The fleet of foot will be suitably rewarded at the Mayoral Mile 2007.

There is already a substantial prize being offered the elite winner, plus the placings money looks pretty good too, but this year there is an added incentive for the very swift to excel.

Run the mile in less than four minutes and there's $1000 in it for you. Guaranteed! That's $1000 for less than four minutes work; good wages indeed.

But even if you don't belong to that category of gifted athletes who will pick up a grand for a grand performance, and you feel reasonably sure that the lesser prize money is not yours for the winning, there are many other incentives to nevertheless take part in this internationally renowned event.

There will be spot prizes, including a trip for two to Australia. Everyone who completes the mile will be awarded a medal. Then there is the acclaim of the crowd and your peers, the thrill of the race, the roar of the cheering throngs, and the knowledge that you have done your best on the hallowed ground of Cooks Gardens. After all, that is where Peter Snell ran a world record mile in 1962 in front of a crowd that will treasure the memory forever.

So make March 17 a day to remember with pride and personal satisfaction. A day on which you were a part of a major sporting spectacle of such mass participation that it became news far and wide. A day when you were an active competitor in Wanganui's premier sporting event, the Mayoral Mile.

Mayor Michael Laws is pictured presenting Nick Willis with the winner's cheque at Mayoral Mile 2006.

For longer than was healthy, the Bridge to Bridge swim was a feature of the Wanganui sporting calendar.

From the first race in the 1920s, when competitors swam in their woollen neck to knee Speedos, to the 1960s when the composition of the river was mostly raw sewage, the historic race struggled on against the tide and the growing collection of unsavoury flotsam.

Then, in 1967, the organisers decreed that the pollution had reached a level too toxic for recreational swimmers and the ancient competition was put in dry dock.

Twenty-nine years later, in 1996, with the Whanganui River a sight cleaner and containing a higher percentage of fresh water, the annual Bridge to Bridge swim was reinstated and the competition began again in earnest. Since then, many ex-Wanganui swimmers have travelled from far and wide to 'take to the water'. Adding to the interest and history of the race, a number of competitors are grandchildren of those who competed in the first races. Organisers hope that these people will return for the 2007 Mayoral Bridge to Bridge Swim.

This year the Wanganui Masters Swimmers Club will host the 3.2km Mayoral Bridge to Bridge Swim and for the first time this race will be expanded to include the 2km Mayoral Park to Bridge Swim. The organisers are delighted that Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws has sponsored both races and hope that the short course Park to Bridge swim will encourage new swimmers to make history.

"I think it has the potential to become a national event," Mayor Laws said.

He regards this swim as the equivalent of a 10km fun run or a 50km bike ride.

"Swimming between the bridges is a feat; it really requires dedication to achieve it. I urge everyone to have a go. Test yourself, enjoy yourself."

The river swims are being held on Sunday, February 11. The 3.2km race will start at the Union Boat Sheds at 12:30pm, with swimmers making their way upstream on an incoming tide finishing at the Aramoho/Wanganui boat club. The 2km race will start at Kowhai Park at 12:30pm and will also end at the Aramoho/Wanganui boat club.

The deadline for entering the river swims is tomorrow, Friday, February 2. It is essential that you enter by the deadline as no entries will be accepted on the day. Entry forms are available at the Splash Centre or by contacting Naomi Cogger on 0212 936 940 or via email.

Photo: Mayor Michael Laws presents Wendy Whitham and Ron Richards of the Wanganui Master Swimmers with a cheque for $1500 as prize money for the Mayoral Bridge to Bridge Swim 2007.

Also happening...

Tonight from 5.30, the Pumpkin Series '07, featuring 3km and 5km walks and runs starting near the pumpkin in Kowhai Park. Entry $3 or $2 for under 12s.

This weekend on the river, the Wanganui Rowing Champs.

And from February 10 to 18, the ACC Thinksafe New Zealand Masters Games.

Vacancy

Governance Services Support Officer
Applications close 4 February 2007

Municipal Services
Waitangi Day – Tuesday, 6 February 2007

You can contact us at any time on phone (06) 349 0001.

Municipal Office Building and District Library Services
Closed

Refuse collection
Normal refuse collection on Tuesday.

Information Centre
Open 9.00am to 3.00pm

Sarjeant Gallery
Open 10.30pm to 4.30pm

Whanganui Regional Museum
Open 10.00pm to 4.30pm

Recycling
The 'SaveMart' Wanganui Recycling Centre in Peat Street, opposite the netball courts, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take your cardboard, newspapers, plastic bottles, aluminium cans, steel cans, plastic bags and textiles. Free drop-off.

After hours services are listed in the telephone directory under 'Wanganui District Council'.

Council meetings

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Sport and Activity – Tuesday, February 13 (1pm)

Hearings – Wednesday, February 14 (2pm)

Council Meeting – Thursday, February 15 (Council Chamber, 1pm)
- Roading Professional Services and Physical Works Review

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Thursday, February 15

Hearings – Wednesday, February 21 (2pm – to be confirmed)

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at 4.00pm in Committee Room 2, 1st Floor, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

Agendas are available at the Customer Services Counter, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, and the Wanganui District Library two working days prior to the meeting.

Meeting cancellation

As there is no business to transact, the Heritage Committee's meeting to be held on Thursday, 8 February 2007, has been cancelled.