THE poor condition of the stonework at the Hosking Memorial Garden is a sign of neglect, says retired Queen Elizabeth Park superintendent Colin Pugh.

In the 26 years Mr Pugh cared for the park several projects were developed, including the Hosking Memorial Garden, which he designed and built, he said.

“When I came to Masterton in 1962 the Christina and Alice Baths were in place instead of the garden and it was very derelict and run-down. If you dig up underneath the garden beds the original hard fill is still there, and the inner and outside walls of the garden are the original walls of the baths.

After putting so much work into the garden and “taking it from nothing to a real showpiece in its day, makes it really sad that it may go”, he said.

“The important thing is that it was derelict and we created something that most towns would preserve. If you go to England and see a garden like this it would be looked after, but not here.”

Mr Pugh said you could see the neglect in that, “the stonework is crumbling and the seats are in need of a paint job”.

“It’s a disgrace to the local authorities that they would let something so important become so run-down.”

The park staff, not consultants, built the garden “so it’s personal to a lot of people”, he said.

“It’s very personal to me and it was built with proper shale stone which is a real craft, especially when you are faced with the derelict baths that were there.”

It wasn’t until the 1960s when the garden was built the town started to look after places, Mr Pugh said.

“The baths were built in 1910 and not much was done to them after that until we built the garden. Things used to be neglected and that’s where we are heading again.”

The proposed water feature for the Hosking Memorial Garden site doesn’t have much appeal, which is reason enough to submit to the council,” he said.

“I was approached and asked to put in a submission and, even though I retired from the garden a while ago now, there has only been two occasions where I have got involved in the park again, and both of them have been because of the garden.”

At the official opening of the Hosking Memorial Garden Mr Pugh was gifted with crystal wine glasses from William Hosking’s daughter, he said.

“At the time she said ‘Thank-you for saving the old swimming pool’ and she really appreciated the fact that the council had preserved it.”

source : times-age.co.nz