Dunedin train is simply a marvellous city asset
I REALLY do hope the council will change its mind about mothballing the Taieri Gorge train.
It still has so much potential, is a huge asset to our city and it is a major connection with the rail trail which will always be a popular attraction.
If Christchurch mothballed its tram and put everything in the toohard basket after the devastation of the city due to the earthquakes, it would not have come as far as it has today.
Due to the initiatives and determination of the local people, it now has a thriving, familyfriendly city with amazing new parks, a busy city library which attracts families to its amazing activities, the new market in the city centre on the banks of the Avon River, and the everpopular tram and many other attractions.
Perhaps the powersthatbe who have been too busy targeting tourists, such as what has happened in Queenstown, and mothballing one of Dunedin’s biggest assets just because there are no tourists, should take note of what Christchurch has done to bring its own people back to its city.
More importantly, let’s not lose what we once had just because the tourists are not here to use it.
I hope more people will speak up to stop the council mothballing one of Dunedin’s most popular assets and use this time to be positive about the opportunities for Dunedin that can come out of this difficult time, as Christchurch has done.
J. Ball
St Kilda
Opportunity beckons
OP shops, brace yourselves. Like many New Zealanders during the Covid19 lockdown, I have used some of this time to sort through my cupboards and shelves and have, resultantly, several boxes of superfluous but good used items and clothing that I will at the first opportunity donate to the Dunedin charitybased op shops.
Op shopping can be a fun but also rewarding experience as they contain many good quality items and can often compete realistically with new, cheap imported items.
With certainly harder times ahead for many and, if necessary, a perceived stigma of ‘‘buying second hand’’ to be overcome, your purchasing would also benefit the organisations who run these shops who themselves support a potentially growing number of people who will need direct support from these organisations.
By so doing, we are not only indirectly supporting those in greatest need but also recycling and reducing the volume of material needing to go to our landfills.
But a final plea: please only donate good, clean and resaleable items. Do not use op shops as a dumping ground for your unwanted junk. This not only, especially in our present times, creates a health and safety issue for their staff but also is very timeconsuming, thus encroaching into their time doing what they are there for in the first place — to support those less fortunate members of our society.
Douglas Clark
Opoho
Furniture store
PETE Williamson, the director of My Mate John’s Furniture Warehouse, encourages people to buy locally (ODT,
25.4.20), saying: ‘‘If there was one thing I really wanted to get across . . . is how important it is for all of us to support local business.’’
I am sure many readers will agree that supporting local suppliers does help New Zealanders.
Perhaps Mr Williamson could demonstrate his company’s commitment to this ideal by telling readers what percentage of the goods sold by My Mate John’s Furniture Warehouse has been sourced from New Zealand manufacturers.
Neil Shearer
Macandrew Bay
[This letter was referred to Pete Williamson but he declined to respond.] .....................................
BIBLE READING: There is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. — Romans 8.1.