The Eastbourne Herald March 2018

Touring ECB addresses concerns Get reading!

There's a reading revival going on in Eastbourne, thanks in part to Pat Duncan. Pat, pictured here with his trusty sidekick Charlie, came up with the idea of a community library, having seen it elsewhere, and has found the perfect spot at the Village Corner. With help from his Menzshed colleagues, he constructed a bookshelf with the aim of people donating, borrowing and returning good reads.

Pat says the idea has proved popular, with a constant recycling of different books, and hopes people will see the bookshelf not as a dumping ground for books they no longer need, but as a place to share some of their favourite reads.

There is another public book shelf at The Pavilion in Days Bay.

The Eastbourne Community Board took to the streets earlier this month to chat to locals about issues of concern, during their annual walkabout.ECB chair Virginia Horrocks says the event was very constructive. “Residents

were highly organised,” she says, “with lists of problems and maps showing locations, so no time was wasted. There was also lots of appreciation of the ECB and the way council is responding to online RAPs (report a problem).”

Board in the dark about SNAs

ECB chair Virginia Horrocks says the board is extremely concerned about the process by which areas of properties in Eastbourne have been identified as Significant Natural Areas, and the way in which residents have been informed that their properties are affected, and the "total lack of communication" with the ECB on the matter.

“At a residents’ meeting earlier in February, local residents were anxious and confused,” says Virginia. “Most had received a letter identifying a large part of their property as a potential SNA. Two showed me letters in which their whole

property apart from the house was highlighted.”

Mrs Horrocks says much more specific information is needed to alleviate fears, misplaced or not, that sections of properties could be taken into the regional park, or that property values would be reduced

“While the initial approach to land owners was not well handled,” she says, “Council are now trying to respond to their concerns. Council officers have held a drop-in session in Eastbourne for property owners to discuss their individual properties and some have already come to a Continues on Page 2

Not quite Abbey Road, but the ECB use the crossing in Days Bay to head out on their annual walkabout.

Survivors travelling far and wide

Nearly 70 survivors of New Zealand's worst shipwreck in modern times, as well as family members of the 53 who died, have registered to attend the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster in and around Wellington on Tuesday, April 10.

Rhys Jones, chair of the Wahine 50 Charitable Trust says that some survivors, rescuers and emergency workers are coming from as far away as the United Kingdom.

“As well as being a very significant day for those with a tangible connection to the Wahine disaster,” he says, “this 50th anniversary is an important day for the wider community of Eastbourne. Thanks to their astonishing response, 683 passengers and crew survived. It’s

From Page 1 satisfactory agreement.”

Land owners have been invited to contact HCC with questions and if required, site visits by a consultant or council ecologist may be arranged

For some a potential second house site, or even a sleep-out, is part of the highlighted section. “No one I spoke to,” Mrs Horrocks says, “wants to clear bush or develop their section intensively, but they are concerned that their permitted activities will be severely limited".

The ECB has not received any communication from the council about this process, which she says is not acceptable.

also an opportunity to reinforce the importance of community – of pulling together to help in times of adversity – and of the need for us all to be prepared".

Fittingly, Muritai School, which has some history in proceedings on that day, will be involved in the commemoration. There will be a display featuring artwork from the students andas part of their science programme - an exhibition called Floating and Sinking, concerned with the science of weight and flotation.

Head science teacher Barbara Ryan says the Float My Boat kits have proven to be invaluable and have helped educate on a significant national disaster, which occurred on their back doorstep.

See Wahine feature Pages 6-10

“We were informed by a local resident at our board meeting,” she says. “Some prior information would have helped our conversations with anxious residents. The final insult is that letters to joint owners were addressed to the male only. Not a good way to start a dialogue.”

This process has generated a feeling of confusion and antagonism toward the council. Organisers of February's meeting said they had not been able to get anyone from HCC to come to the meeting and felt that officers had been evasive, even dismissive of their concerns.

Mrs Horrocks syas the ECB will help support any efforts to resolve the current conflicts.

Next ECB Meeting

Tuesday 3 April 2018 - 7.15pm

East Harbour Women’s Club, Muritai Road

Board members are:

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

Murray Gibbons (Deputy chair) murray.gibbons@huttcity.govt.nz

Liz Knight liz.knight@huttcity.govt.nz

Robert Ashe robert.ashe@huttcity.govt.nz

Anna Sutherland anna.sutherland@huttcity.govt.nz

Cr Tui Lewis tui.lewis@huttcity.govt.nz

Cr Michael Lulich michael.lulich@huttcity.govt.nz

(S) = Sailing calls at Somes Island, subject to passengers. FERRY FARES EFFECTIVE FROM 1 OCT One way: adult $11, child $6, NZ student $9. Family Days/Petone $61 (Return). 10 trip: adult $87, NZ student $61, child $37. Monthly pass: adult $270, NZ student $199. Matiu Somes Island: adult $23, NZ student $19, child $12, family $67 (Return).

Sailings may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. To check today’s sailings, tel. 494 3339

March Eastbourne Community Board

Come and talk to us

You can now come and talk to us at the start of the formal meeting at 7.15pm about anything that concerns you whether or not it’s on the agenda. You are welcome to make suggestions, give praise, criticise or just come for a chat.

ECB walkabout

Many thanks to all those who presented such well organized lists of issues on our annual walkabout. We always enjoy visiting the bays and seeing first hand what’s causing concern. Most of the problems can be fixed and we’ll do what we can for the longer term issues.

Significant Natural Areas

Hutt City is required by the Resource Management Act and the Wellington Regional Policy Statement to identify and protect significant natural sites in its district plan. Many people are understandably worried about how these might affect their property. Don’t hesitate to contact council with your questions and concerns. You may not get an immediate answer, they are working to respond to a flood of emails, but you will get an answer. Officers will also visit your property to see problems if invited.

Please remember council officers are just doing their job and should not be subject to abuse and threats.

Rona Wharf stripped right back for its revamp

by Carl McRae

Contractors are two thirds of the way through the first phase of redevelopment of historic Rona Wharf, Hutt City Council parks and gardens divisional manager Bruce Hodgins says.

“The approach to the wharf has been stripped right back,” he said, “and much of the sub-structure has been redone. There is a logical sequence to the process and the next phase is to get the concrete deck back on the head of the wharf. Then we can get a crane out there, which will be used to help ensure the necessary building materials are in place.”

