TRIBUTE TO MR ELLIOTT

Press, 13 June 1979, Page 20

TRIBUTE TO MR ELLIOTT

The president of the Lake Ida Winter Sports Association (Mr Bert Lyttle) paid tribute to the sterling contribution of Mr Arthur Elliott, of Rangiora, at the annual meeting of the body. Mr Elliott retired after serving nine years as rink manager at Lake Ida. Mr Elliott said that he felt that he had better pull out as-he was slowing down a bit. Little wonder — he turned 86 last April. Mr Elliott took a keen interest in developing the lake and has skated there since 1946, before the access road was built. Even when he was over 80 years, he was regularly seen playing a game of ice hockey. He was elected a life member of the association in 1973 and is still an active member of the committee. The Lake Ida Winter Sports Association is in control of Lake Ida throughout the year. It holds a sub-lease of the land for roads, car parks, buildings and plantations of trees. In a norma! winter, when the whole lake is covered, there is more than 16 hectares of skateable ice. The last few seasons have been milder than average and subsequently the association has suffered financial losses

which have prevented it from making the planned improvements.

The longest skating seasons at Lake Ida were in 1952 and 1957. when skating started at the end of May and finished towards the end of August. The maximum thickness of ice in both cases was 35cm — a depth not reached since.