Parade to celebrate our Southland Olympians

A ticker tape parade for our Southland Olympians will be held in Invercargill on Thursday, August 23, beginning at 4pm, Invercargill City Council Mayor Tim Shadbolt announced today.

Mayor Shadbolt invited all Southlanders to join in the celebrations for the Southland Olympians Nathan Cohen, Storm and Jade Uru, Louise Ayling, Natalie Wiegersma, Eddie Dawkins and Natasha Hansen.

“We want everyone to line the parade route and shower the Olympians with multicoloured streamers.

“Nathan Cohen is the first Southland athlete to win a gold medal in the 150 year history of the city.

“Having not one but seven Olympians representing Southland is really special and worth celebrating with a ticker tape parade,” Mayor Shadbolt said.

Ticker tape will be handed out along the route, or can be collected free from shops along the parade route on the afternoon of the parade.  Council has ordered about 10,000 rolls of ticker tape for the parade, during which 1,000 balloons will also be released to celebrate the Olympians’ sporting efforts.

The parade will start at the corner of Leet and Dee streets at 4pm and will head down Dee Street, turning at Esk Street, Kelvin Street and then into Tay Street, where it will finish outside the Civic Theatre.

Following the parade, His Worship the Mayor and the Southland Olympians will address the crowd from the balcony of the Civic Theatre.

Mayor Shadbolt said many local individuals, sporting clubs and organisations were working with Council to make the parade memorable.