Friday, Jan 3, 2020 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.40 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY Methven reinsman Ricky May has been airlifted to hospital after collapsing while driving at Omakau races. 140 YEARS No vacancy May airlifted at camp sites P2 to hospital NZME lised by the local ambulance crews be- big part of Ricky’s life”. fore being flown to Dunedin hospital. “Ricky May commenced as a jun- One of New Zealand’s leading harness He was diagnosed as being in a crit- ior driver in the 1976/77 season with racing drivers, Methven’s Ricky May, ical condition and it was deemed too his first win coming on Ruling River has been rushed to Dunedin Hospital dangerous to airlift him immediately. (trained by father Terry) at Orari in No- after a shocking mid-race incident at The racing stewards who run the race vember 1976. Omakau yesterday. meeting confirmed May had suffered a “He had reasonable early success May collapsed in the sulky when driv- cardiac arrest and the remainder of the culminating in finishing fourth (14 win- ing favourite A G’s White Socks in front meeting was called off. ning drives) to Tony Herlihy in his final in the day’s feature race the Central Ota- May has reined nearly 3000 race win- season as a junior driver in the 1980/81 go Cup. ners in New Zealand, making him the season. May fell backwards seemingly un- third most successful driver in the in- “Ricky May is known for his coolness conscious in the sulky while the horse dustry’s history and has won our great- under pressure often producing a gem continued on and then fell to the track, est race, the New Zealand Trotting Cup of a drive to obtain victory.” all live in front of the big crowd and tel- seven times. His vast achievements include multi- evised around Australasia. The Omakau meeting is the small ple New Zealand Cups, Drivers Premier- The race was quickly called off and club’s only race meeting held on this ship, recording more than $2 million in New Year medical crews rushed to work on May. day annually. combined stakes winnings during the It is believed a young female driver, who May was added to the Addington Har- 2009/10 season, drove 105 winners in was not participating in the race, was ness Hall of Fame in 2013. the 2003/04 season, and drove six win- one of the first people to May’s side and His citation said he came from a ners in one night alone at Addington in on fairways performed CPR on him. prominent harness racing family, and 1991. P32 May spent over an hour being stabi- that harness racing had “always been a He has two sons and a daughter. Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper Ph 03 307 7900 We can sell your property - Teamwork gets results to subscribe! chances are, we already have! Ashburton 217 West Street | P 03 307 9176 | E [email protected] pb.co.nz Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 News 2 Ashburton Guardian Friday, January 3, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz ■ CAMPGROUNDS BUSY ■ SLIPPERY ESCAPE Slippery ‘No vacancy’ sign goes up escape BY SUSAN SANDYS [email protected] Mid Canterbury campgrounds are enjoying a for boy busy holiday period as tourists stop over and others make the district a destination in itself. “We have the no vacancy sign out during the Christmas period, we are at maximum ca- in swing pacity,” said Vince Singh at the Rakaia Gorge camp site. The non-powered campground is run on a non-profit basis by the Rakaia Gorge Society Incorporated, which leases land on the river’s south side from the Ashburton District Coun- cil. It takes up to about 120 people, and camp- ers come from throughout New Zealand and the world to fish, hike, bike ride, horse ride, swim, relax, and take in the beautiful scenery. Among campers is Hellen Kroeger, a retired stain glass artist from Christchurch. The keen golfer and her small motorhome hit the road for weeks on end each summer, and the gorge is one of her favourite spots. Hellen Kroeger soaks up the sun and the views at the Rakaia Gorge. PHOTO SUSAN SANDYS 311219-SS-0018 “You meet more people when you are on your own,” she said. “There is just three or four unpowered sites bers in recent years. “Yesterday I had different neighbours to left for tonight,” she added. “We have loads of one or two nighters in Alan Burgess today, they knocked on my door and said do With the Ashburton Lakes up the road, as campervans who have just flown