The Eastbourne Herald January 2022

Stink spoils summer fun as sewage discharged

by Ann Packer

Nothing has generated as much social media heat recently as the discharge of waste water at Windy Point on one of the best days of summer.

On Tuesday 18 January, with hundreds of people on the beach and in the water at Days Bay, there were plenty of witnesses to the smell assailing residents, swimmers, kayakers and ferry users. A slick could be seen stretching across the bay.

Videos were made, phone calls lodged and eventually a sign posted at Windy Point – unfortunately obscured by one of many illegally parked cars. But nobody came to advise beachgoers anything was amiss, in spite of one specific request to Wellington Water.

Assisted by recurring southerlies, the smell, which we were assured was just that –air, rather than faecal matter – hung around Eastbourne and the bays for days.

It’s been difficult to establish what really caused the problem, since no one at Wellington Water was willing to talk to The Eastbourne Herald. Instead, we’ve had press statements online via the Eastbourne Community Board, and two reluctant email replies. Finally, late last Friday before the long weekend, an email

confirmed Wellington Water had continued to check water quality over subsequent days and it was now deemed safe for swimming.

It all started on Tuesday 11 January, according to Wastewater Chief Advisor Steve Hutchison, when Wellington Water started repairing a leak in the outfall pipe carrying treated wastewater from the Seaview plant to Bluff Point, south of Pencarrow Lighthouse. As part of this repair, on Tuesday 18 January, treated wastewater was discharged from a valve at Windy Point, 400m away from Days Bay.

“During this process,” wrote Mr Hutchison, “stagnant water within the pipe caused an unpleasant smell, as mentioned on Facebook. We apologise for the smell and the inconvenience it has caused to nearby residents and beachgoers, the discharge has been stopped. We are currently testing the water and signs are in place advising people to avoid swimming in the area.”

Subsequent testing took place on January 18, 19 and 20 and based on these results, WW said it was confident “there was not a health risk to swimmers in the Days Bay area".

WW advises in a footnote to the above that “all the wastewater discharged from this pipe has been treated to a high standard. The Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant removes

Update on our electric ferry

You may have spotted our fully electric ferry, Ika Rere, a little more out and about in the harbour recently We're just waiting on some very final jobs and testing results to be completed for the Survey certificate from Maritime NZ - and can then get into some public sailings, with our commuters very much a priority

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more updates

bacteria and viruses from wastewater by using a milliscreen, aeration basins, clarifiers and ultraviolet (UV) light before returning it to our waterways.”

It also says it tests recreational bathing areas every fortnight, including at the height of summer.

Chesca Haylock, who launched the Stop the Stench petition some months ago, has worked hard at establishing a relationship with Wellington Water and says they have been very helpful to her, with the site manager and on-site engineer giving her a tour of the treatment plant.

Though she has focused on Seaview, not Eastbourne, she is continually in touch and with several others is keeping a diary, to help document when and where the smell occurs.

She says WW are leaving air quality recorders off-site around their base boundary to see what that tells them. “I have established that at one or two points – Moera and Seaview roundabouts – it’s the pump stations rather than clarifiers that are causing the smell.

“But it’s also evident they haven’t really done anything – there are processes in place but they aren’t really acknowledging there’s a problem outside their boundary.” Continues Page 7

A stunning tribute to Tangaroa, god of the sea, was made on Days Bay Beach in mid Jan. Read more about it on Page 5.

The building that housed Van Helden Gallery for more than 50 years has been sold. Matt Hourigan from Bayleys Real Estate says the building – two apartments and two commercial tenancies – sold by tender on 20 December. As the property is a mix of residential and commercial spaces, agents from both parts of Bayleys were involved. Mr Hourigan says while there were “lots of eyeballs on the property”, with its multi-use possibilities attracting buyers’ enquiries from throughout New Zealand and 38 other countries, in the end it was sold to New Zealanders. He says he doesn’t know what is planned for the spaces. “It’s all very fluid, but the buyers are committed to looking after it and will love and cherish it,” Mr Hourigan says.

Lorde's 2022 NZ tour has been postponed until 2023, meaning her Days Bay concert, planned for February 21, will not be going ahead this year.

The 2022 Opera in Days Bay concert has also been cancelled. Organiser Rhona Fraser was hoping Il Re Pastore or 'The Shepherd King', would go ahead after last year's cancellation.

Muritai Health Centre is offering booster shots at a limited number of vaccine clinics., due to staffing shortages. The clinic is not offering them to children at this stage.

TIMETABLE

Depart Days Bay

BRIEFS

Dr Fiona Clendon is advising people to keep well by eating a healthy diet, getting outside and exercising regularly, and minimising stress.

"You need good levels of Vitamin D - 30 minutess of sun on exposed arms each day is supposed to be enough. You could take extra vitamin C, zinc and echinacea if desired.

"Wear a face mask when asked to. A surgical mask is better than most cloth ones. You should wash it each day - the surgical masks can be washed up to eight times. You can also reduce the number of people you meet with, or meet outside. Wash your hands before you eat. And use sanitiser after being out in public.

"Generally follow the public health advice. Do not go to work if you have symptoms, including fever, sore throat, fatigue, headache ,cough ,vomiting and diarrhea. Stay home and arrange for a test. Call Muritai or your own GP or healthline".

