President explains

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 9, 31 July 1984, Page 2

President explains

The big carrot has been with us in spirit for over two years now, and while public opinion has swayed in many directions during this time, we have always enjoyed the good natured jests of our fellow citizens. The carrot was always to be a gift from the residents of Ohakune, to show the general public, from New Zealand and abroad, the pride we have in being the home of the finest root crops in the country. CARROTS — have given Ohakune a meaningful name and have certainly gained us recognition — a sign of our history and of our future growth. The choice of the triangle site in town was not made lightly. Considerable debate and time revolved around the aesthetics of a now picturesque area, and the

possibility of antagonising and would be critics. We saw it to be a further mark on the map, a sign of our identity, and a valuable tourist attraction, in a central position. The time is now opportune to mould together the growing skiing industry with the present gardening' industry, by introducing a new dimension and creating the greatest possible awareness of Ohakune. It is not for our Association to make the decision. We have voiced our opinion, offered our advice and put our proposal to the local Borough Council, which will make a final decision on Monday, 30 July 1 984. If Council is to oppose our present proposal we will happily present our alternative proposition, namely the Rochfort Park site. So do we have a controversy over the big carrot? Definitely not. The carrot has always been agreeable to the majority of residents in Ohakune, and still is. Many were misled and confused by a recent petition which was circulated around town. The spokesperson for this rang me, and I extended an invitation to him to obtain all relevant information. This was declined, quite irresponsibly, it seems. It is sometimes amazing that in such a high technological era, we still lack in communication. We all live in the same town and it appears we have tempor-

arily lost the ability to talk with each other. We want to work with the town and we felt our gift shows that. I am sure, together, we can show everyone else what we alreadv know.

P.B.

Hammond,

President

Ohakune Growers Assoc.