Dux ducks removal ruffles feathers

VICKI ANDERSON

Last updated 11:37 16/04/2011

Where are the Dux's ducks?

Supporters of Christchurch's Dux de Lux restaurant and bar have been tying yellow paper ducks and love hearts, offering messages of support, to the cordon fence around the Arts Centre venue.

However, the ducks, which were all in a row, keep disappearing.

"They are sitting ducks to someone," supporter Tristin Anderson said.

The thefts have left Lisa Sinke puzzled and angry.

Sinke, the wife of Dux de Lux owner Richard Sinke, said she and Danielle Herrick, wife of Dux de Lux manager Ross Herrick, came up with the idea of the "Dux ducks" after seeing similar messages of support outside the Carlton Hotel and Knox Church.

"We tied a yellow folder to the fence and cable-tied yellow ducks and love hearts onto the fence so people could leave messages."

The Herricks' daughter spent an afternoon painstakingly cutting out the duck shapes and a lot of people had filled in messages of support.

However, when Ross Herrick returned the next day, everything had gone.

Sinke said she was "so incensed" she tied on more ducks immediately.

"We put up another 20 and the next day we came back, and they were gone too. There was no sign of anything at all.

"I mean, why would you bother? Paper ducks with messages of love aren't particularly threatening.

"It's a protest but a peaceful protest from people who want to save the venue.

"Someone suggested tying a giant inflatable duck to the roof - at least that would be harder to tear down."

On Thursday staff from the Dux de Lux were granted access to clear out items and discovered some paper ducks had been screwed up and thrown into a skip, located inside the Arts Centre's own cordon, accessible only to Arts Centre personnel.

Arts Centre director Ken Franklin said yesterday that he was unaware of their disappearance.

"I didn't even know they existed in the first place."

Customer Marian Little, 76, yesterday wrote her own message of support on a piece of stationery covered in yellow ducks.

When asked if she had seen any potential duck thieves nearby, she laughed.

"No, and if I did I'd whack them with my handbag. I miss this place. I used to come here on a Sunday for a glass of wine and a nice meal with a friend. Why would anyone steal a paper duck? You'd have to be crackers or should that be quackers?"

A Civil Defence spokeswoman had no information about the ducks' whereabouts.

She said Civil Defence would only be interested in the ducks if they were interfering with health and safety.

"There are tapestries and other things on fences around the city. It is pretty unlikely paper ducks would be considered a health and safety issue to Civil Defence. No-one here knows anything about them," she said.