Ōmokoroa Community Board
If I have learnt anything this past month it is that people do read the Lizard. And, they are not slow in coming forward, at least where dogs and dog parks are concerned.
Thank you to those who took the opportunity to discuss this matter in person with me. I do not write this column to be popular, just how I see things, at times at odds with the chosen direction of Council. But then, that is the great thing about our society, the privilege to express a view. I recall a lecturer of mine at uni who told me that all he hoped in the year he was teaching us was that we would develop the ability to ‘travel with a view’. Put simply, establish what you as an individual think as opposed to group think.
It is timely to reflect on this privilege as we mark Anzac Day, which I regard as the most significant day on the New Zealand calendar. I will be up at the cairn on the peninsula, remembering the sacrifice our forebears unselfishly made, so many never to return home. For those who did, an uneasy existence was their burden. It is a day that makes me equally sad and grateful.
Whenever I am on the peninsula, I take time to walk past the cairn. It is a beautiful site to reflect. And reflect I do on both service men and women, but also all those who make contributions to our community today. It is not hard to, given the volunteers who created this site, who saw the possibilities this site held for remembrance. We are indebted to them for their imagination, their vision and their graft to establish this site.
As your Board Chair, I encounter so many folks who make contributions to a wide variety of groups, all of whom make Ōmokoroa a better place to live. They work hard, they go unrecognised. Recognition is not why they get involved, they simply want to make a difference.
So whether it be your Ratepayers Association, your Lions, your school PTA, your Environmental Managers Group, The Centre and their massive contribution, and a host of others, I am so very grateful to you all. For those relatively new residents, I challenge you to get involved. There is no better way to truly feel part of your community.
On that note I wish to thank Greig Neilson for the contribution he has made as a Board member. Grieg has resigned for personal reasons; I am sad to see him go but grateful for his contribution. He is an example of someone who indeed travels with a view, challenges current thinking, excellent qualities in a governance role. Go well, mate, whatever you decide to tackle in the future.