Mr Hodgins says there are many facets involved in the process and a lot of work has to be done while the weather is conducive, before we head into the winter months.

Although Rona Bay Wharf is closed to the public while the 110-year-old structure is being refurbished, one or two visitors may have been pushing their luck, with the jetty a great place to hang out over summer.

Contractors working at the site have noticed the odd swimmer and kayaker under the wharf or far too close to it. On at least one occasion someone has climbed around the fenced off entrance to the wharf to go fishing.

Mr Hodgins says he understands that people miss access to the wharf over the summer months and he can see the appeal of swimming under the pier. “The wharf is a construction site with many of its piles and beams needing replacement, so there is the potential for accidents. We can’t build a fence around the entire wharf so we’re asking people to stay at least 10 metres back from it. And definitely don’t go under it or try to climb on to it.” Mr Hodgins expects the wharf to be open again in time for summer 2018-19.

Actress comes back to Eastbourne for Switzerland

by Carl McRae

For so long a leading light in New Zealand theatre, Catherine Downes has been back home in Eastbourne, rehearsing daily at Circa Theatre for a season of Joanna Murray Smith’s highly acclaimed psychological thriller, Switzerland , which premiered on March 17th.

Catherine has been staying with her mum Pat, who at 89 years of age, has been a resident of the Eastern Bays since she was an eight year old. The elder Downes was at one time the doyenne of local theatre group, ‘The Utopians’. “They used to put on productions at St. Albans Church and Muritai School,” Catherine says, “often with my grandparents directing.”

A love of all things theatrical was inherent then and Catherine says that she was often writing and directing family plays that were so important that life and death by comparison were relatively innocuous affairs. Using the bay window and curtains as her personal auditorium, with parents and siblings always recruited, Catherine lived life as her favourite film star of the era, Hayley Mills.

Drama studies continued throughout secondary education at Queen Margaret College and upon leaving school, Catherine applied for a journalist position going at the NZBC. Having gotten most of the questions wrong, she was duly employed, but in the film accessing department, working alongside John Clarke (Fred Dagg) and Ross Jolly.

“At the same time,” she says, “I attended classes with Nola Millar at what was to become the New Zealand Drama School, in Cuba Street.” She graduated after completing a BA in English, Politics and Drama at Victoria University and became a full-time member of Downstage Theatre Company, performing in lunch-time, main bill and late night shows.

But it wasn’t long until the world came calling for Catherine and spells in London and Amsterdam were so successful, she intended not to come back. She established the Heartache & Sorrow Theatre Group in both cities with other Kiwi expatriates.

While in Amsterdam she created the one woman play, The Case of Katherine Mansfield,

with which she toured Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, winning two awards at the 1979 Edinburgh Festival.

A stint in Australia followed, where she says the work was exciting and she learnt to direct. She also worked with a broad spectrum of actors, including Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett, both at the beginning of their careers.

“At the time,” Catherine says, “Australia seemed connected to the world, whereas New Zealand seemed about as far away as you could get. Even so, I returned to both NZ and Eastbourne to have a child, Sam, now 33.”

“I planned to go to Sydney after that,” she says, “but the homely familiarity of Days Bay was too much and Australia just slipped away.”

After six years as the Creative Director of the Court Theatre in Christchurch, she returned to Wellington in 2005, to resurrect the flagging fortunes of Downstage. “Wellington was my home,” she says, “and still where my heart lies. It’s also the theatrical heart of New Zealand. I wanted Downstage to reclaim some of its former glory.”

“But I eventually worked out that I was better suited to and happier in creative roles rather than administrative.”

Catherine says that at the time she wrote the Case of Katherine Mansfield, the symbolic nature of both of their connections with Eastbourne was largely lost on her. “When I returned here to live as an adult, it all made sense on a different level. Her words were all around in the air; ‘bush covered hills’, ‘sparkling water and sea’.”

She says that she has always been inspired by Mansfield’s outrageous determination to carve her own path and ultimate fight to ‘be all I am capable of becoming’.

Switzerland, now on at Circa Two, is based on the last days of crime writer Patricia Highsmith (of the ‘Mr Ripley’ series fame). The 90 minute, no interval play stars only herself and young Wellington actor, Simon Leary.

“While she was a ten year old at elementary school in Queens,” says Catherine, “Patricia was asked to open a window. She watched an ordinary man walking down the street and Mr. Ripley

was literally born then and there. From there she simply played on the chips of the shoulders of the American Literary Institute.”

Catherine says that Ms Highsmith was a highly complex woman who claimed that she had spent her life running away from herself.

Authorised by C. Bishop, 66 Bloomfield Tce, L. Hutt

Recently I was pleased to attend the launch of the Eastbourne Heritage Trail, which celebrates the area’s rich history. This project has seen 16 display boards featuring historical information and photographs installed right along the foreshore to inform both locals and visitors about the origins of Eastbourne.

I was especially pleased for Murray Gibbons who came up the with concept after a trip to the Catlins a few years ago, and has championed the project from start to finish. He has worn many hats during the course of the project and has had the support of many other local people to bring this wonderful project to life. They’ve also had great support form the Lions and Rotary clubs, the team from the Hutt City Council Archives and Concept Signs who produced the wonderful display boards.

Not only is it a great addition to Eastbourne, but also a great example of what can happen when you have a great idea, someone with huge passion to drive it, and a community to get behind it. It sets a great foundation for other work currently underway to create a vibrant village in Eastbourne.

These displays are a great way for us all to learn more about the history of the area and they will also appeal to tourists who will be able to pick up a brochure at the ferry and follow the trail right down the coastline. Well done Murray and well done Eastbourne.

Where am I expected to pull over?

Hello again impatient drivers, I see in February’s issue Mr Mendzela is requesting a sign be erected to remind slower motorists to pull over for faster ones along Marine Drive. The closest similar sign is near Tawa along a stretch where there are three complete lanes - a 4m hard shoulder for those who dare to dip below the speed limit, and two lanes for overtaking. Sadly, Marine Parade isn’t that wide. It’s going to be quite the challenge finding a spot for your sign which is roughly 1.8m wide. So let’s have a think about where you can shove it: Before Days Bay the shoulder is 40cm wide then drops into the ocean so that’s no good. Just beyond that there’s a wooden barrier – only 30cm there. Sunshine Bay, 20-30cm before you’re in the water. Mahina Bay, nope, barely enough room for a skateboard. Then there’s that nasty hairpin, can’t put a sign either side. Along the straight there might’ve been room but there’s a pesky footpath with concrete barriers which leaves just 10-20cm of shoulder. York bay has that annoying bus stop, then it’s Lowry Bay – only 10cm to spare on each side dotted with driveways, stone walls, parked cars, power poles… So you see, there really aren’t too many places to put a 1.8m wide sign along Marine Drive. Which will hopefully illustrate the real point, that there’s nowhere to pull a 1.8m car over either.

