Visiting mayor is rushed to hospital

Margaret Tolerton Photo/File

A flying visit to Wanganui has turned into an unexpected lay-over for a Northern Ireland mayor.

Margaret Tolerton mayor of Lisburn, was among a party visiting Wanganui last week to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of a declaration of friendship between the cities.

The party was due to fly home on Saturday, but Mrs Tolerton underwent emergency surgery at Wanganui Hospital on Friday night and is expected to remain for about a fortnight.

Yesterday, the hospital reported her condition as stable.

The Chronicle understands a family member is flying out from Northern Ireland to be with her while she recuperates.

Wanganui Mayor Annette Main said she had already had an offer to provide accommodation for Mrs Tolerton while she recovers, and Wanganui District Council would also assist if it was needed.

Mrs Tolerton's emergency operation has created another drama on the other side of the world, because she is at the end of her one-year term as Lisburn mayor and was due to hand over the mayoral chain tomorrow.

To make sure the chains of office are on hand for those formalities, a member of her party flew back on Saturday with the chain.

Mrs Tolerton was accompanied by Lisburn city councillor Pat Catney and the council acting chief executive Adrian Donaldson.

They arrived in Wanganui last Tuesday and took part in puanga/matariki celebrations at Putiki, were hosted at a mayoral dinner and visited the Waiouru Army museum.

On Friday, the visitors met the Whanganui Employers Chamber of Commerce and also laid wreaths at the memorial on the Veterans' Steps in Queen's Park. Wanganui and Lisburn have had a connection since 1994, when both cities signed the friendship declaration to recognise the historic link with former New Zealand premier John Ballance, a long-time Wanganui citizen, whose birthplace was Glenavy, near Lisburn.

Last week, Mrs Tolerton said although the treaty of friendship was signed, "it's been sitting dormant".

She said her city council was the second-biggest in Northern Ireland and had developed trade links around the world, and there was nothing to stop similar links with Wanganui being developed.