SAT,

SUN & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

10.40am (S)

12.45pm (S)

3.00pm (S) 4.25pm (S) 5.30pm

(S) = Sailing calls at Somes Island, subject to passengers.

FERRY FARES One way: adult $12, child $6. Family Days Bay $66 (Return). 10 trip: adult $91, student $68, child $46. Monthly pass: adult $273, child $138. Matiu Somes Island: adult $25, child $13, family $68 (Return).

Sailings may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. To check today’s sailings, call our daily status line on (04) 494 3339.

Next ECB meeting:

7.15pm Tuesday 8 February, 2022, East Harbour Women’s Club, 145 Muritai Rd. Reporting water issues

Leaking pipes are a problem in summer because the ground around the pipes dries out, making the pipes more susceptible to leaking. If you see a leak in your street, please report it to Hutt City Council on huttcity.govt.nz or 04 570 6666. Council will report it to Wellington Water. You can track progress on a reported leak on the job status map at wellingtonwater.co.nz.

Annual walkabout

The ECB’s annual walkaround Eastbourne will be on Saturday, 5 March. The walkabout is a chance for residents and resident associations to meet with the Board and a council officer as we travel from Point Howard to Burdan’s Gate. If you would like to speak to us about an issue or opportunity in your area, bay or street, please email Chair Ginny Horrocks by Monday 28 February.

What does the ECB do?

The Eastbourne Community Board (ECB) is one of three Hutt City Council Community Boards. It represents and advocates for your interests. It also considers and reports on any matters referred by the Council. The Board is five elected Eastbourne residents and a Ward Councillor and meets approximately every six weeks. Order papers are available at huttcity.govt.nz two working days before each meeting. At the start of each meeting, there is time for public comment. During this time, anyone can speak for three minutes on anything related to the community. Residents are welcome to contact board members at any time – see below. Members often sort minor issues directly with council staff or may ask for a report from officers to go on the next agenda. You can also contact us on the Eastbourne Community Board Facebook page (not to be confused with the Eastbourne Community Notice Board Facebook page).

Virginia Horrocks (Chair) virginia.horrocks@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 021 230 8210

Bruce Spedding (Deputy Chair) bruce.spedding@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 021 029 74741

Murray Gibbons murray.gibbons@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 04 562 8567

Tui Lewis (Ward Councillor) tui.lewis@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 021 271 6249

Frank Vickers

frank.vickers@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 027 406 1419

Belinda Moss

belinda.moss@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 029 494 1615

Growing numbers of older men drowning

by Ann Packer

It’s been a great summer for much of the country. In Eastbourne, day after day of consistently warm weather, moderated by the prevalence of southerlies, has seen people flocking to Days Bay and other beaches. There have been dolphin sightings. Tributes to Tangaroa to be washed away by the tide. A new electric ferry to watch out for.

And there were drownings, three of them on Wellington Harbour and one at Palliser Bay, within a few days just before Christmas. The two on our shore – missing kayaker Jack Skellett, south of Burdans gate and a body retrieved from the water off Days Bay Wharf – resulted in rāhui (a form of tapu restricting access or use). But as all are before the coroner, police are unable to comment further at this stage.

Daniel Gerrard of Water Safety New Zealand says the number of drownings nationally is “an absolute tragedy,” with almost a quarter of last year’s total in the first three weeks of the year – that’s one a day. Unusually, he says, they’re from every age group, every activity, every environment. Plus everything is skewed: usually the 15–30 age cohort is over-

represented, as with driving deaths, but here it’s the flipside, what he calls “older men behaving badly” – the 45-plus figures have doubled. “It’s a lack of common sense. People over-estimate their ability and under-estimate the conditions.”

“It really is challenging,” he says. He thinks we are guilty of a one-size-fits all approach and says WSNZ needs to find the hotspots and target those groups – with limited budgets that means partnering with organisations like coastguard and boating educators, and reaching out to migrant communities.

Everyone, Mr Gerrard says, should be able to float on their back for an extended period of time – a skill that’s saved at least two lives this summer, one in Auckland and one in Tonga.

What can we do about the situation, here, in our seaside community? School swimming lessons are crucial, he says, but the time available is so limited and the lack of comprehensive teaching a problem. “It’s not just in the pool, it’s water safety in general – how to recognize a rip, how to read calm moving water in a river, an introduction to local hazards in a supervised way. Any experience in a different environment is the big thing.”

Doing his bit to keep Eastbourne kids safer in the water is Greg Halford, who took up where the late Matt Hayes left off, corralling junior surf lifesavers otherwise faced with tripping in to Lyall Bay each week. They meet on Sundays in Days Bay, which doesn’t get the swells of Lyall Bay, but the aims are the same – to respect the water and give confidence in the water.

There’s a cap of 60 and each child, whether in the under-6, under-8, under-10 or under-12 group, must have a parent in tow, as they’re not officially affiliated to SLNZ. But the group has kept the logo Matt Hayes designed, on caps and other apparel.

“We have a legacy to uphold.”

43 Waitohu Road

York Bay 021 2299 299

Now in Eastern Bays!

Ping has been providing internationally acclaimed semi-permanent make-up in Petone and Lower Hutt for more than 15 years, and has now opened her salon in York Bay.

