Plans for a Remembrance Park make-over

BEFORE. . . Kaitaia's Remembrance Park, now subject to plans for a make-over.

Te Hiku Community Board unveiled plans for a make-over of Kaitaia's Remembrance Park, home of the town's war memorial, last week, and will now display the two options currently on the table for public feedback.

The plans will go on display at Te Ahu, along with an appeal for ideas regarding a possible replacement of Kaitaia's town clock.

The concept plans for Remembrance Park included, in one proposal, a small water feature (although some saw a significant public liability risk with that, and Kaitaia Rotarian Drago Yelavich noted that existing water features in Kaitaia had not been well maintained over the years, a reference to the Rotary water wheel outside Te Ahu), and the development of a small area between the existing park and the public toilets as an area where people might congregate and perhaps be entertained.

Whatever was done, the Far North District Council was planning to install a drinking fountain, facilities team leader Mike Colebrook said.

Both proposals would retain the war memorial, while making the area more attractive to residents and visitors, although one local man, Peter Furze, suggested moving the memorial to make the usable space bigger.

The memorial, which is to be refurbished in preparation for the centennial of its erection in 2016, had already been moved before, he said - until relatively recently it was in the park adjacent to the town's public swimming pool - although community board chairman Lawrie Atkinson doubted that the budget would stretch that far.

There had been no discussion about including a children's playground, he added, although last week's public meeting showed some support for that.

Space AgeThe other agenda item that was of particular interest was the town clock, Mr Furze asking if there was any historical or sentimental attachment to the structure itself. The answer to that appeared to be in the affirmative.

Ken Hollay said the clock had been erected at a time when firing rockets in the stratosphere was of huge public interest, suggesting that had some bearing on the design. Mr Yelavich also defended it, saying that talk of getting rid of it was disrespectful to those who had put some much effort into it.

"I know we have to move with the times, but we shouldn't discard history," he said.

He believed the clock should stay, albeit possibly incorporating a tide clock, as suggested by the Kaitaia Lions Club.

Mr Yelavich added that previous district councils had some responsibility for the clock's current state of disrepair, adding that he was sure the Far North Dalmatian Club would be amenable to providing a power supply from its clubrooms directly across Redan Road.

Fellow Rotarian Percy Erceg was also anxious to retain the clock.

"Rotary would be very disappointed to lose it," he said.

"I for one would hate to see it taken away."

Meanwhile Lions Club president Paul Muller suggested staging a competition to find a new concept, but whatever was chosen would have to be big, bold and unique.

The Kaitaia Rotary Club had installed the clock 50 years ago, he added, and it was time to move on.

Community board member David Senior said the clock's site was also an issue. The district council had other properties that might provide a home for it, but Faye Irwin-Erceg argued that the corner of Commerce Street and Redan Road had been a focal point for the town for more than 60 years, while the clock itself had great sentimental value.