Click photo to enlarge
The Forbury Park stewards' stand is being demolished. Photo
by Stephen Jaquiery.
Demolition of the 90-year-old stewards' stand at the
Forbury Park Trotting Club in St Clair has begun.
Two diggers were used to pull down the roof yester-day and
Steve Ross, of Nash and Ross Ltd, said the whole building
should be gone within two or three weeks.
Ross said the bricks and concrete would be crushed and reused
and the timber, which was not valuable enough to be
recovered, would be sent to the company's landfill at
Burnside.
The two-storey stand housed race day officials including
stipendiary stewards, Judicial Control Authority staff, crash
crew and media.
The rear of the building housed the club's offices and, out
front, was the bird cage.
Club chief executive Ian Woodhouse said yesterday temporary
accommodation had been set up at the park and for the last
two meetings, horses were paraded in front of the main
members' stand.
It was intended to build new office and race day facilities,
possibly on the same site.
He believed many people would have "warm memories" of
evenings spent in the old stand.
"There's always a bit of an emotional tug when something of
that age and background goes but it is just the reality."
Just the reality?
The only reality is that this city is, piecemeal being destroyed by people who bowl over heritage, not to mention buildings that give an area character and sense of place, that's been around many times longer than their often pipsqueak years. The landmark hangar at north Taieri was a recent, it's sickening.
Sad
Forbury Park has lost its most charming feature.