Nick McHugh

SNAs: Another madman's dream

Re : District Plan change.

It is absolutely ridiculous that the Hutt City Council wants to extend the East Harbour Regional Park beyond its own boundaries. It is great to protect the regional park, but not by shifting the boundaries. There are already plenty of regulations to control new buildings or new developments. This virtual regional park extension is just another madman’s dream. This person has taken a horizontal contour line below the regional park border and just applied to his bright idea. Respect the boundary that is there now, and respect the ownership and responsibilities on either side. This is just another unjustifiable bureaucratic hallucination.

Adrian Moonen Eastbourne

Thanks, Brigade

A Gas Leak took place on the outside of my home in Houhere Terrace, on the evening of Sunday 19 February, and the emergency was safely dealt with.

I was hugely grateful for help and support from - many neighbours, the community in general, and the local fire service. I wish to say my heartfelt thanks to all concerned.

Anne Horrill Eastbourne

Helen Renor Funeral Director Stephanie van Campfort Embalmer Funeral Director

Sinclair

Mayor

The day the Wahine sank: Fifty years on

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster, Carl McRae looks back at the events leading up to the tragedy, and talks to some of the survivors and rescuers from that day.

April 9, 1968:

The Invercargill-Lyttleton train was unusually ten minutes late when it arrived at the wharf, to link up with the Wellington bound Inter-Island ferry, Wahine. That, combined with an eight minute power failure on shore, meant that the vessel was a little behind schedule when it pulled away from the terminal building at 8:43pm.

Among the 734 people aboard were retired Southland farmers, Ivan and Alice Ewan. They had recently made the decision to visit their daughter, Rosemary, who held a teaching post just out of London. Ivan also had a sister who lived in Wales.

The couple were scheduled to depart Wellington on April 11th aboard the ocean liner, Southern Cross. Their son, Rob, his wife Muriel and brother Lloyd, had decided to make the journey to Wellington with their parents to wish them ‘bon voyage’. All five had been aboard the delayed train from Invercargill.

‘Strong northerlies, changing to southerly after midnight’ was the latest weather forecast issued by the New Zealand Met Service. Tropical Cyclone Giselle, which had formed earlier in the week in the Coral Sea, had created pandemonium across much of the upper half of the North Island during the day.

The forecast also indicated that the storm would likely head offshore and out to sea somewhere along the East Cape. The southerly gales and heavy rain set to prevail were of more concern; a front of cold air moving up the West Coast from a depression south of New Zealand.

Yet, during the early hours of April 10, the city of Wellington was absolutely still. In Maungaraki, Anne Robertson couldn’t sleep and found the tranquillity unnerving and eerie. Her husband would be bringing the Wahine through the heads in just a few hours time.

April 10, 1968:

“It was a relatively calm sailing during the night,“ says Rob Ewan. “We went to bed quite early. Things began to change about half past five in the morning.”

At that time, passengers were delivered tea

by the stewards and Rob says that the ship was beginning to roll, as the seas roughened. His and Muriel’s tea ended up in the wash basin in their cabin.

Continues next page

Muriel and Rob Ewan look across the Harbour from the Wahine mast, toward Steeple Rock.

Wahine: Passengers had "false sense of security"

From previous page

As the Wahine made its way past Pencarrow Head at the entrance to Wellington Harbour and entered the channel, the situation suddenly changed dramatically. Rolling and pitching in the heavy southerly swell, the radar unit failed and then, pummelled by a rogue wave estimated to have been 13 metres in height, the ship lurched violently onto its starboard side, by as much as 47 degrees from the vertical.

Giselle had not made its way out to sea as predicted. The cyclone had tracked south and arrived in the capital at the same time as the polar blast. The two weather systems, violently and destructively collided in the skies above Wellington, a city now under siege - the superstorm of April 10,1968 had struck.

The Wahine Storm, as it is colloquially known, is still the worst on record for many parts of the country. Full hurricane force winds were experienced for several hours in the capital, and clocked at 200km/ph at the peak of the storm, the strongest yet to be registered in any built up area in New Zealand.

In Cook Strait itself, 275km/hr gusts were recorded (the only occasion in which Category 5 cyclone winds have been recorded in NZ) and Eastbourne was cut off from the city by heavy seas that washed over Marine Drive.

At 6:41am, those on the bridge of Wahine lost their blind navigational fight with the torrid seas and the ship ran aground on Barrett’s Reef. Driven across the rocks, massive damage was inflicted on the underwater hull. With the engine deck flooded, the vessel lost all power and the captain, Gordon Robertson, made the call to drop the anchors.

Rob says the passengers were all told to put on their life jackets and make their way to the closest muster station, which by 7am most had

done. From then on public announcements were made on a regular basis.

“None of us thought ahead as to what was likely to happen,” he says, “and it’s probably a good thing we didn’t know. People sat around in life jackets, telling jokes. Really, we were lulled into a false sense of security".

“One has to remember,”Muriel says, “there were no phones, or radios and virtually no connection with the outside world. The storm was so fierce that we couldn’t see land and literally, we had no idea where we were".

Rob recalls that one person did have a transistor radio and he had listened into broadcasts and reports of chaos and carnage in the city and suburbs. Passengers relayed this information to each other.

A young girl was killed in the suburb of Northland, when roofing iron from a neighbouring house crashed through her bedroom window. Power and telephone lines had blown over and hospitals in the region were busy treating people with various injuries, mostly from flying debris.

Hardest hit was Kingston Heights, where roofs were ripped off, houses torn apart, people evacuated and streets littered with roofing iron, letterboxes and broken glass. High winds had blown three ambulances, all despatched to the stricken suburb, onto their sides.

The entire North Island was without power

for a period, when downed lines at the Haywards substation caused a cut in the Cook Strait power supply.

Kevin Brennan was a 34 year old lithographer at the time, working for Rotoset Print in Seaview. He set off for work on the 7:30am bus from Eastbourne, as he did every week day.

