'Eyesore' story draws anger

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 492, 29 June 1993, Page 6

'Eyesore' story draws anger

While many Raetihi people, especially retailers, were happy to see the old butchery building demolished, others were saddened by the loss to the town. Well-known Raetihi resident Siggy Bauer reminded the Bulletin after last week's story "Raetihi eyesore building removed", that a petition had been circulated last year, calling for the building to be saved. About 90 signatures supported the saving of the building, although there had been no reaction to repeated Ruapehu Bulletin stories regarding council's intentions to have the building demolished. Comments on the petition included: • "It's part of

Raetihi's 'old town' character - very costly to replace". • "Let's preserve our heritage". • "It's a good building, why?" • "Go waste your time on something else". • "Pass it over to the youth, they will make it into something good, such as a disco building." • "The brightest building in town." • "Give it to someone who can use it." Mr Bauer said he agreed with critics who said the outside of the building was ugly, but that it had a lot of historic timber work inside and that it was a very solid old building. He said the council should take more notice of what the people want.

"Sure, if the engineers say it can't be saved then I suppose it had to go, but they should still listen to what we have to say." Mr Bauer was angry that the Bulletin quoted Raetihi's promotion group chairman, John Dobson,, in the frontpage story. "Who is he to be saying such things (about the building, the New Zealand Employment Service, and the unemployed) and why are you quoting him on the front page? He is no more important than anybody whose name is on this petition." He said he was insulted, as an unemployed person, by Mr Dobson's comments about people out of work not taking up

the task of removing the building. Mr Bauer's feelings about the promotion group are reflected in his comment on the petition to save the building: "Let the people have a say - not just five self-elected elitists." When the Bulletin suggested to Mr Bauer that he had a personal grudge against Mr Dobson and the promotions committee, Mr Bauer said he did not like the way they spoke about the unemployed, and that he felt they were out to further their own gains. "If they want to do these things (projects) they should do the work themselves, not exploit the unemployed," said Mr Bauer in reference to schemes for unemployed

people, run by the promotion group. Employment Service officers were also reported to be angry at Mr Dobson's comments, but declined to reply them through the Bulletin.