Committee calls for support from Waimate mayor

The committee in charge of raising $155,000 towards a bronze statue of All Black legend Richie McCaw in Kurow is calling for support from Waimate’s mayor.

Statue project committee secretary Jocelyn McIlraith said she was disappointed neither the Waimate District Council nor mayor Craig Rowley had supported the project in any capacity.

‘‘They don’t seem to understand what it will do for Waimate. If they support us they can use the statue for the promotion of their district.

‘‘We would like them to donate. It will benefit them economically,’’ McIlraith said.

Questions were emailed to Rowley. A council representative said he would not respond to questions on Tuesday.

The proposed statue would stand at 2.4 metres, about one third higher than the life-size McCaw.

Currently McCaw is represented in the town by a cardboard cutout, which drew people into the Waitaki Valley daily, McIlraith said.

The committee has proposed to locate the statue in the centre of Kurow.

McIlraith said Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher was ’’extremely supportive of our project. He can see the benefits of this project for South Canterbury Otago.’’

McIlraith said fundraising was going well but did not want to disclose the amount raised so far. She said the committee had not yet reached the halfway point of its $155,000 goal.

The committee had applied for $32,000 from the Otago Community and North Trust and expected to find out if it had been successful in November.

There was a potential sponsor McIlraith declined to name who, if all went well, would fund a ‘‘significant’’ amount of the project, she said..

Kircher said he had met with the committee recently and had backed the project as mayor by sending a letter potential funders.

His support was his own, but the possibility of the Waitaki District Council funding some of the project would be discussed some time this year.

Mark Whyte has been given the job of sculpting 148-test All Black McCaw. of support to