150-year connection to Whanganui still strong
Published on 10 November 2015
10 November 2015
It’s been a community effort to clean up Kowhai Park after the June 2015 flood and now it’s the Army’s turn to lend a hand.
Twelve Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles Regiment (QAMR) soldiers from Linton spent three days over the last two weeks re-installing the path along the river-side of the park.
The troops dug out over 10cm of silt to find the original track, then reconstructed the wooden edges and filled it with sheet rock.
QAMR was originally formed as the Alexandra Troop of the Wanganui Cavalry Volunteers, established in 1864. The Regiment is the oldest active unit in New Zealand, with some of the original troops fighting in the New Zealand Wars.
Lt Ian Eagle said his team really enjoyed the work and were exhausted at the end of each day.
“It’s astronomical the effort they have put in. In the first two days they didn’t stop all day.”
Lt Eagle says QAMR has worked on projects around Whanganui for the last couple of years and celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. Although the troops come from all over New Zealand, they have a special connection to the district and would like to undertake more community work and have an ongoing relationship with Whanganui.
“Our roots go back more than 150 years so it’s good to come back to Whanganui. It’s great giving back to the community. As a troop we wanted to do something about areas affected by the floods. We still care and want Whanganui to know it’s not a forgotten-about community.
“We want people to get used to seeing us around the district doing work and continue building our relationship with Whanganui.”
Mayor Annette Main says the effort undertaken by QAMR to rebuild the path has been outstanding and she appreciates the commitment of the troops.
“It’s fantastic to see the dedication to our district from these guys. They are really proud of their connection to Whanganui and helping rebuild Kowhai Park is a great way to celebrate and acknowledge this connection. We are really glad that they want to develop a relationship with Whanganui and I am sure there will be more projects they will lend their skills to.”