into New you want to come and share some coffee and well as Mt Sunday for Lord of the Rings fans, Zealand. It’s definitely a big market for us,” BY SUSAN SANDYS Christmas cake.” a community swimming pool down the road Nadine said. [email protected] Fellow campers Stu Cotty and wife Mari- and tennis courts next door, it was a paradise Rakaia Holiday Park and Motels co-owner Alongside the latest rescue equip- lyn of Southbridge have been spending their for many. Sandy Newell said over Christmas and New ment on Ashburton Volunteer summer vacation in the grounds for 15 years. Ashburton Holiday Park and Lodge also has Year she had guests from Germany, the Neth- Fire Brigade trucks, is a basic “Wood pigeons and bellbirds flutter around, new managers on deck – Jared and Nadine erlands, Belgium and Switzerland. household item worth its weight this is just a beautiful spot,” Cotty said. Pink, who have been there since November 1. Many international visitors at this time in gold – dishwashing liquid. “The worst day fishing is still better than Nadine said the park was gearing up for its and throughout the year were “first night- Brigade members find many the best day at work, on a good day this is just busiest time of year, which was this month. last night” tourists, who chose to stay due to a use for the soapy mix, as they magical,” he said. He had just a few days ago “We have been steady,” she said of the the campground’s proximity to Christchurch did on New Year’s Eve when they caught a trout in the river, and was hoping to Christmas and New Year period. The park has airport. They were stopping by in their camp- had to extricate a child stuck in a soon break his 12-year salmon drought. almost 90 beds in backpackers, cabins, studio ervans on the way to and from southern des- swing. At Mt Somers Holiday Park, new owners and lodge facilities, as well as more than 35 tinations such as Lake Tekapo and Queens- The boy had been playing at a Georgie McLeod and husband Peter Peilua powered sites and more than 20 unpowered. town. Tinwald playground at the inter- are finding after leaving office jobs in Wel- As well as New Zealanders choosing the The Christmas New Year period had been section of Grove Place and Cath- lington and moving here with their two young park as their family summer holiday destina- busy, but she had not had to turn anyone erine Street. daughters, the quiet life has not been so quiet. tion, there had been growth in the number of away. “We have come close a couple of times, Chief Alan Burgess said the boy “We couldn’t really be any busier,” McLeod overseas residents stopping over, on the back but if they didn’t want powered sites they were had become stuck around his said yesterday. of rapid growth in international visitor num- fine,” she said. upper legs when the brigade was called about 1.30pm. Firefighters dismantled the swing, and then used the dish- washing liquid to aid a slippery Effluent leak at tourist hot spot manoeuvre out of the contrap- tion. Burgess said dishwashing liq- BY SUSAN SANDYS had been plagued with problems uid not only came in handy in [email protected] from the start. these types of situations, but also Tourists at the Rakaia Gorge on As well as the recent issue of at more serious incidents such as Inland Scenic Route 72 are being leakage, the new unit had been car crashes. greeted with smelly leakage from installed in the wrong spot, right It was used on damaged vehi- the ground near a campervan ef- near where day trippers parked cles to give lubrication between fluent disposal tank. their cars, meaning there was not surfaces to enable parts to be Rakaia Gorge campground enough room for large caravans moved around, such as in remov- manager Vince Singh is outraged and motorhomes to pull up to it. ing a windscreen to provide ac- at the problem, which he says Additionally, it was hard to find cess to trapped occupants. is not only unsightly, but also a due to poor signage. Meanwhile, Mid Canterbury health risk. Tourists were pulling up to the firefighters and police made it He estimates the disposal site, former disposal site at the side of through the New Year’s period on the river’s north side, is used public toilets, as there is a sign with few call-outs. by about 70 to 80 motorhomes there saying “Campervan Efflu- Hinds volunteer rural fire unit per day in the busy summer pe- ent Disposal Site”. However, the had two call-outs on New Year’s riod.