While Ping’s speciality is semi-permanent make-up, or microblading, for eyebrows, eyeliner and lips, she is also expert in a range of beauty treatments including eyebrow and eyelash tinting, eyelash perms, facial threading and traditional rejuvenation facials.

Call now for an appointment and free consultation, and for her Christmas special discounts.

e: microbladingmaster@pwyllie.nz

w: pingsmicrobladingtraining.nz

w: beauty-zone.co.nz

Mr Halford says the Eastbourne Swim Club does a fantastic job, with weekly free classes in a social setting during term time, but he still thinks it’s important to get kids into the sea. “It can be quite daunting – you can't see the bottom and there’s no lane marking. But you get an understanding of how the water works.”

His goal? To get everyone jumping off the wharf by the end of the season. And they did it!

Village Pup Cuts

Eastbourne speaks: keep delivering our news in print and online

Who said print was dead?!

We included a survey about our readers’ preferences for reading the EH in our November ’21 edition, and the results are out. We will continue to deliver our papers to each and every one of the more than 2100 households in Eastbourne, AND we will still publish online.

We found that a whopping 71.25 percent of respondents (online and hand delivered) would not continue to read the Eastbourne Herald if it was solely offered online. This says to us that people who think online advertising is enough in Eastbourne are mistaken.

While 63.15 percent of respondents would be happy to pick up a copy in the Village, we recognise that many people rarely head south of their homes to the Village, and for others, mobility and transport challenges mean they really value our letterbox delivery.

We were rapt that so many said they would like to contribute financially to our community paper – 35 percent said they would happily pay a subscription, while 36.6 percent of respondents said they would become a supporter of us.

We noted that reading the paper on some devices is difficult, so we are looking for new platforms to allow online reading a better experience. This is especially useful when we share the paper to residents around the Hutt Valley through community Facebook pages.

Here are some of the comments we received:

• It’s great to have this paper so long may it continue.

• Thanks for the work you do.

• Keep up the good work

• Used to be fantastic years ago, full of info. These days not so much. Takes me 5 mins to read cover to cover. Such a shame.

•  Love the local news.

• Provided copy for the Herald once. Never heard back. Won’t bother again.

• We love it the way it is.

• Love the joy and ease of having the Herald at hand... reading about local events and people whom I recognise but never met. It makes a relative newcomer to Eastbourne feel more in tune with this lovely place. So much information contained in a few pages, beautifully presented and always so welcome.

• Format hard to read on the phone.

• Love your work. While i have nostalgia for print, online is the right ecological choice.

• Online is fine, but the format you publish in is hard to read on a phone

• Need more news about the bays, eg the Mahina Bay column has lost its

sponsorship, it’s something you should be publishing as a public service.

• I would read online rather than in the paper form if the platform you use is better - issuu is just dreadful, hard to navigate, difficult to read on apple devices.

• Great local rag!

• I love reading stories about local people, especially elderly residents - so many interesting stories over the years

• We would all be much poorer without it

• It’s an enjoyable and interesting way of getting our local news.

• Times are changing and sometimes it’s a nuisance to have this paper and Hutt News poking out of mailbox if you are away. Perhaps it’s time to go online or pick up at library foyer etc.

• Always of interest, as we don’t or can’t use technology it keeps us in touch. Much appreciated.

• We really love this community paper.

• It’s a good read, but getting noticeably smaller.

• I’ve written articles and no longer even get beers.

• It’s great to have this local community paper.

• Imminently preferable to Hutt News, which tends to go from letterbox to yellow bin on pick-up.

• Keep it up.

Faith in the Community

Thinking...

An expert on thinking, Edward De Bono (1933–2021), came up with a metaphor for the different aspects of the thinking process. He called it ‘Thinking Hats’.

The six Thinking Hats are now a time-tested thinking tool often taught to our children at school. They help us think clearly by directing our thinking attention in one direction at a time: •white hat facts, •green hat creativity, •yellow hat values, •black hat cautions, •red hat feelings and •blue hat process.

Hats are a simple mental metaphor. They are easy to put on and take off. Each hat is a different colour which signals the mode of thinking. In a group, each member is encouraged to think using the same colour thinking hat, at the same time, on the same issue. Alongside traditional ways of discussion or debate, Thinking Hats is a productive approach to problem solving, decision making and idea evaluation. It also works when you are working through an issue by yourself. The process helps us identify unacknowledged assumptions, attitudes and values which we all bring unconsciously to any issue. In a day when there are so many strongly held perspectives clamouring for our attention, these hats can help us sort the grain from the chaff. In this context, the values taught and lived by Jesus are worth a second thought…

St Ronan’s: Services: Sun 9.30am. Ask if you’d like our weekly emailed e-Service. or monthly printed magazine the Record E:office@ stronans.org.nz W:www.stronans.org.nz

Community Fridge: The vulnerable come daily and sometimes find it bare. Spare a thought, drop something in…Take something out…

St Alban’s: Two services Wellesley School Sun: 8:30am (traditional) and 10am (contemporary), with Kids Club (primary) and Hot Chocolate Club (intermediate). Communion Thurs 10am at St Ronan’s. E:office@stalbanschurch.nz W:www. stalbanschurch.nz

San Antonio: Services: Vigil Mass, Sat 5.30pm, San Antonio. (Mass, Sun 9.30am and 5.30pm, Sacred Heart, Petone). E:holyspiritparish41@ gmail.com

• This column of church news and views is sponsored by St Alban’s Anglican, St Ronan’s Presbyterian and San Antonio Catholic Churches.

