Changing of the guard at Stadium News In Brief

Luke van Velthooven stood in the heart of the Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 building as the applause echoed.

It was a fitting end; a farewell tribute held in the very facility he had helped bring to fruition.

The former chair of the stadium trust was officially farewelled from the role by friends and colleagues on Wednesday evening.

After 25 years at the helm of the trust that spearheaded the stadium project, Luke was quick to praise all who had helped make it the first-class centre it is today.

“Why is the stadium a success?

Because it delivered what it promised it would deliver.

‘The main reason for its success is the people, it’s by the people, for the people and it achieved all it set out to do.

“People respect it because it’s part of them, this place doesn’t get tagged … it’s part of what everyone enjoys.”

Four generations of the van Velthooven family were at the stadium to mark the milestone, including his six-month old granddaughter.

It was a proud moment for the family who listened as speakers, including master of ceremonies

Duncan McKenzie, councillor

Gerald Hope and incoming chair

Matt Kerr, paid tribute.

Matt said he clearly remembered first meeting Luke.

“I remember this very, very young guy got up introducing himself to the audience as chairman of Stadium 2000.

“It occurred to me, when I was looking at this guy, that he was bloody young to be leading such a big community project but the other thing that occurred to me was that he clearly had passion and determination to make this thing happen.

“In the 19 years I’ve worked with Luke I can honestly say that the determination and passion for the stadium hasn’t waned one bit.

“Long service of trustees has been a hallmark of the stadium. We are all incredibly passionate about what we have as a community,” Matt said.

Luke was appointed Patron of the Trust taking over from Roger Rose.

Thanking those who he has worked with over the years, Luke said he knew it was the right time for him to step aside. He said he was confident that those coming in were the right team for the job.

“There was a great docu called The Pecking Order, and there’s an old duck in that who refuses to give up the chair and it was quite insightful and made me think.

“The energy was coming back and I wasn’t quite keeping up, I wish I was.

“There are some wonderful things ahead and what a great management team we have, we had that back in the day too. We are in very, very good hands.”

Workplace Death

One person has died following a workplace incident in Blenheim. Emergency services were called to Main St around 2am on Monday where a fatally injured man was found underneath a truck. There was only one vehicle involved and the incident has been referred to the coroner and Worksafe.

Ferry Delays

Police were called out to Picton’s ferry terminal on Tuesday last week amid ongoing cancellations and rising tempers among passengers. Police say they were called to the Bluebridge terminal at around 12.30pm due to a large number of irate passengers who had their sailings cancelled. The spokesperson said there was no specific incident of abuse, but that officers patrolled the area regardless.

Congratulations

McKendry Ford in Blenheim have been awarded the 2022 Ford President’s Award again. The award is presented by Ford New Zealand for outstanding achievement across all aspects of Ford dealership operations.