At the recent Council meeting in Fairlie the Mayor, Anne Munro, thanked two local volunteers for their contributions to the community.
Anne Thomson was recognised for over 40 years of service to the community, having started as a volunteer in Fairlie on the night after she moved here.
Anne has been the driving force behind many improvements in Fairlie, and her work has resulted in a strong and thriving community.
Some of the projects she has been involved in over the years include:
- The Fairlie Village Green
- Projects for the new millennium
- The Main Street upgrade
- The Mackenzie District Archive
- The 150 Years Celebration
- The Trooper Mackenzie statue
- Bringing arts events to Fairlie
- The new skatepark
Rit Fisher was recognised for 33 years of service on the council’s Rural Travel Fund grants committee.
The Rural Travel Fund grants committee started in 1990 to distribute funding from the Hillary Commission (now Sport New Zealand) to help children in rural areas get to sports practice and events.
Since it started the committee has distributed $370,000 to children’s sports in Mackenzie. The grants have paid for team vans or buses, or fuel vouchers for parents.
Cr Fisher joined the Rural Travel Fund committee when it started 33 years ago and has taken part in the decision-making process every year as a volunteer until he resigned from the committee on becoming a councillor.