Dear friends and supporters
The Albert Eden Local Board has withdrawn its masterplan for Chamberlain Park signalling a new beginning for us all. For our part we did have to make a compromise – that is losing the land across the Meola Creek. Importantly this means there will be no major works done to Chamberlain Park as had been envisaged by the masterplan. It will remain an 18 hole public golf course, though slightly shortened – for men golfers for example this means the course will go from a par 69 to a par 67 or 68. There is no time frame for the works to begin – but we have been given undertakings that every effort will be made to keep Chamberlain Park as an 18 hole golf course until any reconfiguration in completed. A key part of this agreement is that there will be collaboration and consultation going forward. A committee will be set up that includes golfers, the local community, NZ Golf and Auckland Golf as well as local board member/s. The aim is to improve Chamberlain Park for the golfers and for the community. Save Chamberlain Park was formed 2 ½ years ago (some of us have been fighting this for at least five years) to challenge what we saw as an egregious and unfair assault on golfers and the land itself. To be sitting where we are right now justifies the commitment to this campaign that many of us have made. Just to shout out a few people: Richard Quince (backing vocals), Louise Kane (on the key boards), Will McKenzie (keeping us out of jail), Wayne Gillies (giving us a voice) and Mike Battersby (sound advice). Then there are the likes of Stanley Palmer with his wise artistic musings, Wendy Gray whose passion for trees is second to none and all those who helped during the local body elections. All campaigns require funding. Those who have helped us fund this campaign include –the men's club, givealittle and our silent benefactors who ensured we were well enough resourced to fight our battles. A special thanks must also go to Christine Fletcher, Rachel Langton and Lee Corrick – their calm support and encouragement through this process kept us going. But that hopefully is history now. I would like to thank Margi Watson, for her leadership and courage to collaborate to find a solution that all parties can live with. The fact that the entire board was able to unite in reaching agreement on this vexatious issue signals a new beginning for the AELB and bodes well for the local community over the next three years. Where to here for Save Chamberlain Park? In the short term we will remain in existence whilst everything is put in place. There has been some great thinking within this group about how Chamberlain Park could be improved environmentally and for golfers and the community. We would like to see that knowledge used somehow when the Chamberlain Park committee is set up. Thank you again for your support…it has given us great encouragement. Having over 26,000 people on our petition site is fantastic, and a final thank you goes to each and every one of those people.
Regards Geoff
(Special ++ thanks also to Geoff Senescall who has been a tenacious and positive chairman of SCP. He has spent too many hours of his life on an issue that many thought was an unwinnable cause. However, his enthusiasm and encouragement of the SCP team has resulted in this excellent settlement.)