Controversial Gore boss farewelled
Stephen Parry was farewelled with song references, and a quiet boo from the public gallery, at his last Gore District Council meeting on Tuesday. Parry told councillors he “departed with pride” and an expectation of optimism of what lies ahead, and he looked forward to becoming ‘’more of a Joe Blow’’ rather than having his face etched in the press when things were going wrong, Parry, who announced his resignation last year, will leave the council on May 10 after being appointed as its chief executive in 2001. He served as interim chief executive since announcing his resignation. Councillor Bronwyn Reid read a tribute to Parry, saying the council had benefited from his work ethic, and projects such as the Mataura Valley Milk plant and “shovelready projects” such as Gore’s new library would not have gone ahead without him.
“It’s been a hell of abust,abitofa rollercoaster ride.’’
Stephen Parry
She said the last 18 months had been ‘’trying’’ but Parry had shown his professionalism and “conducted himself with great dignity”. His sage advice to councillors had been done with thoughtfulness, clarity and humour, and that would be greatly missed, along with his honesty, work ethic and integrity, she said. Because Parry is a musician, she finished with references to well-known songs, saying it had been A Long and Winding Road for the 22 years he had worked for the council, with the odd Stairway To Heaven, but more than a few Highways To Hell, leading him to cross many Bridges Over Troubled Water with the occasional Barracuda hiding underneath. The flipside to that was Here Comes The Sun, she said. Mayor Ben Bell, with whom Parry has had a difficult working relationship, thanked him for stepping into the role as interim chief executive and wished him well with his future endeavours. “You have done a superb job at keeping the ship steady as we’ve gone through this process,’’ he said. Parry said he planned to dust off his drum kit and guitar when he left the council. “It’s been a hell of a bust, a bit of a rollercoaster ride,’’ he said. He was tremendously proud of getting the Mataura Valley Milk project across the line and the building of the council’s new offices and library. The lows included the ouvea premix situation, where thousands of tonnes of a hazardous substance were put into a warehouse in Mataura without consent, and trying to find a solution for that, and the tragedy of the death of Lachlan Jones, which ‘’will remain with me for my remaining years’’. “It was such a very devastating incident with the answers still being sought, but hopefully the forthcoming inquest will shed some light on that,’’ he said. Fourteen people were in the public gallery for Parry’s last meeting, including former councillor Graham Sharp, who Parry had battled over access to his land; former mayor Mary Ogg’s husband David, and former councillor Sally McIntyre, who has long battled the council over its spending. One booed at the end of Parry’s speech while councillors and staff clapped. Parry has declined a request for a final interview from Stuff. The council announced in February that Deborah Lascelles would begin as the new chief executive on June 3.