The same factory workers rode the bus on most occasions, but on this particular morning the journey was more arduous than most. While stationery in Mahina Bay and picking up passengers, a gust of wind lifted the back of the bus up and plonked it back down with an alarming thud.

Conditions were appalling and the bus riders were not to know that they were the last vehicle to be able to get through before the road was closed.

Malcolm Burdan rode into work in Wellington with his brother-in-law that morning and he recalls having to occasionally stop and remove debris, as waves crashed across the road.

“As we drove through Seaview, I feared that the Morris Mini would be blown over and by the time we reached the city, billboards and parts off buildings were dangerously flying through the streets.”

Mr Burdan, well organised and having witnessed the conditions first hand, had the foresight to ring his wife, Shirley, back home in Totara Street and ensure that she took appropriate care of his prize-winning chrysanthemums, if it looked like they were going to be blown away. Major disaster averted, he was very pleased with himself.

But Shirley was to be busy enough with her own endeavours. Muritai School announced

Continues next page

JAG033

Kevin Brennan pictured outside the old RSA hall, where he helped pull in Wahine’s number two lifeboat.

Wahine: The community rallies

From previous page

that it was closed for the day and with her parents away, she had to check on their top floor apartment in Rona House.

“I had to put towels around all the windows,” Shirley says. “The rattling and the shaking of the building was terrifying. Not long after I got home, my sister-in-law (Margaret Press) phoned and asked me to bring the kids and come down and give her a hand.”

Philip Benge was a 23 year old police constable, stationed in Petone and living in Alicetown. Although he was not rostered on that day, as was the case with potential emergency situations off duty officers were on standby. During the morning, like most people, it was the magnitude of the storm which had taken him by surprise.

He, too, had listened to the radio broadcasts, which by late morning also contained references to the fact that the Wahine was in some bother in Wellington Harbour. But at 11am, Phil received a call from Petone station, where he was told that the boat was now OK and he could stand down for the rest of the day.

At around the same time, Kevin Brennan’s boss at Rotoset had had enough.

“The walls and roof of the building in Waione Street were literally shaking,” says Kevin, “and at any moment we expected to see the roof lift clean off. The manager said; 'That’s it boys. Head home, we’re not working any longer today'.”

“At around 11:30am, we managed to get around Lowry Bay on the return bus, but we had to keep stopping to pick up flotsam and logs off the road.”

Late morning, Rob and his brother decided to go up on deck and see what was happening, if they could see anything at all. Unbelievably, coming through the murk was the harbour tug ‘Tapuhi’, and an attempt was made to secure a four inch wire line to the stricken vessel. But a large wave drew the tug away from the Wahine and Rob says the line snapped like a rubber band.

Amazingly in the treacherous conditions, the Harbour Master put his own life at risk and leapt from the tug to a ladder suspended from the Wahine and climbed aboard the ship. His courageous actions allowed Captain Robertson to leave the bridge for the first time that morning and evaluate the damage first hand.

“By late morning we sensed that things were beginning to change,” Rob says. “We were still a little vague as to exactly where we were. At 1:15pm, with the ship now not correcting from the list following the flooding of the vehicle decks, the call came to abandon ship.”

The five Ewans and the rest of the passengers and crew were suddenly either in the water, life rafts or, if lucky, a life boat. For all, the next couple of hours would mean survival or death. Mr and Muriel decided to separate, the rationale that at least one may live to raise their daughters

back in Southland, Gillian (7) and Kathryn (5).

Phil recalls Relda Familton reading the RNZ News and reporting that passengers were now abandoning the listing ship. Having been stood down, he was contacted by the station and told to get his skates on and get round to the Eastern coast as fast as possible.

The community of Eastbourne was keeping vigil around the radio themselves, for the stricken vessel was but a few kilometres across the other side of the harbour, although mostly shrouded by poor visibility.

Because of the angle at which Cyclone Giselle had struck the North Island, a vast amount of seawater had been swept into the channel by the storm. When things began to calm, all that water began to pour out of the harbour and back into the ocean.

The occupants of the first lifeboats and life rafts to leave the ship soon found that instead of being able to make for nearby Seatoun Beach, they were being carried away from the ship in a south-easterly direction.

Soon the sea was full of bobbing heads, all drifting in the outgoing tide. Through the hundred knot winds and mountainous seas, which turned to treacherous rollers near the coast, swimmers, lifeboats and rafts were swept toward the rocky Pencarrow coastline. Mothers called out the names of their children. Others were calling for their wives, husbands and friends.

“Alice and I ended up in an inflatable life raft,” says Muriel. “They couldn’t be controlled in any way, so along with the 25 or so others aboard, we had to go with the tide and floated across toward the Pencarrow Coast. But a wave hit the raft and it bent in the middle. Most of us were tossed into the sea.”

After being stopped briefly by a traffic officer at Point Howard, Phil eventually arrived at Burdan’s Gate and made his way along the coastline on foot. Soon he came across other policemen and was briefed that people in the water would soon be coming ashore, and the plan was simply to help them do so.

The police all stopped and watched as the Wahine finally toppled over sideways, funnels toward Eastbourne, emitting a huge amount of steam as it did so.

“It was like a dying whale,” Phil says, “and then a moment later it was completely closed in again by the fog and mist'.

As Phil and the police and emergency services swung into action, co-ordinating a mammoth maritime rescue operation, Kevin Brennan was - at last - arriving home from work.

“I’d only just walked in the door,” he says, “when I looked out the window and saw a lifeboat go past with a man in a bow tie and black trousers at the helm. The sea was right across the street, very close. It was totally surreal, like a scene from a Marx brothers movie.”

It was Lifeboat S3, which had been majestically steered through the rain and murk Continues next page

Faith in the Community

Palm Sunday…

Last month the question was ‘What’s Ash Wednesday?’

Answer: It’s the first day of the Christian season of Lent, leading up to Easter. The question for tomorrow would probably be ‘What’s Palm Sunday?’

Answer: It begins the week that ends with Easter. It’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, to be greeted by welcoming crowds as a royal prince in the lineage of the great King David.

Jerusalem was filled with Jewish pilgrims from all over the Roman Empire. They were gathering for the annual celebration of Passover, when Moses led the Israelites to freedom. Just as their forebears had hated their Egyptian taskmasters, so they hated the Romans.

They all thought Jesus had come to throw out the Romans, in a show of political power and military muscle.

