Mark of appreciation

Taieri Gorge Railway chief executive Murray Bond (left) presents a certificate of appreciation to former chairman John Farry at the Dunedin Railway Station this week.

Mr Bond said the certificate and prints of the Taieri Gorge Railway train and Dunedin Railway Station were presented to Mr Farry as a mark of gratitude for his 23 years of service as Taieri Gorge Railway chairman.

Mr Farry retired at the end of last year and had got on board as chairman during the ''save the train'' appeal in 1991 which raised more than $1 million, Mr Bond said.

Mr Farry said the company had evolved to become part of the fabric of Dunedin.

''It was just a hobby operation and is now at the point where it is carrying 80,000 passengers per annum and become a very significant part of the Dunedin infrastructure.''

Mr Farry said he expected the company to go ''from strength to strength''.