Artist creates temporary tribute to Tangaroa

Sand artist Zane McGregor, Ngāti Raukawa, created this mahi toi (artwork) two weeks ago with his rake at low tide on Days Bay beach. The ephemeral works are intended as a tribute to Tangaroa, god of the sea, and wash away as the tide comes in. These days Mr McGregor is a teacher in the bilingual unit at Tauranga Intermediate, and does his sand drawing in the early mornings at Pāpāmoa. He likes to take off in the school holidays and work on local beaches. But he grew up in Petone and used to do bombs off the wharf at Days Bay so he says this was like a homecoming. He even met a former pupil, Nikki Kettle, on the beach the day he drew these.

Ika Rere almost ready to go

Eastbourneites can expect to take a ride on Ika Rere, the electric ferry, from early February, though it will be March before specific days and times can be advertised, says East By West general manager Mat Jonsson.

Following final verification tests of Ika Rere’s battery and propulsion system, and the on-shore charger, they can now apply to Maritime NZ for a survey certificate, a process that’s been a lot more complicated for Ika Rere than for a traditional vessel, he says.

“For example, when Cobar Cat was built, it was sailed down from the Whangārei yard and was able to enter into service the very next day.”

The survey and application process for Ika Rere is expected to take 10-14 days, after which

the boat can be used for public sailings, which will vary from day to day to begin with, while commissioning and crew training take place.

“With a large amount of interest from the wider public, we want to make sure that we can satisfy some of that public interest in getting on board, but to do it in a way that doesn't disrupt our commuters from being able to get home at the same time,” Mr Jonsson says.

“So expect to see Ika Rere undertaking a balance of commuter sailings and standalone cruises for a short period.”

Mr Jonsson says at some stage in February the boat needs to be lifted out of the water for its first hull clean, and to fix a few items identified during sea trials.

News from Point Howard

Happy New Year to all of you!

Howard Track Improvements

By the time you read this, GWRC will have replaced the stile with a gate at the top of Howard track at the junction with the main ridge track. Thank you to GWRC and Jo Greenman (Park Ranger) for making the Northern Forest more accessible for residents and visitors.

Lowry Bay Point Howard track working bee

- 30th Jan & 5th Feb

Sunday 30th Jan Cheviot Rd track trim Minimum volunteers required 2 more welcome Meet: Cheviot Rd entrance 9am

• Hand trimming track

• Cut and blow

Saturday 5th Feb – minimum volunteers required 4, more welcome

Meet: Point Howard water tank 9am

• Point Howard track cut and blow.

• Gorse treatment

• Cut the lookout

You can stay as long or short a time as you like. Please let me know if you plan to join us text on 0274673076 or email Jo.greenman@gw.govt.nz

Save the Date for the PHA Late Summer Long

Lunch BBQ

From 1PM, Sunday 06 March at the Point Howard Community Garden.

The PHA Committee warmly invites all residents of Point Howard and Sorrento Bay to our Late Summer Long Lunch BBQ.

The relevant COVID protocols will be in place at the time of the event. Please look out for further details in your mailbox.

We look forward to seeing you there!

pthowardassn@gmail.com

Ika Rere was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, and two tugboats, in December. Photo: Simon Hoyle, Southlight Studio.

Getting to the bottom of summer stink

From Page 1

Mrs Haylock says she can see this being a really long and tedious situation – the community liaison person has left (for which she takes some responsibility, having sent them endless emails) “and they don’t have the manpower to communicate effectively with the community,” (which became evident during the discharge debacle).

While she is not knocking on doors, Mrs Haylock says the Stop the Stench petition is still there for people who want to have a

voice in making a change to the infrastructure.

“I'm sure everyone is aware Wellington Water needs to sort their stuff out. There’s constantly leaking pipes and constant odours – I've had to step around burst sewerage sites on Muritai Rd pavement. I feel sorry for the people whose homes are affected.

“Everything needs upgrading – we’re well behind in that regard. We need pressure for a massive upgrade, which is seriously lacking. The amount of water we must waste as well…!

She says: “I'm continuing to nag at them and hope others can do the same thing. I would love us to be seen as shining stars of water treatment.

SPENCER LOGAN Valuations Limited

Registered Valuers and Property Consultants

" Right: The sewer pipeline, in red.

Bronwyn Mary Griffiths

25 July 1948 – 15 July 2021

Best known locally for her productive garden, her hens and her English muffins, Bronwyn was also a nationally-recognised weaver and spinner who in her younger years had been a successful vintage trader at Auckland’s Cook St Market.

From her beloved father, Bronwyn had inherited Raynaud’s Phenomenon, a circulatory disorder which led eventually to the amputation of several fingers on each hand; she also developed scoliosis at a young age. Always stoical, she had become increasingly frail following the couple’s move to Auckland in late 2017.

