court, croquet green, cricket
grounds etc, whilst trout fishing and shooting may be had in the immediate vicinity. From October to the end of May the weather is
second to none in the dominion, rain being the exception rather than the rule,
the entire absence of humidity in the atmosphere making the otherwise high
temperature a pleasant heat. The main
route for motorists from Dunedin is through Palmerston South (36 miles), thence
by Main road through Waihemo to Naseby (53 miles), and is frequently covered in
4 ½ hours. Naseby is on the direct route
from the coast to Wanaka and the Lakes district.
As a winter resort, our association submits that the town offers advantages unrivalled in the colonies. From the end of June until the middle of August, from 4in to 12in of ice is available almost without intermission on shallow dams specially constructed for curling, and is also available to a lesser degree on the deeper dams.
As a winter resort, our association submits that the town offers advantages unrivalled in the colonies. From the end of June until the middle of August, from 4in to 12in of ice is available almost without intermission on shallow dams specially constructed for curling, and is also available to a lesser degree on the deeper dams.
One of the objects
of the association is to foster winter sports in the form of curling, skating,
tobogganing, skiing etc, and the association is convinced that, if a larger
area of shallow water were available so that the sports of curling and skating
could be indulged in with perfect safety, a novel, healthy, and exhilarating
pastime could be afforded visitors to the town.
We would suggest
that the above particulars might be communicated to the general public and that
your department should place Naseby on its’ recognised list of tourist resorts
for the dominion. ODT, 12.10.1912
We have such a great environment and local resources which can be exploitedwhilst still ensuring that the things we love so much about Naseby can remain largely undi sturbed The Rail Trail and the International Curling Centre now attract thousands of visitors a year and while the impact on the town is minimal, the economic impact is an important life-line for local businesses. These two attractions help to ensure the sustainability of our local businesses and the ongoing provision of the services that we currently enjoy.Shortly you'll be hearing about a great new initiative which is planned for the town and which in my view, and that of our committee, is deserving of strong support from both townsfolk and holiday home owners alike. It is initiatives such as this that will help to ensure that 100 years from now a chairperson addressing a similar meeting as this, in a Naseby that has an even smaller permanent population and few if any remaining services, will not be lamenting that fact that another 100 years has gone by and that little has changed!!
I'd also like to acknowledge the excellent contribution of John Steele who stood down from the committee during the past 12 months due to ill health and also acknowledge the great work that Kath Thomas as done as a committee member over the past few years.
Because of other commitments Kath has reluctantly decided to stand down from the committee, but she will continue to look after the cemetery project on our behalf. We will be very sorry to lose Kath's services and I would like to express the committee's thanks for her great contribution.
We value both your ongoing support and input. In the year ahead we will continue to do our best on your behalf. However, if we are to achieve the best for Naseby we need to regularly hear your thoughts and ideas, so please take every opportunity to raise your concerns and suggestions with the committee, as often as possible.
John Crawford
Chairman
22 October 2012
