As noted at the start of the Bulletin, after a long gestation and a lot of work out 50th Anniversary project was finally unveiled.
From President Govinds address at the unveiling;
"A very warm welcome to you all to this afternoon’s unveiling of this Beautiful sculpture Ngā Manu created by Dion Hitchens. Dion has created several pieces which are part of the Auckland Council’s public art collection
- Nga-Manu translates as the tūī squawks, the kākā chatters, the kererū coos and references that it takes all kinds of people to create a community
- This proverb is about acceptance and being non-judgemental and alludes to how can we be more like the birds and accept diversity as normal, working together to create a better community and environment
It is indeed an honour and a privilege to be here on this very important day for Pakuranga Rotary.As you may know the Rotary club of Pakuranga has worked closely with the council in bringing to life this magnificent piece of Art.The project has been many years in the making mainly due to the delays caused by Covid and we are immensely pleased that the sculpture in now available for the enjoyment of the community and it commemorates 50 years of service to the community by the Rotary club of Pakuranga.
It is pertinent to note that the Rotary walkway stretching 9km from Prince Regent Drive in Farm Cove to the Panmure Bridge was built over several years by volunteers from the Rotary club of Pakuranga in collaboration with council.
We also built the childrens playground on Bramley reserve and both the walkway and the playground are well used,popular community facilities which we are proud to have been part of.
It was therefore apt for The Rotary Club of Pakuranga to partner with Auckland Council to co-commission a permanent artwork for the Pakuranga Rotary Walkway at Sanctuary Point
- The artwork is intended to celebrate the 2020 anniversary of 50 years of Pakuranga Rotary service in this area, which was commemorated in May 2021 - delayed due to the Covid
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the council for the enormous support and for providing the opportunity to work collaboratively to bring to fruition this magnificent sculpture.
I would also like to thank members of Pakuranga Rotary who dedicated their time and energy to ensure the project is a success. In this regard I would particularly like to thank Kelvin Davies and Del Johnston among several others in the club for their dedicated work which has made this possible.
We hope this lovely sculpture provides enjoyment to our local community and adds to the beauty of Sanctuary point."