But nothing could have been further from his carefully planned intention. While a conquering hero would have come riding in on a horse to lead his followers to war, Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. “If only you recognised the things that make for peace” he said. “They will crush you” he said, and when they tried to rebel in 70 CE the Romans did just that. Jesus said there was another way. “Love your enemies” he said. Isn’t it about time we tried it.

St Alban’s: Boomerang Bags, every Weds, 7-9pm, St Ronan’s. Maundy Thursday Service, 29 Mar, 7.30pm, St Alban’s Hall Foyer. Good Friday Personal Pilgrimage, 30 Mar, 12 to 3pm (gather outside St Alban’s Church at noon). Easter Vigil Service, Sat 31 Mar, 7.30pm, Wellesley. Easter Sunday Eucharist, Sun 1 Apr, 10am, Wellesley. St Ronan’s: Easter ‘Son Rise’ Service on the beach by RSA, Sun 1 Apr, 7am, tea/coffee & hot-cross buns after. Come and see the short Billy Graham video ‘The Cross’, Wed 28 Mar 7.30pm, St Ronan’s.

Combined: Good Friday Service, Fri 30 Mar, 10am, St Ronan’s.

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

Wahine: Horrors still vivid for local rescuers

From previous page

across the harbour to the eastern shoreline, where her commander, Able Seaman Terry Victory, had very skilfully landed the boat on Muritai Beach.

“I raced down to where the boat came ashore (in front of what is now the ESSC) and helped pull the big white three-tonner up on the beach,” Kevin says. “Passengers were trying to get off as soon as they could and waves kept lifting the lifeboat high out of the water, where even the rescuers were then in danger of being crushed. I recall hanging onto the gunwales and riding the boat up on to the beach.”

He believes that if it hadn’t been for the skill of Terry Victory in guiding the boat to shore, there would have been more casualties. Victory’s seamanship was later officially applauded by maritime experts, juxtaposed with those aboard the lifeboat at the time, who initially demanded that he take the short route to Seatoun, as two others had successfully done.

“He kept the lifeboat stern on to the waves,” Kevin says, “some which were breaking about 200 metres out. If he had broached it would have rolled over in the massive surf. But he rode the boat straight up onto the beach and ground her into the sand, which again was so perfect it almost looked scripted.”

Local sailing enthusiast Wal Louden, a teenager at the time, also remembers the smooth passage of the lifeboat coming ashore, as does Catherine Downes (who was in her final year at Queen Margaret College).

“As the lifeboat approached the shoreline,” says Catherine, “I could hear those aboard singing Onward Christian Soldiers.”

As the passengers raced from the lifeboat as fast as they could, a young police cadet issued instructions to a local rescue co-ordinator to take their names and put them on the waiting bus for Wellington Railway Station. Kevin suggested it would not be a good idea to print the expletive loaded reply the cop received.

“Most did board a bus for the city,” he says, “but those with extreme hypothermia or the badly injured were whisked down to the RSA, where the community response, once the word had gotten out, was truly remarkable. Blankets, clothing, hot water bottles, hot soup and all manner of comforts arrived literally within minutes.”

After informing patrons gathered for an early afternoon beer, that the premise was about to be used for an emergency situation which had developed, RSA officials began telephoning local businessmen for supplies. Offers of help began to pour in as news of the disaster spread swiftly through the close-knit community, and nearby residents materialised and some took survivors to their homes. Eastbourne’s two hairdressing salons were contacted promptly emptied their establishments of towels. local bakery owner, Bill Munro delivered sandwiches, soup and trays piled with buns, scones, muffins, pies and cakes.

Within half an hour of the information being relayed, the local Borough Council, Red Cross, doctors, the East Harbour Women’s Club and the Fire Brigade were also ready to receive survivors.

Shirley Burdan and Margaret Press had also reacted quickly upon hearing the news and within moments soup was on the stove and a plan was being formulated between them to ensure they were able to offer whatever assistance that could render.

Margaret raced the first batch of hot soup to Burdan’s Gate and talked her way past the police block. Shirley stayed behind and looked after the children. They kept a production line of pikelets and scones going all afternoon.

Passengers and crew began coming ashore at 2.15pm and continued to do so until nearly 5 pm. The first encounter Phil Benge had with a survivor was a young boy, maybe 11, whom he picked up and piggy-backed back to Burdan’s Gate, where the Salvation Army was also waiting with hot tea.

Around Camp Bay Point the surf was thick with survivors. As the bulk of the passengers reached the shoreline, the police and rescuers were hopelessly outnumbered and did what they could for anyone on an individual basis, but had to move on quickly. Some people came ashore and in shock, raced straight up the bank, still terrified for their lives. Others made the beach but exhausted, were dragged back into the surf and met their peril on the rocks with the next incoming wave. Others died where they lay, hypothermic, wounded or a combination of both.

Many still in the water recalled seeing people being tumbled among the cruel rocks on the shore and believed that this would also be their fate. Similarly, once those in the water were beyond the point at which boats could safely avoid the rocks, all that crews of the gathered flotilla could do was watch as the last of the survivors went through the hell of landing on the coast.

Most of the 51 people who lost their lives that afternoon would eventually end up ashore, somewhere between Camp Bay and Hinds Point. Most of the dead were over fifty years of age, having suffered a terrifying and unequal struggle against the sea, surf and rocks.

The shoreline was littered with life jackets and up-turned rafts, some still contained bodies trapped underneath. The realisation of what had occurred really struck home for Phil when he and another officer pulled the body of Wahine crew member, 1st Class Assistant Steward, George Vincent, from the water, still immaculately dressed in uniform.

Another man they pulled alive from the water had not been on the Wahine at all, but aboard a rescue boat which had sunk in the harbour. He had floated across to the eastern shore holding onto the wooden door.

Phil also recalls coming across a flat deck truck, piled with bodies on the back, which

he initially believed to be a travelling morgue. Suddenly, one of the bodies moved, setting off a chain reaction and Phil realised that in fact, all aboard were all alive but completely exhausted.

Said truck was owned and driven by Edgar Burdan, and the subject of one of the most famous photographs associated with the events of the day.

Shirley Burdan says the whole ordeal was petrifying. “I can still see it today,” she says, “bodies rolling in on the beach and people running everywhere. It was the most unpleasant situation I have ever been in throughout my life-time.”

Rob, Muriel and Alice also came ashore at different points along the coastline that afternoon.

