Progress.....

......in our small town, two brand new buildings are nearly ready for business.
 
The old Lambert building was built in 1914 but sadly didn't survive the earthquakes of 2010/11. There has always been a chemist or pharmacy operating from this site, back in 1914 the local chemist and his family lived upstairs above the dispensary. Over the weekend the pharmacist who was operating out of the old building when the earthquakes struck returned to a new, larger and brighter building, it has enabled him to employ 5 more staff.
 
The Conway building used to be a two storey white and navy building, combination of brick and wood and was home to the stationery and book store Paper Plus. Soon the Paper Plus chain will return with its vibrant green adding some colour to the old street.
 
While the earthquakes rocked this small market town, progress is certainly picking up and giving the town a new lease of life.

Today is Labour Day, first celebrated in New Zealand on the 28th of October 1890, it commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. The holiday was originally celebrated with parades that drew huge crowds in the main centres, followed by sports events and picnics.

Although these days we no longer have the large Labour Day parades, it has become a long weekend for families to spend time together, although sadly the malls and shops are still open.

Happy Labour Day everyone :)