Selwyn Times: February 28, 2018

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday February 28 2018 5
News
Big plans for Springfield station
NEW START: The Springfield Railway Station Cafe re-opened
last month and is run by Gayl and Barry Lindon. ​
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
A NEW community group has
formed to give Springfield’s
historic railway station a makeover.
The Friends of Springfield Station
plans to beautify its station
– in a bid to transform it into a
community hub.
The group is planning to work
with KiwiRail and Rail Heritage
Trust of New Zealand to
paint the station and tidy up its
gardens.
Restoration work will include
painting the building’s
woodwork, veranda, doors and
window sills.
Founder Simon Williams said
the aim is to turn it into a community
area for people to come
and “hang out.”
“I think it is worth doing because
it is part of the historical
fabric of Springfield, which was
really put there for the railway,”
he said.
The group was formed after
Christmas and is made up of
about 20 members.
The station is already
beginning to grow with The
Springfield Railway Station Cafe
re-opening last month in the
station’s old refreshment rooms.
The cafe’s leasee Heather Valphy
makes up cheeseboards for
the TranzAlpine at the station
each day.
The station already has a collectables
shop, personal trainer
and plant seller.
A monthly farmer’s market
is also planned to run in the
future.
The station has operated in the
township since the 1880s.
It was originally located in the
centre of Springfield – which
is now known as Tramway
Reserve.
In 1923, the railway station
was moved to its current
location off King St so a larger
marshalling yard could be built
following the opening of the
Otira Tunnel.
“Springfield used to be a really
big railway centre . . . they used
to have a particular type of locomotive
stationed at Springfield.
I think there was something
like 70 people who serviced the
system,” Mr Williams said.
He said 12 white railway
houses known as the “white
city” used to be located along
the line.
The railway station was rebuilt
using pink summerhill stone in
1966 after the old station burnt
down.
Mr Williams said while pink
summerhill stone is not “everybody’s
favourite building material
in 2018”, the Rail Heritage
Trust felt it was a voyage too far
to repaint the building material.
He said he thinks when the
steam locomotives disappeared
at the end of the 1960s people
thought the railway age was
over.
But Mr Williams said there
are still a lot of railway men in
the town and its heritage is not
being celebrated enough.
The group will lodge a proposal
with KiwiRail in the hopes
of securing funding for the
project.
As part of his proposal, Mr
Williams would like to get
KiwiRail to agree to stopping
the TranzAlpine in Springfield
for an extended break.
Currently, it only stops to
allow passengers to board or
disembark the train and to pick
up the cheeseboards.
•HAVE YOUR SAY: What do
you think of the Springfield
Station’s spruce up? Email
your views to georgia.
oconnor@starmedia.kiwi
Local
News
Now
• By Andrew King
Fire rages, homes at risk
Court appearance
for second youth
in ‘drown in’ case
A SECOND youth has appeared
in court in the Rolleston ‘drown
him’ case.
A 15-year-old appeared in the
youth court last Tuesday jointly
charged with aggravated robbery.
A 16-year-old appeared on
February 13.
Both have denied the charge
and will reappear in March.
The alleged robbery took place
after a fireworks display on
November 4.
A 15-year-old victim was
allegedly beaten and then
dragged to a water race where
his head was held under the
water.
His assailants chanted “drown
him, drown him” during the attack,
police allege.
Police are not seeking anyone
else in relation to the incident
which left the victim with a
nasty gash on his face that
required stitches and a night in
hospital.
An Independent Police Conduct
Authority investigation
over the handling of the case by
two officers is still ongoing after
a complaint was laid.
IPCA case resolution manager
Monica Robbers said it could not
comment on the investigation.
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