“I was lucky,” Muriel said, “and came ashore without any problems. I was looking for Rob’s mum, but couldn’t find her anywhere. I was quite sure that she wasn’t one of the bodies floating in.”

Muriel found Alice sitting under a gorse bush and the pair, glad to be alive and in just stockinged feet, began the long trek along the shore to Burdan’s Gate.

“It was incredibly disturbing,” says Muriel. “There were bodies everywhere. Some clearly had passed, others we were not so sure, but quickly one became hardened and the only intent was survival. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Rob had come ashore and made the walk out also, expressing similar sentiments. He remembers adding his life-jacket to the growing pile at Burdan’s Gate. He was picked up in a private car by local four square owner, Derek McClellan (who had arrived at the gate with 8 litres of hot tomato soup) and driven to Wellington Railway Station, stopping several

Continues next page

The growing pile of life jackets at Burdan’s Gate.

Wahine: Couple will never forget

From previous page times along the way to clear rubbish from the road.

“After about an hour,” says Muriel, “we eventually arrived at Burdan’s Gate and from there were taken to the RSA hall in Eastbourne.

Policemen were taking names and addresses of survivors, who in turn were phoning relatives and friends. Post Office staff were jotting down messages to be sent by wire. As well as providing food and blankets, the RSA had been set up as a triage unit for the elderly or wounded passengers, the billiard tables used as operating benches for minor surgery. Unfortunately, three people died on premise before further medical assistance could be rendered.

Eventually it became clear that there were few people left walking along the shoreline. The Police job then changed to laying the bodies out above the tide mark for later collection by other authorities. At approximately 6pm Phil Benge was told to head back to the Station in Petone. It was dusk and the storm had abated, almost as quickly as it had first arrived.

Muriel and Alice waited at the RSA until being bused into the Railways Station to register. There, they were reunited with Rob, who with unbounded joy, had made out the figure of his wife in the headlights of a car. All five family members had survived.

In the fallout during the days that followed, some local people had taken exception to the fact that they had offered help and were given the impression they were not needed, especially those not allowed past Burdan’s Gate. Phil Benge says that misunderstandings occur under chaotic

conditions. “People felt angry that things were out of control and the like,” he says, “but at the time the police made decisions and someone had to. They acted in what they believed to be the best interest of all parties at the time. It was a tragedy and I hope that all of us who were involved can find some peace within ourselves.”

Malcolm Burdan is unlikely to forget either. When he arrived home off the bus, he was annoyed and about to go crook at his wife for being home all day and not tending to his award winning chrysanthemums. Her reply began with; “I couldn’t care less about your…”

Kevin Brennan says that fifty years on, he still bares a degree of resentment that the people of the Eastern Bays have never truly been recognised for their swift action and life-saving part in the whole, sorry business. Thirty per cent of the Wahine’s total complement of passengers and crew (223 people) struggled ashore here, walking, crawling or being pulled out of sea by local rescuers and police.

“Neither the police or any of the local rescuers were given any recognition for the countless lives they saved,” Kevin says. “They waded into the surf on numerous occasions to save people, some of them very badly wounded.”

In fact, more than 90 percent of those who went into the water were ultimately rescued and Rob Ewan believes hundreds of lives were saved by the community response from Eastbourne.

“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the people of Eastbourne,” he says. “They were just wonderful. They seemed to know exactly what we needed and provided it. They gave loving care and literally took the shirts off their backs for us. We came from the deep south. We will never forget.”

MICHAEL LULICH Harbour Ward Councillor

As a Councillor, and Eastbourne Community Board member, I attended the Eastbourne Board Walkabout. The Walkabout is where the Community Board annually goes and meets with Eastbourne and Bays representatives to hear about local issues in their area. The feedback from the representatives was excellent and resulted in a number of local issues for the Board to work through. Thank you to the representatives of all the resident’s groups, and associations that we met. Also thank you for the feedback from individuals we met on the walk-about.

It was great attending the Wellesley College School’s Easter Gala in Eastbourne on behalf of Council. The Gala is a major fundraising event for the school, as well as an important social occasion for both the school and wider community. This year the Gala offered a variety of fantastic stalls, food, home baking, raffles, and a lot of fun activities to take part in. The proceeds from the Gala will go towards the installation of a new playground and further beautification of the grounds. Well done Wellesley College and good to see such a large crowd at the Gala.

I have attended the Eastbourne Games “Battles of the Bays” a number of times, both as a competitor and as a judge. This year it was a real pleasure to be a co-judge in the Sand Saucer, Beach Art and Survival Skills events. As Chair of the Council’s Arts and Culture Committee, it was great to see the creative talent on display by our youth. The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) also tested competitors on their survival skills and standards were very high. It was also great watching the many other events at the Games. Well done to the event organiser for another successful Games. I would like to thank Eastbourne Community Board member Murray Gibbon for the work he has done to bring us the Eastbourne Heritage Trail. I would also like to thank the organisers of another successful Wild Food Challenge in February. Finally, it was a honour to be a Eastbourne Community Board member when our Community Board presented local community awards at our last public meeting.

Residents can contact me with their enquires on 977-3166 (home) or 021 0304561 (mobile), and can email me at michael.lulich@huttcity.govt.nz or follow me on Facebook.

New rules and rankings meant competition was much closer in the fifth biannual Eastbourne Games.

In the end it was one of the larger bays taking out the trophy - Rona Bay.

Organiser Camille Astbury says this year’s event proved to be a big hit with competitors, and felt less about hard core competition between the bays and more about friendly rivalry.

“Our new format and event worked really well creating a more even playing field between the larger and smaller bays with only half a point separating the top three bays.”

Holding the event in conjunction with the Wharf to Wharf on the same day proved to be no problem, apart from a battle of the loud hailers during the swim race’s safety briefing.

The two events combined meant there were more people at Williams Park and a festive atmosphere.

Photos (clockwise from top left): The winning team, the games are never all about sporting prowess, with paper, scissors, rock one of the most contentious, Lowry Bay show off their volleyball skills, and the lads from Point Howard prepare to fight it out in the tug of war.

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Thinking of selling your home soon?

REINZ reports continued gradual rise of the market with a 6.9% increase in median house price last month compared with February 2017. A median price rise of 3.5% is reported for the Wellington region over the past year.

And in Eastbourne, as we have seen for several months, while the number of sales in the past 12 months fell slightly it is balanced with a modest increase in the average price.

There are still many buyers who are actively seeking their next home in our beautiful community.

