THE future for the RNZAF museum at Ohakea, at least in its present form, is? zero.
That prospect disappointed Rangitikei and Manawatu civic leaders who met with National RNZAF Museum Trust Board chief executive Therese Angelo yesterday to try to stave off closure of the Ohakea facility.
The announcement the Ohakea Museum
would shut its doors for good on April 15 came out of the blue, like a Skyhawk at full throttle, just a week ago.
There was no consultation with any of the local authorities with an interest in the museum, or with any of the people who were closely involved with the Ohakea Museum project from its inception more than 20 years ago.
Yesterday Manawatu District Mayor Ian McKelvie, Palmerston North City Mayor Heather Tanguay and Rangitikei District councillor Jill Strugnell, emerged from the hour-long meeting disappointed and disillusioned.
Mr McKelvie described the discussion as "not very helpful".
The trio went into the meeting hopeful of having an opportunity to "have some input" that could persuade the Christchurch-based national trust board to reverse its closure decision.
"But that did not eventuate," he said.
Mrs Tanguay said the discussion had been "airy fairy" and she was not at all satisfied with Mrs Angelo's offer to come back for another discussion later in the year after the museum closed and its artefacts had been removed.
"That's not what the community wants. If everything is packed up and taken away it will never be returned," she said.
Cr Strugnell said it was always difficult dealing with an organisation "at a distance".
She was disappointed that the trust board was hanging its closure decision around the possibility the RNZAF might need the present museum site for future development.
An attempt by the deputation to persuade Mrs Angelo to at least delay the closure move until the Air Force's redevelopment plan was clear, was also unsuccessful.
Cr Strugnell said Mrs Angelo had promised to take the concerns expressed yesterday back to her board but there was "no suggestion the museum will not close on the scheduled date."
She said the removal of the Ohakea museum's artifacts would be "the destruction of any hope for the museum's future."