Born in Wellington, Bronwyn was the only child of accountant Raymond Griffiths and his wife Eunice, a farmer’s daughter. Her mother’s family lived at 1 Radium Street Martinborough, where great-grandfather Alexander McLeod owned a grocery and drapery shop, then a boot factory, eventually manufacturing Radium Boot Polish.

The family moved to Auckland in 1952, where Bronwyn later attended Takapuna Grammar and Westlake Girls’ High School.

She was deeply affected by the arrival in 1957 of grandmother Margaret Wall, whose husband was killed crossing the main road in Featherston after posting Bronwyn a birthday card – a death her grandmother blamed on the girl.

More welcome was newly-widowed paternal grandfather George Griffiths, who fostered her interest in cultivating an extensive vegetable garden. Her father’s reading to her as a child led to a lifelong love of books, but Bronwyn’s other memories of those years were uncomfortable – with grandparents sharing the house, loud music was not tolerated and having friends home difficult.

In 1972 Bronwyn began occupational therapy training in Petone, living in a cottage her parents bought in Buick Street, before moving to Bidwill Street, Mt. Cook. Here she could live the kind of life her peers enjoyed: parties, pop music played loudly on a stereo, the chance to engage with life in the city she came to regard as her spiritual home.

Bronwyn met David, a sculptor who worked nights in a dairy factory, on a study trip to Auckland in August 1974. She was invited to dinner by his Freemans Bay flatmate, whom she’d met at a jumble sale. David was too tired to go out; he and Bronwyn stayed home, conversing long after the others retired.

They kept in touch; he travelled to Wellington on the overnight train to be met by Bronwyn on her bicycle at the railway station. They walked everywhere; their relationship blossomed. She took him to his first jumble sale, at the old St. Patrick’s College hall opposite Basin Reserve.

Returning to Auckland, they lived in the Freemans Bay flat, enjoying Sunday organ recitals at the Town Hall and excursions out of town by car. On one such trip, at her aunt and

Bronwyn in her Maire Street garden. Photo: Stuff Limited.

uncle’s Pukekawa farm, David proposed.

As Bronwyn was opposed to a church marriage with the surrounding hoopla, they had a short ceremony at Auckland Registry Office on 20 February 1975, honeymooning overnight at Warkworth Hotel before returning to town, where David watched a cricket test match at Eden Park, and Bronwyn went to her Cook Street stall.

Bronwyn had an acute sense of style, and knew exactly what she wanted to sell. Their Mt Eden flat was within walking distance of the dairy factory, and Auckland’s jumble sales. She spent her weeks washing, ironing and repairing clothes in preparation for Fridays and Saturdays, her stall so successful she earned more in two days than David did in a week.

In 1975, they made their first trip overseas. Arriving in London they found accommodation in West Hampstead, and explored the city’s art galleries, museums and markets. At Portobello Road they bought a 1964 three-tonne ex GPO Morris maintenance truck they named Basil and headed off to the West Country, living like gypsies in the back of the truck and finding the kindness of strangers at every turn.

When an art school friend of David’s offered a flat in Amsterdam they sold the truck outside Australia House, piled their belongings into a Citroen 2CV6 van and headed to Harwich for the Holland ferry. Within walking distance of Stedelijk Art Gallery and the Rijksmuseum, close to markets, dealer galleries, cafes and restaurants, they thoroughly enjoyed Amsterdam. But the winter was too much for Bronwyn, so they headed south to the coast of Portugal, for three weeks’ living on goat’s milk and vegetables, fruit and fresh market fish before heading back to England then home.

Other trips would follow, exploring the British countryside while working in youth hostels, where Bronwyn developed her love of growing and cooking vegetarian food on industrial scale Aga cookers, and keeping hens.

Returning in 1980, the couple lived in Paekakariki for three years before moving to Hinau St, Eastbourne, when David was appointed director of the Settlers’ Museum.

Once again, Bronwyn created a garden from scratch, centred around a long-established plum tree and several chook runs. The washhouse shelves were filled in summer with preserved and bottled fruit, and surplus relish and chutney sold at the newly-established Eastbourne Market. On her beloved coal range, Bronwyn made the best English muffins ever, for about ten years.

Inside, on three large looms, she wove rag rugs, runners, cushion covers and place mats, to sell on commission and at public galleries. The bulk of her raw material was sourced from op shops.

The last book Bronwyn was reading –unfinished when she died – was the children’s classic The Secret Garden…which is where David imagines her, “dwelling amongst her seedlings, vegetables, plants, and all the living creatures that have inhabited her gardens” by

Ann Packer

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the home.

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the home.

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

Find out more about us at www.okiwi.org.nz

Find out more about us at www.okiwi.org.nz

Phone Kim the co-ordinator on

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Phone Pippa

Phone Pippa

the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the

or on our Facebook page

TWO BEDROOM UNIT – EASTBOURNE

Flat 1 is the only two bedroom flat of the 8 units within the Oroua court Complex. Built in the 1970's this single storey is a solid brick and iron roof dwelling. The flat offers 2 double bedrooms, a bathroom with shower, generous lounge area, and a combined kitchen and dining with ample cupboard storage. For comfort there are two heat pumps to keep you snug in the winter months. It's just a short walk down to the Eastbourne village where will enjoy the many services including

a medical centre, library, local cafes and the 4 Square market. Public transport is available right outside the front door. There's room to value-add and make this your very own 'haven' whether you are downsizing or taking your first property steps. The company share is well run by an independent body-corp with quarterly levies of $1,423.40 which covers the rates, building insurance and exterior maintenance. It's time to make a visit. Call us to arrange a time to view.

