I lived on Avonside drive for over 20 years. It was a fabulous place to live. The day I first drove along side the river when looking to buy my first house in Christchurch I just knew it was going to be the place I wanted to live. It was a great place to raise my family, and we enjoyed the living in such a beautiful place. We were only a 5 minute drive from the central city, yet it felt like living in the country side. I walked around the river everyday while living there and my children were able to walk to school.

I remember one day we had a seal make its way up the river, and it made itself at home on the river bank right opposite our house.

There used to be lots of trees lining the river bank. Occasionally they would lose branches in high winds, and fall into the river. Unfortunately all of the ones that used to be along our stretch of the river died after the earthquakes.

We used to see lots of people white baiting in the river, though I was always surprised that they did. For all that the river looked nice, it has been polluted for a long time. My daughter fell in it when she was 2 years old and I couldn't believe the smell of the mud when I stepped in it to pull her out.

I still remember watching the dredge clearing out the weed when I was taking my children for walks and to feed the ducks. One of the dredge drivers was a friendly young man who often used to stop to chat with us. Unfortunately he died when the dredge overturned. After the accident, the dredging eventually stopped. I'm not sure if the weed is still an issue or not, but it used to get very congested and was difficult to even paddle a canoe in it. In the future plan, I would love to see the river become a great recreational facility for canoeing and to become a nice walking place again.

I know there are lots of fruit trees still remaining in the red zone, and I hope these can be retained to provide fruit for those who need it. It would be fantastic to be able to go for a walk and find fruit along the way. It would also be good if excesses could be harvested for the city mission. Many of the existing trees have special signifance to the people who planted them and I really hope they can be incorporated into the new plan. I for one, still visit the area and it is the remaining trees that identify the section were we used to live. There are a lot of memories associated with the remaining trees and I would hate for these to be removed. If managed properly, the existing trees will help regenerate new growth, and help to create a forest park that will attract the birds back into the area.

I think we have an exciting opportunity to make a great park with walking and cycling tracks, from the city to the sea that we can all enjoy. It woukd be perfect for the city to surf event and keep it away from the traffic.

If it is possible, I think it would be great to create a lake where rowing can be held.

My main point I would like to make is that the red zone was the home for a lot of people, and most of the residents had to leave because of the decision made by government after the earthquakes. We did not leave by choice. I personally would still be there if I had the choice. We were forced to leave. So this area needs to be treated with respect for the previous care taker's of this land.