Auction and comedy show to raise funds

Fundraising for the proposed West Otago Health Centre is going well, but the committee is hoping the arrival of a comedy duo in town next weekend will give the project a boost.

Gary McCormick and Tim Shadbolt are bringing their stand-up comedy routine to the Heriot Community Centre next Friday.

An auction will also be held on the night, with an All Black shirt signed by Dan Carter, a white gold and diamond ring worth more than $4000 and a print by Deidre Copland among items being auctioned for the centre.

West Otago Health Centre Trust fundraising committee chairwoman Annalie Downie said the community had got behind the project and she hoped the show and auction would boost fundraising efforts.

"There's something for everyone at the auction - we've even got one month's worth of baking up for grabs."

On Wednesday, the West Otago Community Board recommended that the council hold $56,996 from the harvesting of a forestry block in West Otago in a reserve account for the proposed centre, to be handed over when the council's contribution of $1 million was called upon. The council has yet to approve the recommendation.

"No matter where you go to for your medical care, the fact that you can be collected by an ambulance and taken to this centre would be so valuable for the community. We'd be incredibly grateful if the council decided to give this money to the project," Mrs Downie said.

The $5.9 million facility, to be built on the grounds of the former Tapanui hospital, would include a 14-bed rest-home, primarily aimed at keeping the district's elderly residents in the town instead of forcing them to move to facilities in larger centres.

The centre would provide health services to about 2000 people in the West Otago area.

The Tapanui hospital was closed in 1994 and bought by the community in 2004. Last year, the hospital was demolished. The rubble and land will be cleared when the site is dry enough.

Mrs Downie said the site on State Highway 90 was an excellent location for a purpose-built facility in which to base the integrated health service.

West Otago Health Limited, a charitable company, was formed in 2002 to run the day-to-day business from its base at the West Otago Medical Centre in Tapanui.

The company provides a range of community health services - district nursing, home help, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and meals on wheels - and 24-hour general practice services seven days a week.