News
Here we are, refreshed, recharged and ship shape and Bristol fashion (we hope!) after the holiday weekend. Everyone enjoys Labour weekend for various reasons. Its a sign of coming out of the long winter hibernation. There are reunions, gatherings, weddings, anniversaries to celebrate.
Getting back to last week, what a week it was. The spring blossoms all at the pristine best. Then along came those savage winds and stinging showers to decimate them and make everyday life more of a battle than it should be.
With gale winds giving the region a battering where the Gladstone Z service station sign had to have staps and counter weights put in place to stop it blowing over.
On the bright side, we saw the return of steam trains with the Passchendaele excursion train pulling into town on Thursday. With little advance warning, dozens of Southlanders flocked to the Invers rail way station to literally touch history, a 100 year old fully functioning steam loco and passenger carriages from a by gone era. >>More photos here>>
While the mode of steam locomotion is well passed its best by date as a means of modern transportation, nothing comes close to that chuffing sound and the piercing wailing whistle.
Its just a shame that the days of regular passenger rail services have gone from Invers. But plans are firming up to get the old Kingston Flyer loco’s to Invers to have them restored from their state of dereliction and have them running between Invers and Bluff. Lets hope that eventuates.
There was a dark sobering side to the weekend with two fatalities on our roads. What exactly happened in both cases is unclear and its not really our business but at least two families have had their lives turned on their heads due to these incidents. Our thoughts and condolences to the families and friends of the two who didn’t see the end of the weekend and start of a new week.
The usual Labour weekend events were well patronised. The Great Little Train Show is always a crowd pleaser
and the annual Southern Truck Parade draws thousands along its route around the city.
Hands up those who secretly would like to be way up there behind the wheel of one of those gleaming big rigs, 18 gears, 500 horsepower…..is there anything better ? Maybe driving a 100 year old steam train!
On the business front it was certainly encouraging to see that SouthPort NZ record a profit for the year just gone. The port company also announced plans to build an inland port in Invers over the coming year.
They also spoke of a changing landscape of port operations with other port companies looking further afield to attract cargoes to their ports. Nothing is static eh.
The work on projects on the go carries on and new projects like the repaint of the SBS headquarters in the central city getting prep for a repaint.
Welcome and congratulation to the operators of the new Mamma Lina Italian Restaurant on Tay Street where HMS Kings used to be. We tried it over the weekend and can thoroughly recommend it. Scrummy food and reasonably priced.
Why its taken this long to get an Italian eatery going in Invers is anyone’s guess.
But getting back to Labour Weekend, the first Labour Day was marked over 120 years ago after builder Samuel Parnell campaigned for a 8 hour working day.
In the early days there were big public gatherings to celebrate the occasion. Brass bands, picnics, sports events. Nowadays its an endless parade to the shops to catch a bargain in the big sales.
As a collective, what do we celebrate now ? maybe we’ll find out after the final whistle of the Rugby World Cup.
Go the All Blacks !
Have a great short week folks!