Happy 100, Jeanne Sampson!

Eastbourne’s newest centenarian joined the WRNS because, having started her working life at the beginning of the war as a rest home nurse, she decided she didn’t want to spend her war years “looking after old people”.

Fronting up to the Admiralty, Jeanne Kilpatrick was assigned to Bletchley Park, where she spent the next four years working eight-hour shifts on enormous machines – 12-15 to start with, building up to 70 – in small huts in the grounds, cracking the encrypted enemy codes that would hasten the end of WW2. At the time, they had no concept of what they were doing.

Billeted at first with local families, the Wrens got a better deal when the service requisitioned Wavendon, a large country house, where they were well looked after. Mrs Sampson always felt it was unfair that the civil servants who made up the balance of the 8000 female workers kept separate, living with local people.

“Bletchley was a horrid little place,” she says, “but nothing’s hard when you’re young.” Though none of the girls knew each other to begin with, they all got on, “because that was what you did”.

Churchill, who visited Bletchley, referred to the staff as “my lovely geese that lay the golden eggs and never cackle”. As a treat, they were sent to London to spend time at the War Rooms, his rabbit warren beneath the Admiralty. She found the air quality awful and would take her lunch across to St James’s Park to walk in the fresh air.

Mrs Sampson came to Eastbourne in 1951 with her Burma veteran husband Oliver. They raised two sons, first in Matai Tce (“being young and English we built for the view”) then down on the flat in Karamu St, in a house she designed herself around her ailing husband’s needs. He died in 1999.

Now living in Woburn Home, Mrs Sampson turned 100 on 12 January, a couple of weeks after receiving signed cards from the Queen and PM Jacinda Ardern. Bound by the Official Secrets Act, she and her fellow codecrackers never talked of what they had done until the 1970s, when the UK government released them from secrecy.

Lower Hutt – your river city

RiverLink

Indicative image: Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River looking north

Jeanne Sampson.

Bard in the Yard is back and set to go ahead

With much optimism in these uncertain times and years of experience, the Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe (BCTT) is bringing The Bard to our (Muritai School) Yard for the 26th time, with its now traditional outdoor summer production (inside if wet).

A strong cast of experienced hands and exciting new talent will perform Shakespeare’s most popular comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on the evenings of February 24th, 25th and 26th, and again the following week on March 3rd, 4th and 5th.

The play revolves around a forthcoming marriage and a conflict between four lovers but with several subplots, including forest fairies manipulating the humans’ emotions.

“Although this will be a romantic, magical production, it will also explore the play’s eroticism and darker tones of predatory sexuality. In much of Shakespeare, there is often a thin line between the world of fairies and that of witches,” director Anne Manchester says.

She is delighted with the “amazing cast” she has been able to assemble. “They are a talented bunch, creative and really committed.” Having learnt their lines over the festive break, they are now in the middle of an intense six-week rehearsal period, exploring the play’s comic depths.

Several actors play dual roles, including troupe stalwarts John Marwick as Theseus/ Oberon and Lian Butcher as Hipployta/Titania. Four of the mechanicals/clowns also play fairies. BCTT first mounted A Midsummer Night’s Dream 14 years ago, directed by Florence McFarlane. She plays First Fairy in this production.

“I felt it was time to revisit the play,” Anne

says. She is giving it a timeless setting, with some New Zealand allusions, but otherwise it is a traditional production, contrasting neatly with the modern take, Lysander’s Aunty, featuring in the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. “See the real thing first,” says Anne.

An extra treat for the audience will be live music to accompany the play. Local music teacher and performer Merilyn Moonen has composed a musical score specially for the play, which she will perform using a variety of instruments including a rinkelboom percussion instrument, a medieval-style hurdy gurdy, recorders, an ocarina, shakers and drums – a veritable one-woman orchestra!

Tickets will be on sale from early February from Eventfinda, the Artisan Co-op Store in Rimu Street, Eastbourne, or at the door. Prices $17 adults, $14 concessions. Attendees will need to be able to present their Covid passport and to wear a mask during the performance.

Under the new red light system, audience numbers will need to be restricted to 50 per night.

Cast at first rehearsal: back row from left: Hayden Rogers, Mike McJorrow, Jonathan Knox, Laurence Ward, Lian Butcher, Alex Walker, John Marwick, Jasmine Stock and Grace Hotop. Front row from left: Suzy Cain, Colin Orchiston, Florence McFarlane, Anna Sutherland and Sage Pettus.

Mondays

• Retired Persons’ Assn meet 4th Mon, 10am St Ronan's Church hall for morning tea followed by a speaker - $2 entry.Transport can be arranged for these meetings on request, ph 562 7365 or 562 8387.

m-5.30pm. Contact Judy Bishop 562 8985

• “Baby Bounce & Rhyme” at the library 10.00am.

• Singalong 1st Mon, 2pm at St Ronan’s.

• DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 9:15 to 11:45, phone Jeanne 021979177.

• Pt Howard Playcentre. Mon 9.15 -11.45am. Lucy 021 335 391.

