Peter Carr
As I look out of my window this lovely Sunday morning I marvel at the myriad colours before me. Many of them from golden and red to brown leaves now settled on the ground had been windblown from their lofty tree perches.
There are some who abhor this time of the year as they have to sweep their drives lest the leaves slide under their garage doors and navigate around mounds of leaves that start to clog the rainwater gutter drains.
Need we remind those folk that Cambridge is the Town of Trees and Champions, well renowned and respected for both those titular facets? Is it just too hard for about four weeks of the year to lean on the broom or drag the rake to affect a tidier façade to your property?
A wee bit of energy and public spirit goes a long way.
Which brings me to visitors to our lovely town. Some of them, would you believe, come to see the trees. That they possibly cause a shortness of car parking from time to time is to be expected. That the retailers and food providers need those people from out-of-town is clear evidence that the population of Cambridge alone does not fill the tills sufficiently for them to remain in business.
Which brings me to welcoming those visitors. And, importantly, how we explain the delights of not only CBD-centred attractions but the wider net that is centred upon Cambridge. Lake Karapiro, Maungatautari, Mystery Creek, Velodrome, Sculpture Park, Lake Te Koo Utu – the list goes on. How are we ensuring that those pleasure-seeking visitors are suitably and fully aware of what lies beyond the boundaries of Victoria Street?
Well, a visibly situated and seven days a week attractive visitor centre would be a starter. There have been a number of iterations of such an information centre for many years initially financed to a greater extent by the Waipa District Council. Whether councils should be tipping ratepayer funds into the tourism pot would prompt be a lengthy discussion. It appears that in Cambridge those days are past. Latterly the excellent and well-positioned facility (with paid staff) at the Town Hall gave way to an almost invisible single desk with reduced services at the velodrome. That too has, sadly, closed.
Take a look at the attractively uniformed ‘Can I Help You’ people at Auckland airport. All volunteers. All retired who are proud to enjoy ‘selling’ the attractions of their city. Is it possible that such a being could be created here at a high-visible spot, seven days a week with suitably interested and intelligent retirees? Who would coordinate such a venture? Is it worth investigating further? Would the retailers chip in to help the initial funding? Is there a key sponsor who would step forward?
So I am flying a kite. I make no apology. This is your town as well as mine and I am proud to be here and want it to prosper. The point is, do you?
