Western News: March 19, 2019

WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday March 19 2019 7
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Hello Hornby attracts thousands
Fire rages, homes at risk
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
ORGANISERS OF the Hello
Hornby party in the park were
“blown away” by its success.
Thousands of residents
turned out for the second
annual community event at
Wycola Park.
The Harcourts Hornbysponsored
event was organised
to help bring communities in
the suburb together.
Hello Hornby committee
chairman Scott MacDonald
said the event was “a huge
success.”
“The whole day is put
together by businesses, groups,
organisations, churches . . . I
guess we can all take pride and
feel it was a big success and a
great day,” he said.
It featured a wide variety
of free activities, including a
bouncy castle, water-walkers, a
large inflatable rock-climbing
obstacle and horses for children
to ride from Pony Parties Ltd.
The Hub Hornby organised
a free double-decker bus for
people to travel between the
mall and Wycola Park. There
were also free barbecues.
Residents took part in events,
including a potato-growing
competition, talent quest and
baking competition.
The baking was auctioned
off following the competition
with the money donated to the
Hornby Youth Hangout.
Mr MacDonald said many
companies and organisations
supported and helped organise
the event, including the Greater
Hornby Residents’ Association,
city council and Hornby
Community Care Centre.
The talent quest competition’s
stage was donated by Action
Scaffolding.
“We felt our stage last year
was a little small and hard
for people to see . . . Action
Scaffolding put on a big stage
for us, which they put up and
dismantled and just worked
beautifully,” Mr MacDonald
said.
He said he could not see any
reason why the event would not
run again next year and plans
to start organising it.
•For more information
on Hello Hornby, go to
the ‘Hello Hornby - Our
Community, Party in the
Park’ Facebook page.
MONITORING: The city council has been monitoring freedom
campers at Burnside Park after complaints from residents.
DELIGHT: Children having a blast at the Mitre 10
Mega bouncy castle. (Below) Issabelle trying out
the water walker. PHOTOS: HAMISH HOBBS
Freedom camper issues
•From page 1
“I don’t want to see that
[Burnside Park] become a
freedom camping hub in the city.
That would not be acceptable,”
he said.
Mr MacDonald said
the number of freedom
campers using the park has
only become noticeable in
the past couple of weeks.
The city council has had
three complaints in the last
year relating to freedom
camping issues at the site.
But Burnside Rugby
Football Club rugby
manager Brent Frew said the park
had no more of an issue with
freedom camping than anywhere
else.
He said the main problem
is the campers will leave their
rubbish in bags next to the rugby
club’s locked tip because there are
no rubbish bins at the park.
“I would think six
nights a week there is
freedom campers . . . a
year ago you wouldn’t
have got anybody,” Mr
Frew said.
About a year ago, it
was reported freedom
campers were upsetting
Sam
MacDonald
residents by parking
outside the Waimairi
Cemetery on Grahams
Rd.
Mr MacDonald said the city
council’s enforcement team continually
monitored the issue and
SKILLFUL: Peter Clemett of the
Christchurch Woodturners Association
shows off his talent while Nadia and Sasha
Isles (below) had their faces painted.
the problem went away.
He did not think the freedom
campers had shifted from
Grahams Rd to Burnside Park.
But both Mr Frew and Mr
MacDonald suspected the
increase in freedom campers was
due to the park being close to
the Christchurch International
Airport and rental car
companies.
In 2016, the city council
changed its Freedom Camping
Bylaw to ban campers without
toilets from council-owned land.
•HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you
think freedom camping is
an issue at Burnside Park?
Email your views to georgia.
oconnor@starmedia.kiwi
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