If you wish to discuss the potential of your home in this market - and how to get the best result with the least stress - please feel free to call.

CONTACT: Kim Slessor 027 230 3328 kim@justpaterson.co.nz BY NEGOTIATION: Buyer Enquiry From $1,475,000

Contributor to realestate.co.nz

Mondays

• Retired Persons’ Assn 4th Mon. Ph 5627365.

• “Baby Bounce & Rhyme” at the library 10.30am.

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

• DB Playcentre Mon, Wed, Fri 9-12. Andrea Jensen 02102797311.

• Pt Howard Playcentre. Mon 9.15 -11.45am. Caroline 021 072 1070.

• Historical Society of Eastbourne local studies room open above the library 2-4 pm every Monday.

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

• Rotary Pencarrow meets 6.30pm Lowry Bay Yacht Club, Seaview - phone Don 562 7409.

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

• 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.

Tuesdays

• Pt Howard Playcentre Tues 9.15 -11.45am. Caroline 021 072 1070.

• 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 5627096.

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

• Eastbourne Embroidery Group, St Ronan’s Church lounge 10am-12noon.

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

WHAT’S ON

8555.

• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Mike 562 8688.

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

• Toy Library 9.30am-10.30am. Kathryn 562 6271. www.eastbournemibase.com. au

Wednesdays

• Library preschool story time 2–2.25pm.

• Pt Howard Playcentre Wed 9.15 -11.45am. Caroline 021 072 1070.

• Scottish Country Dance. Merryn 562 0236.

• Bridge Club 7-10pm. Shona 562 7073.

• DB Playcentre Mon, Wed, Fri 9-12. Andrea Jensen 02102797311.

Thursdays

• St Ronan’s Mainly Music, 9.30am10.30am, contact Cathy 027 213 9342.

• SPACE at Days Bay Playcentre. Michelle 971 8598.

East Harbour Women’s Club

New Members Welcome Card Groups (weekly)

- Bolivia 12.45pm

Contact Glendyr ph: 562 7181 - Bridge 1.00pm

Contact Heather ph: 562 7995 Guest Speaker (3rd week of month)

7.00pm - Drinks and nibbles provided 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.

Fridays

• St Alban’s Pop in and Play, at St Ronan’s Church Hall, 9am-11.30am, contact Stefi 021 178 2099.

• Pt Howard Playcentre Fri 9.15 -11.45am. Caroline 021 072 1070.

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

• DB Playcentre Mon, Wed, Fri 9-12. Andrea Jensen 02102797311.

• Discovery Time for 4years+ at San Antonio School, 78 Oroua Street, 9.3010.30am. Office 562 7398.

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 10.00am Muritai Croquet Club. Lyn 562 8722 or Val 562 8181.

• Historical Society of Eastbourne local studies room open above the library 11am - Noon on Last Saturday every month.

• Eastbourne Dunes Group meets 2nd Sat of each month.https://www. coastalrestorationtrust.org.nz/coastcaregroups/eastbourne-dune-care/156/ Sundays

• Church services - see page 28.

• AA Plunket Rooms 10am. Pauline 562 7833.

Beach clean up: Saturday, April 7, 9am-12pm. Meet at Burdan's Gate to get your bags and gloves. All welcome!

Birds of the Parangarahu Lakes

There are not many settlements like Eastbourne in New Zealand where you can live with beautiful native bush flowing to the sea, but many do not know that the Pencarrow Lakes are among the most ecologically important fresh water lakes in New Zealand. This is in part due to the bird life they support. MIRO’s banded dotterel monitoring project at the Lakes has been fortunate to have Geoff de Lisle, Wellington Regional Representative of Birds New Zealand (Ornithology Society of New Zealand), accompanying our weekly trips to help with the monitor and banding efforts. This month, we asked Geoff to talk about the bird life that this area supports.

There are four different bird habitats at the Pencarrow Lakes, namely the ocean, beach, wetlands and remnant bush at the head of Lake Kohangatera. Each of these habitats supports different bird species and over 50 bird species have been recorded in this area.

The beaches at the Lakes Block look directly out onto Cook Strait which has a wide range of sea birds, many of which do not come into Wellington Harbour. For example, giant petrel and albatrosses/mollymawks have been seen recently from the beach at Lake Kohangapiripiri.

The beach area is important habitat for nesting birds and this season banded dotterel, variable oystercatchers and black-backed gulls have successfully raised chicks. The extensive trapping program conducted by MIRO and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has increased the breeding success of these birds by stopping nest and chick predation. In previous years hedgehogs were the main nest predators of banded dotterels and mustelids and feral cats were likely killing chicks. Potential native predators include black-backed gulls and we observed a falcon killing an adult banded dotterel this year. MIRO and GWRC mitigated human interference of the nesting areas by new signage, temporary fencing and continuing to have the Taranaki Whanui place a Rahui on

these sensitive areas. There are good numbers of pipits, a species that is declining in New Zealand and uncommon in many parts of the Wellington region. New Zealand dotterel are rare visitors to the Pencarrow beaches.

The wetlands support a good range and number of waterfowl including black swan, Canada geese, mallard ducks, shovelers, grey teal and paradise ducks. Dabchicks breed in this area. While spotless crakes and bittern have been reported at the Lakes they have not been seen in this area for many years. During the last 12 months a new breeding colony of pied shags established at the outlet of Lake Kohangatera. This colony is unusual in that the birds are nesting on low shrubs rather than in tress like at Zealandia and the other pied shag colonies in the Wellington Region or the little shags nesting at the Days Bay duck pond.

The remnant bush at the head of Lake Kohangatera supports a range of bush birds such as tui, bellbird (pictured) and kereru which are common in the bush above Eastbourne.

Geoff de Lisle and Parker Jones MIRO

Garden Stuff with Sandy Lang

April: Mid-autumn, winter’s looming. Time to tidy up the garden. Also the time to build decks, pergolas, fences and raised veggie beds. What’s about not using treated timber in the garden…?

Most NZ timber is ‘radiata pine’. If not treated, pine soon rots when wet (decking, fences) and especially when in soil contact (fence posts).

Treatment: In NZ, outdoor pine is CCA treated - Copper against fungi, Arsenic against insects and Chromium to bind these, so they don’t wash out. Levels of CCA treatment depend on exposure to the elements. The common ones are H3 for rain exposure (decks, pergolas, fences) and H4 for soil exposure (fence posts).

The issues: What about the safety of CCA?