• The Historical Society’s Eastbourne History Room above the library is open 2-4 pm every Monday.

• Eastbourne Volunteer Fire Brigade training every Monday 7-9pm. Ph 562 7001 for more info.

• Toy Library 8-9pm. St Ronans Hall www. eastbournemibase.com.au Elizabeth 021 08224664.

• Eastbourne Karate Dojo junior and senior classes (children 8 year & older, plus parents) on Monday and senior classes on Thursday. Contact lindsaysensei@live.com, cell 021 844 873.

• Keas: Monday 5.15pm – 6.15pm. Kea Leader: Ed 021 738 699

• Venturers: 7.00pm - 9.00pm, Susan 0275 35 4962

Tuesdays

• Pt Howard Playcentre Tues 9.15 -11.45am. Lucy 021 335 391.

• Days Bay Playcentre Puddle Jumpers Tues 10:30 to 12 noon: Messy and Sensory play for children 2 years and under. Casual sessions, $3 donation.

• Muritai Tennis Club 9.30–noon. Merryn 562 0236.

• Eastbourne Homebirth Group 1st Tuesday of the month. Phone Kate 562-7096.

• East Harbour Women’s Club Morning Tea & Chat Group 10am. Contact Glendyr 562 7181.

• Indoor Bowls Club 1.30pm, at the croquet club, Oroua Street. Rosemary 562 7365

• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.

• Poetry group, every second Tuesday meet to read and enjoy poems old and new. Phone 562 8387.

• Toy Library 9.30-10.30am. St Ronans Hall. Facebook: Eastbourne Toy Library Elizabeth 021 08224664www.eastbournemibase.com.

au

• 9.30am Nia Dance Fitness Class (low impact

- teens to 70+) Music Movement MagicMuritai Yacht Club - call Amanda 021 316692 www.niainwellington.com

• Pump Dance preschool and junior hip hop. 4pm onwards St Ronans Hall. 0274373508 info@pumpdance.com

Wednesdays

Cubs: 5.30pm - 7.00pm, Erica 021 190 3900

• Retired Persons’ Assn meet 2nd Wed at Tartines for morning tea and socialising 11am. Occasional outings arranged. Ph 5627365 or 562 8387.

• Library preschool story time 10.00 am.

• Pt Howard Playcentre Wed 9.15 -11.45am. Lucy 021 335 391.

• Scottish Country Dance. Merryn 562 0236.

• Bridge Club 7-10pm. Shona 562 7073.

• DB Playcentre Mon, Wed, Fri 9-12. Siobhan siobhan_whelan@yahoo.ie

• “Steady as You Go” Age Concern sponsored Falls Prevention and Exercise Programme. Held 12 noon each Wednesday at Eastbourne Community Hall. Classes are held for 1 hour and costs only $2. Improve your strength and balance to reduce falls and injuries. Falls are preventable. Please join us!

• Intermediate/teen hip hop and contemporary. 5pm onwards St Ronans Hall. 0274373508 info@pumpdance.com

• EHock - Fun Stick and Ball game Girls and Boys 7- 13.Eastbourne Community Hall. Wednesdays 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. Derek Wilshere 0274303596

Thursdays

• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.

• St Ronan’s Mainly Music, 9.30am-10.30am, contact Cathy 027 213 9342.

• SPACE at Days Bay Playcentre. Michelle 971 8598.

• East Harbour Women’s Club

- Bolivia 12.45pm, Contact Glendyr ph: 562 7181. Guest Speaker (3rd week of month)7pm, drinks and nibbles provide, Contact Diane ph: 562 7555

•Lions meet 2nd Thursday of the month at the Eastbourne Sports and Services Club, Tuatoru St 6.30 pm. New members and visitors are welcome. Graham 562 8819.

• Eastbourne Karate Dojo junior and senior classes (children 8 year & older, plus parents) on Monday and senior classes on Thursday. Contact lindsaysensei@live.com, cell 021 844 873.

• Intermediate Contemporary Dance Thursdays 6:30pm - 7:30pm St Ronan's Hall info@pumpdance.com,0274373508

• Scouts: Thursday 6.00pm - 8.00pm, Damon 022 620 7116

Fridays

• Pop in and Play playgroup at St Ronan's Church Hall, 9am-11.30am during school terms. All preschoolers (0-4 years) welcome. Cath 027 213 9342.

• Pt Howard Playcentre Fri 9.15 -11.45am. Lucy 021 335 391.

• AA Plunket Rooms 7.30pm. Mark 566 6444/ Pauline 562 7833

• DB Playcentre Mon, Wed, Fri 9-12. Siobhan siobhan_whelan@yahoo.ie

• Discovery Time for 4years+ at San Antonio School, 78 Oroua Street, 9.30-10.30am. Office 562 7398.

• Eastbourne Bowling Club. Newly formed Ladies casual bowling group meets Fridays at 2.00pm. Experience is not required. Bowls & instruction available. Casual dress code. Contact Cheri - 021 0699 274.

Saturdays

• Justice of the Peace at the Eastbourne Community Library, first Saturday of each month 12pm-1pm.

• Lions’ rubbish bin last Saturday of each month.

• Croquet from 10am Muritai Croquet Club. Lyn 562 8722 or Val 562 8181.

