Residents Threaten Boycott
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Piano man Central Otago Page 8 Hometown heroes MIRROR Page 26 Wednesday, August 31, 2016 The Maniototo community rallied together on Friday to protest the proposed closure of Ranfurly’s Westpac bank - the only bank in town. JO MCKENZIE-MCLEAN Residents threaten boycott JO MCKENZIE-MCLEAN lation, many fear how the elderly We will show them none.’’ and to feel the threat of the undo- open, she said. will cope without a bank. The Hore and his family stood with ing of all and many others’ hard Central Otago mayor Tony The Hore family has banked in closest bank is a 180-kilometre about 300 community members in work, commitment and invest- Lepper said he had submitted to the Maniototo since the first bank round trip to Alexandra, and even Ranfurly on Friday protesting the ment is heartbreaking. The Westpac on the community’s opened in the 1880s. That could further for outlying towns. proposed closure. reality is nobody wants to be gath- behalf and they had declined to soon change. Hore said the proposed closure Protest organisers and ering here under these circum- meet with him. Stuart Hore, 77, is one of many was a ‘‘disgrace’’. Maniototo businesswoman Amie stances, but as if we were going to ‘‘I have been thinking, what Maniototo residents threatening ‘‘It is disgrace Westpac should Pont said when the bank sit back and do nothing. We have can you guys do to stop it...there to pull his business from Westpac consider closing such an isolated announced its proposal two weeks done the best we possibly can to are a lot of rural customers out if it closes its Ranfurly branch. bank...My family has been bank- ago reactions had ranged from stick up for ourselves and demand there who bank with Westpac and The town’s branch is one of 19 ing for four generations. I am shock, anger, disbelief, despair that we deserve a bank.’’ I lived in this area, and I banked Westpac is proposing to close loathe to take my banking else- and there had been emotional Over 900 people had signed a with Westpac and they closed my around the country. where but if they shift the bank outcries from many community petition, and ‘‘hundreds’’ of letters bank, I would change banks, and The town of 800 only has one from Ranfurly, I will surely think members. and submissions had been written that is what I think you should bank, and with an ageing popu- about it...they show us no loyalty. ‘‘We are invested in this area, appealing for the bank to stay do.’’ SKYCITY Queenstown want to congratulate Skycity Queenstown Casino Second Floor, 16-24 Beach Street Phone +64 3 441 0400 Skycity WHARF Casino Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street Phone +64 3 441 1495 ICE HOCKEY QUEENSTOWN www.skycityqueenstown.co.nz our 2016 NZIHL Grand Champions! 2 MIRROR, AUGUST 31, 2016 stuff.co.nz YOUR PAPER, YOUR PLACE 1. SINGLES NIGHT SKI Speed dating on the cupid express This newspaper is subject to NZ Press at Coronet Peak at 6pm on Friday. Council procedures. FROM A complaint must first 2. WINE TESTING be directed in writing, THE Wine testing with My Kitchen Rules within one month of NEWS finalist at Rees Hotel, 6pm on publication, to the editor’s email address. Thursday. If not satisfied with the response, the DESK complaint may be referred to the Press Council. PO Box 10-879, 3. LOCAL PRODUCE MARKET The Terrace, Wellington 6143. Markets with local produce in Or use the online complaint form at I have had quite a bit of feedback Pioneer Park, Alexandra on Friday. www.presscouncil.org.nz Please on my column about the lack of include copies of the article and all freely available coverage of the 4. MERINO MUSTER 1 correspondence with the publication. Olympic Games last week. Snow Farm’s family friendly cross Many of you agreed with me country races on Sunday. that it was disappointing. Others CONTENTS pointed to the extensive coverage 5. FATHER’S DAY 9 Backyard banter freely available on Prime. I Warbirds and Wheels hosts driving 10, 11 Whats on acknowledge that but it was lessons for Father’s Day. 12 Conversations mostly early in the morning and 13 Community cookbook, TV listings during the day when a working LET US KNOW 19 Out and About mother such as myself does not to do list Let us know what is happening in 22 Your health, Puzzles have time to sit down and watch your street or community. Email 2 3 26 Sport television. I only have a small [email protected] window of down time in the evenings when I can sit with a cuppa and catch up. I still fondly remember watching the full triathlon in Athens when Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty won gold and silver. The tension, the excitement, the feeling that I was 4 5 there with them - that is the kind of moment I would like to share with my family. Finally, thank you to everyone Contact us BUREAU CHIEF: Debbie Jamieson 027 221 5077; SALES MANAGER: Mark George 027 525 4058; QUEENSTOWN AND WANAKA SALES: who did respond. It is good to Wade Munro 027 406 2336; Kaye Symons 027 250 0122: CROMWELL AND ALEXANDRA SALES: Gemma Henderson, 027 227 6194; Leon know you are reading! I look Durbin 027 405 5453. QUEENSTOWN REPORTERS: Rhys Chamberlain 027 201 3172; Dasha Kuprienko 027 405 3157; CENTRAL OTAGO forward to hearing more. REPORTER: Jo McKenzie-McLean 027 453 5356; WANAKA REPORTER: Marjorie Cook 027 487 2198; NEWS DIRECTOR: Geoff Mein debbie.jamieson@fairfaxmedi- [email protected]; CLASSIFIEDS OR MISSED DELIVERY: Sonia Keogh (03) 441 0690; DISPLAY AD DEADLINES: 4.30pm a.co.nz Thursday ADDRESS: PO Box 770, Queenstown. EMAIL: [email protected] or [email protected] 30881 MIR Resene Resene 1,800 Premium Testpots neighbourhoods Paint 10L 55-80ml across New Zealand are using Come in and Neighbourly see us today! 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He then got his school during a visit to Alexandra hands dirty in the sandpit with on Thursday, as well as visiting a some early childhood pupils at kindergarten and high country Kidsfirst Alexandra Kindergar- station. ten. Principal Brent Russell said ‘‘The kindergarten was beauti- the visit was ‘‘an historic day for ful and the school was absolutely our school and our community’’. fantastic and you can see from the Key delivered an insightful successes those youngsters are and inspirational talk to the getting. students and told them to ’’dream ‘‘We can take a great deal of big’’ and not to leave ‘‘anything in confidence in it but we should be the tank’’. supporting rural schools. I mean, He used his background as a Dunstan hadn’t had a Prime Min- platform to pass on lessons he had ister ever go there, and when you learned from his Austrian-born think about it, they should have mother who, at 16, left with her by now, so it was good to go.’’ aunty and 18-year-old brother to He took time to answer some live in the United Kingdom dur- pressing questions from children. ing World War II. Fletcher Corderoy, 4, of Alex- His mother taught him to get andra Kindergarten, asked him qualifications at school, to how many bees there were at the achieve what he wanted in life. Beehive. She also taught him, ‘‘you get ‘‘Do you know...none,’’ Key out of life what you put into it’’ said. ‘‘But they were wanting to and ‘‘dream big’’. put some bees down at Govern- ‘‘You can sit around and think ment House just down the road.