Ali
When I first came to Christchurch here in 1989, all around here was an absolute hubbub.
Right where we’re standing used to be a fruit shop with a dance studio upstairs, and where those cars are there used to be a driveway. And the Bargain Me, that was actually called Super Value. I used to be involved in the Linwood Village Market, I had a little stall there selling jam.
Across the road there, it used to be the bank, then it became Video Ezy, and then it’s become Euphoria Dance Studio, so hopefully it’ll still be there in a year or two. I hope so.
The Bookshop and Post Office, when Te Whare Roimata took it over, they had to learn how to run a post shop. They never had a clue how to run a post shop, the previous owner made it look so easy. I enjoyed going to the post shop there, because you had not only magazines and secondhand books, It was a very nice place to go to.
I like this area because it’s got soul, it’s got a real vibe. But the powers that be have all got dollar signs in their eyes – Money, money, money. Getting rid of things such as the post shop, not a bright idea. This area now I’m sorry to say, from my angle, it seems to be missing its heart. It does have potentiality to go from here to there, wherever ‘there’ is, I don’t know.