CBD by Miranda Spary

Naughty Val Miller got lots of locals all riled up thinking the tennis courts and bowling green were about to be disposed of when she posted a photo of the Casino Hotel at Lake Annecy and pretended it was a new hotel planned for the Queenstown Gardens (it does look very like our beautiful part of the world!!). No wonder they believed it, given how many ridiculous projects QLDC seems to dream up and approve. It’s proudly sent out a youtube video called” Queenstown Town Arterial Stage 1 - fly through with split screen”(even the title is unnecessarily complicated and hard to understand). If it wasn’t our money they have been so busy wasting, it would be funny - there are hardly any cars on the brand new road and they’ve carefully forgotten to show that this whole huge madness is only designed to go to their pet folly LAKEVIEW that has cost us all millions. To rub salt into the wound, in the video of the actual “work” being done, there are barely any workers, and those that appear in the video are mostly just standing around. All the machines, bar one, seem to be idling (during COVID, while they were making the big mess downtown, all the “workers” were looking at their phones constantly and the machines were idling for hours while nothing was actually being done - seems like a good way for the marvellous DOWNER company (such a terrific name!) to charge extra. Thanks a bunch QLDC - you’re really making us feel like we’re getting value for money.

But let’s not be despondent - there are so many really good people in our community and lots of fun happening. I was driving past the Arrowtown Cemetery and saw a huge gaggle of kids in wetsuits roaring down a massive red tarpaulin. The Arrowtown Cubs have great people running the group and I was very envious of those slippery children (rather less envious of the parents who were getting quite wet managing the hoses!). I just looked up the Arrowtown Cubs website and they do all sorts of fun activities even though there are constant reminders from various powers that be not to do anything potentially dangerous. I do loathe the namby pamby attitudes of so many government departments.

I was lucky enough to visit the Hugo Charitable Trust house at Lake Hayes this week. The trustees have done a sensational job of providing a beautiful house for all sorts of families who need a break from difficult situations. Sometimes it’s to have time away with a relation who’s got a terminal illness - the family can all be together and the house has been fitted with all the kit needed to look after people with illnesses and severe disabilities. If you look up the Hugo trust, you can see what huge differences they have already made to our community and dozens of different charities. As well as having donated many many millions, they have also fitted a community defibrillator outside the Hugo Trust house. Huge thanks, Hugo!!