News Monday, February 29, 2016
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Ashburton Guardian
5
■ ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLES SHOW
Old treasures polished for annual show By Caitlin Porter
Caitlin.p@theguardian.Co.nz
The antiques are being polished and memorabilia boxed up in preparation for the Rotary Club of Ashburton’s Antique and Collectables show. The annual event is set to take place next weekend and already antique and vintage collectables dealer Raylene Stuart is preparing her displays. Mrs Stuart is a passionate collector of many things, from books to dolls, cutlery, cake mixers and toy cars. A collector for more than 20 years, her love for antiques continues to grow – so much so that not only does she have a house truck full of wares, she has also converted her garage to a makeshift show room. For this year’s show, Mrs Stuart said she will have a variety of antiques on display including old favourites such as timeworn telephones and lanterns, china trios and restored clocks, and transistor radios. There will also be a table dedicated to kids, filled with toys, dolls and teddy bears. Mrs Stuart will be one of many stall holders setting up 40 displays and over 80 sales tables at the show this Saturday. Last year more than 800 bargain hunters converged on the show and Mrs Stuart said it was hoped turnout would be as good this year. The show will be held at the Sports Hall on Tancred Street on Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Entry is $3, with children under 12 years free; refreshments will be available.
Collector and antique dealer Raylene Stuart will be one of many stallholders at this year’s Rotary Club of Ashburton Antique and Collectables show. PHOTO AMANDA KONYN 250216-AK-010
Felting lessons from Russia, with love By erin tasker
erin.t@theguardian.Co.nz
Five years ago Maria Shtrik introduced Russia to Ashford Handicrafts, and now she’s flown halfway around the world to see where it all began. Ms Shtrik, the exclusive distributor for Ashford Handicrafts in Russia, has come to Ashburton all the way from Moscow for an eight-day visit which will include visiting the Ashford Woollen Mill in Milton where wool is dyed, carded, combed and gilled into silver, and meeting some of the farmers that supply the Ashford mill with wool. Ashford Handicrafts director Elizabeth Ashford said it was exciting to have Ms Shtrik visiting, five years after she first discovered the Ashburton company’s products. “She saw our products in Japan and went back to Russia and couldn’t find anyone with our products, so she went to England and got one of our spinning wheels in England and learnt how to use it and took it back to Russia,” Mrs Ashford said. Ms Shtrik then began importing Ashfords’ spinning wheels and weaving looms to Russia five years ago, and opened a showroom, workshop and studio where she teaches and sells the Ashford range in Moscow late last year.
Russian Maria Shtrik is sharing craft ideas during her stay in New Zealand. Mrs Ashford said felting was big in Russia, but not so much spinning and weaving, and it was felting where Ms Shtrik – a scientist, and talented craftswoman herself – produced her most beautiful work. On Saturday, she hosted a workshop at Ashford Handicraft where she took participants
through the process of making a luxury felted scarf. The workshop was just part of a full-on eight days for Ms Shtrik, with the focus on training, product development and marketing and sales planning, Mrs Ashford said. “She’s got some product development ideas for her market, so
it’s two ways; she’s learning about our market, and contributing things from her market.” Mrs Ashford said Ashford Handicrafts was now in more than 40 countries around the world. Its main market was in America, but others – like Russia – were growing.
Learner driver clocked at 127km/h A learner driver carrying a passenger was driving more than double the posted speed limit in wet conditions when he was pulled over by police. The Waikato Road Policing team posted a photo of the Subaru Impreza on its Facebook page, saying it was “unacceptable” after its driver broke the law twice on Saturday night. The driver was travelling 127km/h in a 60km/h speed zone and told the police officer he “wanted to go faster”. The Facebook post was accompanied by the tags #notinthemoodforboyracers #checkyourspeed #checkyourkids and urging people to take care after the Serious Crash unit attended six callouts in the past week. A police officer who attended the job commented on the page that he was threatened by a mob of people who said he had “big balls” going there and hurled things at the patrol car. The driver did not own the car, but earlier in the night another driver had been given a warning not to sell his vehicle in case it was confiscated by the courts.