Mayor Tim, visitor charmer

While not intending to enter the debate over our mayor’s future, I want to acknowledge Sir Tim Shadbolt’s wonderful contribution to Souther Institute of Technology and international visitors to our city.

For years, I and several other local group leaders took turns to host groups of American seniors through the SIT.

They flew in to Invercargill in time for a lecture from Michael Deaker, followed by Sunday lunch.

Hardworking volunteers at the former Salvation Army Citadel in Tay St would prepare homely salads and cold meat for our guest groups of 30-40 visiting New Zealand on Educational Tourism study tours and we had an arrangement with the Sallies to pay their organisation the same amount we would to a restaurant or hotel; as a local fundraiser.

Mayor Tim kindly donated his time for free and would ad lib for an hour or so after having lunch with the group.

He was always hilarious and they thoroughly enjoyed his presentation.

Whether he dwelt on the Auckland Island pigs and their reproductive proclivity which was prodigious, or his role in The World’s Fastest Indian he was an ideal after lunch speaker before McDermott’s collected the group and we trundled off to Te Anau for the night.

Sadly, Covid has put paid to these international visitors, but they will be back asap...

Liz Cruickshank

Former manager, Educational Tourism

Southern Institute of Technology

We encourage readers to send in their views of the performance of Invercargill’s mayor and council. – Editor.

Restore the Falls

The only way forward that Southlanders should accept for the Mataura Falls is for it to be restored to its natural state (‘‘Alliance sets green goals as it pushes for consents’’, November 24).

Valued by local Ma¯ori for gathering kai, and once a beautiful attraction that drew visitors, this part of our river deserves to be treated with the utmost respect.

It is now an eyesore and treated like a drainage pipe.

Southlanders should not accept any damming of the river by Alliance.

It should not take 25 years to improve wastewater discharge quality.

It needs to happen now. Part of any consent granted by Environment Southland should be a condition to restore and beautify the falls. Environment Southland and Alliance, you have an opportunity to look past business and profit and do something significant for the region that Southlanders can be proud of. K D Nicholas

Gore

Tourism reset ideas

Now we are talking about a tourism reset I would like to propose that the Southland District Council and the Department of Conservation go down to Bain St, Invercargill, and visit the Demolition World village and check out what creativity can be done with recycled building materials.

We need a village at the Mavora Lakes to service the Round the Mountain Cycle Trail, and we need some shelters in the Fiordland National Park as well as a hut for Mount Titiroa climbers.

With a little creative input inspired by the use of historic materials you could create something wonderful just using the human imagination with a scenic backdrop. That is just win-win.

Now we are going to have to put some effort into this industry to make it work as the easy days are over it may well bring out our best ideas.

Repurposing our waste is a smart place to start and gives people useful skills. Like patience, lateral thinking, thrift and perseverance. (Also good for local and government departments.)

Aaron Nicholson Manapouri