The Waterside is winning! 18th January 2008

"St Columb's Park?? In the...in the WATERside!?" came the exasperated exclamation of a colleague when the venue for our weekly game of 'indoor' was announced.
With both Templemore and Brooke Park unavailable, St Columb’s Park was the obvious choice. Besides, it is not that much further from the Buncrana Road office than Rosemount is. However, the look of shock on his face would have made you think he lived in Israel’s Westbank (as opposed to Derry’s) and that I had suggested we take a dander to the Gaza strip for a kickabout.What is it with Derry’s Westbankers and their ridiculous unwillingness to venture across the bridges for any reason other than to catch a flight out of the country?The vast majority of Waterside folk have no problem visiting the Cityside as and when we need to, but a substantial minority of Citysiders are loathe to do the same. Maybe we are just a heartier breed - more individual, more daring, braver.Last week it was announced that the ‘out of hours’ GP service is to be switched from Great James Street to a destination about five minutes away (at night time) by car. Shock and dismay are rampant at the prospect of Citysiders being deprived of this important service but, seriously, it is not as if it’s being moved to Strabane (or further afield)! Then again, as a dyed-in-the-wool ‘Waterside-er’, I’m used to the whinging of those raised on the wrong side of the Foyle.As a boy, when I awoke in the middle of the night with a fever or bad cough I was shipped off across Craigavon Bridge to see the doctor in Great James Street - no bother, no fuss, no crying to politicians.A spokesman from the Western Health and Social Services Board explained the benefits of moving the service to Altnagelvin Hospital. These benefits include providing patients with a much wider range of services on one site and the easier transfer of patients between GP and A&E services when needed. GPs will also have greater access to a broader range of services su
ch as X-rays at Altnagelvin. Take your oil Citysiders, the move makes perfect sense.If someone takes ill during the night, it is hassle enough getting organised to make a trip to Great James Street. Whilst there, if it becomes clear that the next appropriate step is A&E or admission into hospital, a second onward journey will only increase stress levels for everybody concerned. Basing the out of hours service at Altnaglevin would save valuable, potentially life-saving, time.For too long the Eastbank-dwellers have had to tolerate the snipes and lofty attitudes of Cityside folk. I had to tolerate it all through my teenage years as ‘a college boy’.Once upon a time, all the best things Derry had to offer were based on the Cityside. Years ago I envied your easy access to the cinema, Foyleside, LazerQuest, the Bowling Alley, the Brandywell and, of course, swarms of Thornhill girls.
We had to content ourselves with Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre and Knockwellan football pitches.But we didn’t grumble, we just got on with it as best we could and hoped that, one day, we would be back on something approaching level terms.Now that the Waterside is finally making some progress, Cityside folk are finding it difficult to deal with.‘In your face!’And the Waterside IS making progress. For example, look at the shape of your Tesco’s compared to ours. Ours is open 24hrs for God’s sake - in your face!And for all the charm and history of Brooke Park, it falls into mediocrity when compared to the might and glamour of our new, shiny JJB gym.Those who dwell on the Westbank and never venture over to the Waterside really don’t know what they’re missing - the air is cleaner, the people are friendlier (and better looking), the roads are safer, and it never rains. Every morning I
awaken to golden sunlight streaming through my blinds and a lark’s birdsong means there is no need for an alarm clock. It’s magical!Citysiders should be thankful to us for not dismantling the bridges and casting them adrift into obscurity. With the ever expanding landmasses of Muff and Killea, the cityside (as we know it now) will eventually get swallowed up and become nothing but a footnote between those two; an unfortunate bit of land which people have to drive through to go visit their folks on the other side.Well, maybe not. For all its ills, the Cityside still has The Walls, the Craft Village, the Nerve Centre, Cool Discs, the Forte, Sandino’s, and the road to Fahan - all excellent advertisements and attractions for our great city as a whole.But, when all is said and done, at least we’re getting the ‘out of hours’ service. Ha!Ah well, sure we take what we can get...