Train excursion planned in memory of supporter

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 593, 4 July 1995, Page 6

Train excursion planned in memory of supporter

Main Trunk Rail Ohakune is planning to run a special train trip on Sunday 8 October, in memory of Merle Weller who died last week. The train will be a 'Twin Peaks' tour leaving Ohakune for Taumarunui, then traversing the Stratford - Ohakuhukura line into Taranaki, south through Wanganui, across to Marton and back up to Ohakune. "The trip will be a fitting memory to late committee member Merle Weller," saidMTROpresidentBobNorling. "Merle has been with MTRO since its formation in 1990, and has made a huge contribution to its success." "Committee meetings will not be the same without Merle," commented MTRO secretary Graham Parker. "She kept us all on task and could be relied upon to produce her 'money tin' during the meeting to contribute

$50 - $100 from a raffle she had run, or T-shirts and souvenirs she had sold. You could guarantee that she would have some item in the general business that needed a common-sense approach to it, or something that Bob and myself had forgotten to do. At the end of our meetings she always produced a beautiful home cooked supper and any disagreements were soon forgotten". Merle Weller had a long association with Railways at Ohakune Junction. Her father was a guard and Merle lived on Railway Row. It saddened her to see the decline of Railways in New Zealand and when the opportunity came to save the Ohakune Station, Merle and her husband Laurie were there from the beginning offering a nononsense "get stuck in" approach. Merle followed the traditional role, providing morning and afternoon teas, while Laurie could always be seen with a hammer. "It is thanks to Laurie and his mates that we now have a Signal Box nearly completed," said Graham. He said Merle' s untimely death will leave a huge gap at MTRO. It will be the little, yet important things she did, like her daily walk up to the station just to check that all was OK — no vandalism, theft, or unusual happenings." "Merle always enjoyedexcursions. Her main aim was to try to make sure that families could ride on our trainS at a price they could afford", recalls president Bob Norling. 'The excursion we are planning in October is easily our most ambitious yet. We will be travelling 660km in quality excursion coaches through some of the most inaccessible scenery in New Zealand. There are 27 tunnels and at least eight high viaducts. The Tangarakau Gorge and a visit to Whangamomona will be highlights of the excursion." "We haVe endeavoured to keep the costs as low as possible in line with Merle' s philosophy," commented Bob. "However, 660km in excursion coaches cannot come cheaply. Tickets will cost $75 and for an extra $12 a smorgasbord lunch can be bought from the Whangamomona Pub." "We are grateful to Johnny Nation for running a raffle for us and we hope local businesses will support us and provide sponsorship to keep the costs down." Bookings for Merle 's Excursion are now open at Ohakune TV and Electrical. To help people with the costs, MTRO will accept a deposit and payment in full a week before the excursion takes place. "The only downside is that we will not have Merle to act as Guard and clip the tickets, but we are sure that as she left our world, she went via the Station one last time."