Sport’s toughest two minutes GB Community Board

Golden Bay Community Board’s first meeting of the year took place in its now-regular Monday afternoon timeslot at Tasman District Council (TDC) Service Centre in Tākaka.

Board chair Abbie Langford was unable to attend in person but joined the meeting, chaired by Grant Knowles, via Zoom.

Public Forum

Noel Baigent opened the contributions by thanking the board for its support through the seven years it took to reinstate the grandstand, saying “heritage is important” and noting that, as a result of the rebuild, “social harmony is restored, and friendships rekindled”.

Roads and lights at Port Tarakohe were the twin topics raised by Andrew Lamason, who began by highlighting the danger at the “rock arch” on Abel Tasman Drive, suggesting a barrier might be installed to separate traffic and pedestrians. He moved on to discuss the light pollution from the port, where the flood lights were seemingly on “through all hours of darkness”.

The issue was reprised by Peter Bromley, who suggested implementing mitigation measures for the port lights. He then expressed his concern regarding the exterior light at Pōhara Hall, which he said created “a constant problem with glare” for anyone walking on the beach at night.

Firefighters from across the region assembled at Tākaka’s Junction Green on Saturday to battle it out in a trial of strength, speed and sheer determination.

The Firefighter Challenge was hosted by the Tākaka Volunteer Fire Brigade (TVFB) and attracted men and women competitors from Nelson, Stoke, Motueka and Richmond, as well as the local Golden Bay brigades.

In what is commonly referred to as the toughest two minutes in sport, individuals and teams race against each other and the clock to complete a sequence of realistic firefighting tasks while wearing 12kg of thick protective clothing, plus helmet, and a 25kg compressed air tank.

Competitors begin by running up 22 steps carrying a 19kg folded hose, before hoisting a 25kg coiled hose up from ground level. They then sprint back down, pick up a 4kg sledgehammer and bash a 72kg beam known as “The Kaiser” 1.5m along a metal track. After that they run through a slalom course, collect a charged hose and extend it around 25m, before knocking down a disc using the water jet. Last and definitely not least, tired bodies must pick up a lifelike 90kg dummy and drag it 30m without looking backwards.

Top performers can do all this in around 80 seconds – and in some cases while breathing through a full-face respirator mask.

Just after 10.30am, with the temperature at 22 degrees and climbing, two pairs of firefighters lined up at the base of the tower for round one of the tandem runs – the first of several head-to-head contests between Tākaka and Collingwood. Representing Tākaka, Bryan Bell and Ethan Harwood remained in the race all the way, but it was Collingwood’s Will Barham and Pete Taylor who edged it in the end.

There was plenty of drama and heroics in the individual category races, in which competitors suffered the added handicap of wearing respirators. Two by two, men and women firefighters completed the course –or not, in some cases. Ashley Hendy and Bec Bryan from the Motueka brigade were going great guns until they reached dummy drag. Despite straining every sinew to lift the dead weights, and being roared on by the crowd, both had to admit defeat and abandon their runs.

In a further demonstration of the severity of the challenge, Tākaka brigade’s Greg Fellowes struggled as he slowly and agonisingly dragged his dummy over the line. Hardly audible above the cheers, TVFB chief fire officer, and MC for the day, Philip Woolf acknowledged his firefighter’s achievement. “Incredible determination shown by Greg.”

The second round of tandems culminated in another Tākaka-Collingwood showdown, this time between young guns Kyle Gardiner, aka Boo-Boo, and Sam Goffriller. At every stage of the run, two of Golden Bay’s finest were neck and neck. But it was fireman Sam who edged it, bringing his dummy home in 76.09 seconds, just one second before Kyle did the same. Recovering after removing his equipment, Sam tried to decsribe the difficulty of competing while wearing a respirator: “It’s like breathing through a straw; it’s pretty hard going.”

With the contest reaching its climax, DJ Graham pumped up the volume on Europe’s classic track “The Final Countdown”, which, appropriately, introduced the last event of the day.

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NEW LISTINGS ARE COMING IN ALL THE TIME!

Paul Sangster’s main concern related to TDC’s Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes (ONFL) project, specifically the lack of acknowledgement and/or feedback from council regarding public submissions. “TDC should be keeping the community informed,” said Paul seeking illumination. “We are being kept in the dark.”

Chair of Mohua Menzshed, Dave Myall, was seeking support for the group’s proposed building on the Rec Park reserve at the end of Park Avenue. The application has been recently publicly notified by TDC, and Dave, after outlining the “multipurpose” nature of the facility, asked for the board to submit a letter of support to council.

Under the new procedure for public forum, items raised on the day are only subject to brief discussion by the board to agree on what initial actions need to be taken, so that a full response can be provided in the Chair’s Report at the subsequent board meeting. So, two-anda-half hours after these topics were raised, the board ended its public session by drawing up a to-do list:

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Have you given birth in the last two years at Nelson Hospital or the Motueka Birthing Unit?

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We’re looking for a person in the Nelson region who would like to use their experience to improve maternity health services in the Nelson Tasman region.

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We’re looking for a passionate advocate who:

• Has given birth in the last 2 years at Nelson Hospital or Motueka Birthing Unit.

• Can attend meetings and have the confidence to speak up in a group setting. Meetings may be held during or outside of usual business hours, in person or via Zoom.

• Will communicate and share developments with whānau, other mums in the community and relevant groups.

• Is be available to review, comment and give feedback on documents, brochures and processes related to maternity services in Nelson to guide developments and initiatives which will enhance the health service delivery.

• Has access to a device with internet. You will be working with another consumer member from the Marlborough District and the wider Consumer Council team who will be there to help mentor and guide you. Find out more and apply online at: www.nmdhb.govt.nz/Maternity-Advocate