Lockdown returned to Whanganui in August. Photo / Bevan Conley
Lockdown returned to Whanganui in August. Photo / Bevan Conley
As 2021 draws to a close, we look back at some of the news highlights of what has been another year like no other.
August 3
Whanganui officially connected to 5G at the start of August, becoming the seventh city in the country to join with the Vodafone network.
Thenetwork has a faster connection and increased capacity compared with the previous 4G, although only a select few mobile phones can use the technology currently, including the latest iPhone and Samsung devices released within the last 12 months.
New Zealand was the 22nd country in the world to get 5G.
Around 200 anti-apartheid protesters gathered to demand the halt of the tour, and 800 uniformed officers were stationed in the city in case of protests erupting.
JB Phillips, then working as sports editor at the Whanganui Chronicle, recalled public opinion in Whanganui being broadly supportive of the tour going ahead.
"There was division, but I think overall the majority supported it. There was more support in the provinces like Whanganui than the cities.
"I had a good seat in the stand with the other members of the press. I remember looking out and seeing a busload of protesters arrive from Palmerston North, mainly varsity students.
"After all the hurly-burly issues up Waikato, there were no real hassles at all."
There had been clashes at a previous fixture in Hamilton and the game was called off.
August 9
What the Victoria Ave revamp may have looked like. Photo / Supplied
The controversial Victoria Ave revamp was canned just days before construction was due to begin.
It involved installing a number of outdoor seating areas, or parklets, in place of 10 parking spaces, alongside painted street art inspired by local iwi.
Businesses in the affected area had complained about a lack of consultation, with Jolt Cafe owner Mark Dyhrberg writing a letter to the Whanganui District Council on behalf of 10 signatories.
Despite a week of negotiations with the businesses and the suggestion of an alternative parking area on unused land at 1 Victoria Ave, the stalemate couldn't be broken.
August 17
Community leaders in Whanganui voiced their support of the country's move into a Covid-19 lockdown.
For Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall, there could be no "half measures" when it came to protecting the community.
"People forget, the virus doesn't travel on its own, it travels because of people. The shorter and harder the lockdown now, the safer we will be in the future," McDouall said.
"When you don't know how far an easily transmitted variant has travelled, then this is what needs to be done."
Going into the lockdown "with eyes wide open" would be an advantage, Ngāti Rangi operations manager Elijah Pue said.
"We are also going in with some lived experience, which is unique. Last time we were making it up as we went along.
"Delta has changed things a lot though, we can't just go back to exactly what we did last year."
Ailsa Stewart passed away on August 25 at the age of 77. Photo / NZME
August 25
Whanganui mourned the loss of one of its most beloved citizens in August, when former nurse, Whanganui DHB board member and Whanganui district councillor Ailsa Stewart died at the age of 77.
As well as her extensive work in Whanganui, Stewart's 55-year nursing career took her to Tonga, the Solomon Islands, and Scotland.
She received the Women's Suffrage Medal in 1993 for 30 years of service to women and children, and the Queen's Service Order in 2006 for valuable voluntary service to the community.
"She was involved with so many things over the years, and at one point I was even helping her with a sweet stall up at the Opera House," long-time friend Margaret Campion said.
Campion said Stewart kept up with all her work, "right until the bitter end".
"She was one of those people who just knew everybody, and if she didn't, she knew how to find people.
"I'm going to miss her hugely. She'll leave a big gap."
August 31
A support hub for Whanganui people without secure housing during lockdown was established at the Anzac Parade freedom camping site in Whanganui East.
Koha Shed manager Sherron Sunnex said a horse float was towed to the site to serve as a place where people could charge phones and receive support from visiting support agencies and health workers, and people staying at the site were able to access showers at the Civil Defence Centre at Whanganui Girls' College.
Whanganui People's Centre manager Sharon Semple said while she had worked with Ministry of Social Development (MSD) staff to find temporary accommodation for clients, there simply wasn't enough available.
"Last year we were able to find places during level 4 but it just isn't there this time," Semple said.
