Take me home, country roads
To the place I belong... (not west) Virginia, Dunedin Park
The Mish started as a way to bring you longer, in-depth reporting about Dunedin and its people. Through The Mish, you’ll have read about a jailhouse lawyer turned bestselling author, the saga of Cr Lee Vandervis’ parking ticket and the end of my grudge against Six60.
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You know the one:
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roadsI hear her voice in the mornin’ hour, she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Drivin’ down the road, I get a feelin’
That I should’ve been home yesterday, yesterday
If you ever find yourself in Washington and fancy a forgotten slice of Dunedin, head south on the I-95.
The I-95 stretches from Florida all the way to the Canadian border, some 3000km - almost twice the length of New Zealand - but the journey you need to take is much shorter.
Heading south to Portsmouth, Virginia, (apologies for the reworking of Country Road by John Denver) will take you just over three and a half hours, once you turn off at the I-64.
Sure, you could visit some of the top-rated attractions on TripAdvisor: Children’s Museum of Virginia! Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum! The Hill House!
But head straight to Dunedin Park. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Dunedin Park, just off Dunedin Dr, in the city of Portsmouth (pop: 94,961), is named after Dunedin, New Zealand.
I went there on Tuesday, well, I followed Google Maps around the suburban streets (it was wheelie bin day; it always seems to be wheelie bin day), and marvelled at the street names: Helensburgh Dr, Pine Hill Cres, Māori Dr, Māori Cres, Challis Dr, Mornington Dr, St Clair Dr, St Clair Ct, and Ōpoho Cres. Not to mention the unusual spelling of Woodbaugh Dr and Kinsington Dr.
What. Is. Going. On.
This weird bit of Kiwi trivia was posted on Facebook by Radio One 91 FM breakfast DJ, Jamie Green, who has been researching and writing quizzes for 15 years (you can catch the quiz at Dog with Two Tails)
He knew about Dunedin, Florida, but was excited to come across the Dunedin connection with Portsmouth.
Anyway, I contacted the City of Portsmouth, and got the following reply from city clerk Debra Y White:
So how did this come about?
Turns out that Portsmouth, a coastal city with a population similar to Dunedin, became one of our sister cities after an initial approach in 1961.
According to the Dunedin City Council’s website:
“However, there was a more logical reason behind this proposal. At that time, a United States Navy ship was stationed south of New Zealand as part of the ‘Operation Deep Freeze’ programme, functioning as a communication link with US planes travelling to McMurdo Sound (Antarctica). Dunedin was used by this ship as its home port between assignments, and it was felt that this link could be enhanced by establishing a formal link between the cities.”
This sister city love fest was cemented in late 1962 (we’ve got an anniversary coming up!!).
The website mentions how the relationship included “naming of new areas of each city in honour of the other including Portsmouth Drive in Dunedin, and the suburb of Dunedin in Portsmouth”.
But events between the cities became rare and the relationship “was now dormant”.
Dormant!
According to city clerk Debra Y White:
“The City of Portsmouth Sister Cities program was disbanded in 2010.”
Ouch.
Thanks to Kevin P Harcus, of the city of Chesapeake, who trawled through the archival records and found that the Dunedin neighbourhood, park and surrounding streets were all established in late 1965 - early 1966.
In total, 202 acres of agricultural land were rezoned by the city to various residential uses to allow this neighbourhood to be built.
The firm that brought this proposal to Chesapeake’s City Council back in early 1966 was Dunedin Ltd. (based in nearby Norfolk, Virginia) with an agent by the name of P. Porcher Gregg.
By all indications, this is when all the New Zealand-related names were established, Harcus said.
Dunedin’s other sister cities are Edinburgh (the Dunedin of the north), Otaru (Japan), and Shanghai.
And here are some more mayoral profiles.
First, Bill Acklin, 58.
Occupation: Business development manager
Political affiliation: None
Tell us why you want to be mayor of Dunedin.
I have been community driven all my life. In particular through entertainment. I spent nine years as a Dunedin city councillor from 2004-2013. I stood down to explore other opportunities. Given the challenges the Council faces now, I feel I can be the most effective leader through my experience as a proven facilitator, knowledge of how council works, and the ability to communicate well with all walks of life. I’m not a part of any party or political group, so I do not come with any pet projects. Only the desire to see Dunedin prosper.
What are the biggest issues facing Dunedin next term, and what are your solutions?
Accessibility; being our transport network, parking and practical public transport options are high priorities for the next term. As are the government’s proposed Three Waters strategy, coastal erosion and the future of South Dunedin.
Communication is the key. Inclusion of our community and how we deliver information is what needs to be improved. I will fight for protecting our assets and attractions, promoting our city as the best city in New Zealand through acknowledging and celebrating what we have, and who we are.
If you had to vote for another mayoral candidate, who would you vote for and why?
If I thought there was a candidate that could deliver in this role better than I could, I wouldn’t be standing.
Our next mayoral candidate is: Jett Groshinski, 19.
Occupation: Student
Political affiliation: Independent
Tell us why you want to be mayor of Dunedin.
Kia ora, my name is Jett Groshinski, and I am a student here at the University of Otago. I am running for Mayor of Dunedin because I believe we need a different kind of leadership. I think we need a new perspective at the table. I am concerned that people are not being heard and that not all groups are being represented. I believe there needs to be more work into cooperation between the council, staff and the public. My focus will be on encouraging a council and community that is always working to be better.
What are the biggest issues facing Dunedin next term, and what are your solutions?
Dunedin as a city has been managed well over the years, but there is always more that can be done. The main issues that I see next term surrounds cooperation and representation for the community. Throughout my campaign through talking with community groups I found that groups have not felt listened to. My solution to this is to push for more consultation which is built on trust and respect. We need to run an education campaign to teach the residents of Dunedin how they can get involved and make sure their voice is being heard.
If you had to vote for another mayoral candidate, who would you vote for and why?
If I felt there was another candidate that perfectly captured the essence of what I believe Dunedin needs in a representative, I would not be standing for mayoralty. However, there are different qualities I value in a few of my fellow candidates. If I had to choose another mayoral candidate to vote for, I feel I can most closely align with Cr Sophie Barker. Even though Cr Sophie Barker and I have differing views, one of the most pressing issues the council currently needs to improve on is better, more inclusive communication and cooperation. I believe this view is held by both of us.
Thanks to Bill and Jett.
ICYMI: I had an update on my Kelly Smith story for Stuff, and received some great tip-offs, more updates soon.
This weekend I was seriously thinking about putting a bid on this at Hayward’s Auction House.
Amazing, and I can still smell it.
Tweet of the Week goes to this beautiful photo:
To finish here is a classic video of the time Tinie Tempah came to perform in Dunedin. I love when he drives down Castle St.
I wish everyone a great week.
1. I always find the answers to your last candidate question interesting "There are no other viable candidates, you must got for me" seems to be the most common. Hats off to those that say "If I had to, I'd got for XX for reasons" which is the point
2. Recently Channel hopping and Tinie was hosting a home renovation show, completely different worlds! (Extraordinary Extensions on Eden)
Please tell me who to vote for 🤔🗳