19ththJan Dec- -3rd8thFeb Jan2014 2017 27
FIRST ON THE STREET
XMER ASRY
No No 434 631
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
M
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Once a upon a time Queenstown was a quiet little holiday destination for Southland farmers and their families to enjoy. Now we have become the second largest “city” in the South Island over Christmas and New Year with up to 100,000 people on any given day. Bigger than Invercargill and Dunedin. That’s a heck of a lot of fresh water to pipe and wastewater to pump. Council staff and contractors will be kept busy this festive season making sure the water flows when we turn on the tap and disappears never to be seen again when we flush the toilet. This is a busy period not only for QLDC but all the essential service people we generally take for granted. When you’re tucking into your Christmas turkey, think of the volunteer firefighters who will be keeping festive cheer capped in anticipation of that all too familiar air raid siren. Did you know we have the highest percentage of false alarms in New Zealand? Over 60%. But every time the troops must gather and respond whatever the circumstances. I tip my hat to that level of community service. Then there are the enforcement officers keeping our free loading campers in check; the town custodian team sweeping up after the nightly celebrations; the rubbish guys and toilet cleaners; the police and security staff. It takes a coordinated and dedicated effort from a multitude of organisations to keep this town running over Christmas and New Year. We cannot escape the fact this is a particularly busy time of year. The roller-coaster ride of life in Queenstown sees us rocket from one major event to the next and none are bigger than the Christmas/New Year influx. It is also a time for us all to take a breath when we can and tune out of work and tune into family. Some of us must try really hard to relax, as contradictory as that sounds. But try we must because Christmas is about spending some quality time with family, and for those on the other side of the world from their families, it’s a time to try something completely different. The legendary Queenstown Orphans’ Christmas tradition is when likeminded people gather together in houses all over the district and share a taste of their far way homelands in a distinctly Kiwi setting. This tradition fights off the feelings of isolation and loneliness one can feel at Christmas time and builds the sense of belonging our multi-national community relies on. When I first came to Queenstown, my Orphans’ Christmas experiences helped cement my now lifelong friendships. It’s amazing what magic can happen when an Irish, Swedish, Brazilian, English, Russian and Chinese group of friends get together with a couple of Kiwis and perhaps the odd Aussie on Christmas Day and are told to “bring a plate”. No one should be alone at Christmas time. From the team at the Lakes Weekly, QueenstownNZ App and LWBTV; Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and remember what a wise man once said, there is always room at the table for one more.
Photo of the Year - Bert Haines and Natalie Murphy after the Skycity Stampede won the Birgel trophey at the NZIHL ice hockey final at the Queenstown Ice Arena in August.
(Photo: Jodi Walters)
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Scott Stevens editor@lwb.co.nz
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RENTAL PROPERTIES
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TUES
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Occasional rain Fine. Increasing Cloud increasing. high cloud Few Showers from late morning
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Morning cloud then fine
Fine. Northerlies developing
Partly cloudy Little Wind
Rain. Northerlies