Sundays

• AA Plunket Rooms 10am. Karen 021 440 705.

CLASSIFIEDS

SONNY'S YOGA - EASTBOURNE CLASSES - Enjoy a relaxing yoga class near the ocean. Every Wednesday 6.45pm at Muritai Yacht Club. Beginners welcome. First Wednesday of each month will be a gentle YIN yoga class. For more info visit www.sonnysyoga.nz

ECOGARDENER-restoration,restyling,maintenance. All sizes. All styles. txt 027 6939 323

Dan Reed lawn mowing, lawn and garden care. Contact 027 337 1360.

WATERBLASTING Services – For all exterior cleaning and maintenance – call Mike on 027 587 5871. Lawn mowing and gardening services. Contact Supreme mowing. Phone Grant 0212481771.

EASTBOURNE HERALD ADVERTISERS UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE IS ON FACEBOOK. THE EASTBOURNE HERALD GOES TO EACH AND EVERY LETTERBOX IN THE EASTERN BAYS. ADVERTISE HERE AND HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS - HARD COPY AND ONLINE READING!

Garden Stuff with Sandy Lang

URBAN FORESTS

January/February: Mid/late summer. On sandy soils, water and fertilise little-and-often. Sand retains little water and minerals. Gardening in Eastbourne is essentially hydroponics…! Increase soil organic matter (tree chip mulch) to gradually (years) increase retention of both.

Forests: These days we hear lots about forests and climate. They store CO2 and emit O2 (good) and provide habitat for countless species (so deforestation = despeciation), cool and moisten the air, reduce runoff (so deforestation = flooding). According to the FAO, half the world's forests have been destroyed in the last 70 years (expanding farms and cities - too many people). Nowadays, forests cover 30% of the land surface, previously most of it. Leaving aside rising CO2 from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil), deforestation is the next major contributor to climate change.

Your micro-forest: Looked at from above, 30% of urban Eastbourne is green. A lot of that is trees. So ‘forest’ is not entirely lacking from our little bits of urbania. Think twice before removing your garden tree…

•Your tree provides habitat (food, shelter) for many wild species.

•Your tree anchors the soil, reducing risk of slips/erosion on a sloping site.

•Your tree affects your living environment. The wind shelter it provides is calculated to reduce your power use by 10% - you need less heating in winter, less cooling in summer.

•Your own ‘thermal comfort’ depends on (1) air temperature, (2) air movement (chill factor), (3) air humidity (skin evaporation) and (4) your net radiation environment. It may surprise you that (1) is usually least important and the others usually more important, while (4) is usually most important.

•On a hot summer’s day, try a comfy chair under your tree. You will be much cooler - a much reduced level of net radiation - the temperature of the shaded grass beneath will be ~2°C cooler than air temperature (evaporative cooling), the leaves of the canopy above you will be ~5°C cooler than air temperature (evaporative cooling). A dense canopy absorbs about 95+% of sunlight so is much shadier than a shade sail (which lets some light through and heats up well above air temperature) or a veranda (which heats up well above air temperature). And neither of these allow wafts of cooling breeze as a tree does.

Weighing in at just 6 grams Tītipounamu/Rifleman is New Zealand’s smallest bird and one of the few wren species surviving in NZ since the introduction of so many destructive hungry mammals. We are lucky to have a population of them in East Harbour Regional Park. Though they are considered to be more comfortable at higher altitudes, they have been attracting attention in the media recently because of a nesting pair discovered in the hills behind Parliament after recent reintroduction to Wellington, via Zealandia ecosanctuary from a population of birds caught in the Rēmutaka forest. They can also sometimes be seen as low at the beech forest behind the Pavilion in Days Bay. Wellington photographer Don Laing captured this image in the park earlier this year.

Tītipounamu don’t appear in great numbers in many of our bird counts probably because of their extremely high pitched call, making them very difficult to hear, especially as we get older and our capacity to discern higher pitched noises dissipates. So if you wish to hear or spot them it’s recommended to ask for the company of a young person to join you in your search. It’s important to sit still and quiet for up to five minutes, listen intently and watch the canopy for tiny movements, a great test in patience and attention span so perhaps it can be considered a form of forest bathing? If you wish to know what they sound like before you go or even when you’re in the forest you can look up the link: https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/ species/rifleman#bird-sounds

Titipounamu in the Northern Forest—Don Laing. underside of branches with what seems to be some sort of spiderman super power, looking for small insects as they move. Such tiny, busy birds need to feed constantly to survive as they carry no fat reserves despite their feathered marshmallow appearance. As with many birds the females are slightly larger than the males.

They nest in small cavities, making them susceptible to introduced mammals that share the same spaces. This year a nest has been found on the Otago peninsula in a possum trap that has had to be secured without disturbance to the nest, something that proved a stressful task for the trap operator.

They are a very rewarding bird to watch as they dart around and walk upside down, up the

Would you be interested in a guided tour into the forest? MIRO would like to take a “forest foray” trip on a Sunday afternoon in March if there are enough people interested (15 max.), please contact Secretary@miro.org. nz to register your interest. Steep hill climbing will of course be unavoidable so a good level of fitness will be required.

- Sally Bain, MIRO

Jewellery,

Open