At high concentration, the salts of all three metals are poisonous. However, all three occur naturally at low concentrations in the soil, in plants, in your drinking water and in you. Low levels are naturally contained in all the foods we eat and are components of our bodies. More than this, all three are essential micronutrients for humans. So the risk turns not about the mere presence of these metals but about their concentrations.

Health/environmental risks: The use of CCA timber treatment is banned in the USA and EU. The main worry is arsenic. We may see a change in NZ but although the alternatives avoid arsenic they still pose significant health and environmental risks. No simple choice. So it’s about managing exposure…

Managing exposure: Probably the greatest risks of over-exposure to CCA are (1) from handling freshly-treated timber (wear gloves, wash hands before eating, wash clothes afterwards). Avoid inhaling sawdust (use a face mask if sanding). (2) Next is burning treated timber in a BBQ (ingestion + inhalation), in an open fire (inhalation), or in a closed wood stove (the neighbours). CCA treated timber offcuts should go to landfill. (3) Research shows there’s negligible risk of significant ingestion of these metals from food plants grown in soil that’s adjacent to CCA-treated timber. Almost all food produced in New Zealand is from agricultural systems in which CCA treated timber is used in fencing (pasture) or training structures (horticulture). If making planter boxes, use untreated macrocarpa (naturally rot resistant) or stain/paint an H4 board where it is in soil contact to minimise any movement of CCA from wood to soil.

Sandy Lang slang@xtra.co.nz

Stars of the Eastbourne Swimming scene

Ray Gough celebrated 18 years as head coach at The Eastbourne Swimming Club at the annual race meeting last month.

This year the club presented Ray with a plaque at the pool to acknowledge his lifetime contribution to the EBSC.

This is also the first year the Ray Gough Cup for most outstanding contribution to EBSC has been awarded. Like previous years, Ray is the race starter for all events and hands out all the cups to the winners. Ray's experience and passion for coaching is recognized by both swimmers and parents. As one swimmer said about Ray 'he taught me to love swimming again'.

EBSC member Kaye Wilmshurst says that, from the committee' perspective, Ray is swim club.

"As Ray mentioned on the night, the club is nothing without its coaches and he was so pleased to see coaches swimmers he coached coming through to be coaches themselves now. "

The club is always on the lookout for

assistant coaches and coaches. If anyone is interested in coaching for the next season starting in November, they can email the EBSC at eastbourneswimclub@gmail.com.

Eastbourne Swim Club 2018 race winners: Front row: Marina Nadilo (9), Willa Velvin (7), Amber Reid (11), Briar Depunt (8), Paige Bagma (10), Cooper Halford (Beginners Cup), Theo Longhurst (7),

Futsal festival champs

Muritai School made an impression in the fast-growing sport of futsal when its girls team was unbeaten at the recent Futsal Festival.

The (pictured), comprising Isabelle Buchanan, Hollie Ridley-Gibbons, Harriet Wilson, Ishbel Cook, Paige Bangma, Izzy Kane, Lottie Wilson and Lulu Adair played nine games and won all nine, scoring 69 goals and conceding nine.

Meanwhile, year 5 and 6 teams from Muritai finished first and second at the recent South East Zone Rippa Rugby tournament. The Muritai Canes were first and the Muritai Lions second. Both teams have qualified for the interzone tournament.

1000 points a record for Beck

Eastbourne basketballer Stella Beck has joined an elite company and become part of an historic achievement in her final year at her American University.

Beck recently became one of the three members of the current St. Mary’s women’s team to have scored 1000 points for the college, which has a campus with more than 4000 students at Moraga near Oakland and San Francisco.

It is only the second time in the history of the college, which was founded in 1863 but became co-educational in 1970, that the women’s basketball team has contained three players to have attained the rare 1000 point milestone. In fact, only 23 players in the past 40 years have reached 1000 points for the St Mary’s Gaels, of which Beck is now a senior member.

Beck and teammates Megan McKay and Sydney Raggio have all reached 1000 points in

the current season with Beck attaining the mark first.

“I think once Syd got it, I at least though Meg must not be far off,” Beck told the Gaels’ website.

“I’ve never really looked at the numbers exactly. I didn’t even know I ws close and I didn’t know Syd was close and the only reason I thought Meg was close is because I didn’t know I or Syd were close so I thought ‘maybe Meg’s already got 1000’.”

Associate head coach Tracy Sanders, who is St. Mary’s leading all-time scorer with 1,807 points, said it was pleasing to see the trio succeed.

Beck most recently scored 29 points as a St. Mary’s comeback fell just short in an 82-80 loss to the University of New Mexico at the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

We’re a fun and funky web studio right here in Petone. Drop in for a coffee and a Free Web consultation any time at 350 Jackson Street We’ll put the kettle on for you.

News from Point Howard

Pt Howard residents put on a solid performance at the Eastbourne Games this year ... taking the middle placing of all the Bays! We did well in the field events in the morning and took the winning place for the Beach Volley Ball. A huge thank you to Kate, Julie, Travis and Lyndsay for all their organising efforts and of course to all those who came along and either participated or cheered our side on! It was great to see so many relatively ‘new’ families on the Hill taking part!

The Annual Walkabout has been and gone with Allison representing Pt Howard. The maintenance concerns that residents raised have been lodged with Council and it appears that many of the items are already on their action list. We encourage residents to log onto the HCC website and the ‘Report a Problem’ tab immediately new problems arise (such as noisy chorus plates) as this is proving the most effective method of communication with the Hutt City Council maintenance teams. Many of us are disappointed that the Pt Howard wharf remains closed due to the need for some relatively minor maintenance estimated at $30k. This sum represents just 7.5% of the estimated demolition cost. We note that the wharf is being used again by the Lowry Bay Yacht Club to access their race starter box so hopefully it’s not long until the wharf is open again for the general public to use.

pthowardassn@gmail.com

Over 50% of NZ Businesses don’t have a website, of those who do, most websites are not responsive on mobile devices

Great turnout for Eastbourne's Wharf to Wharf

Teenager Ella Burton-Wood (above left) has produced another extraordinary performance to finish fifth overall and to be the first female competitor finisher in the annual Wharf to Wharf swim.

Burton-Wood was also the first female to finish last year’s race at only 14 years of age, posting a time of 19 minutes, 25 seconds over the 1.25 kilometre course. This year, aged 15, she went almost 40 seconds faster and posted a

Kidztalk

time of 18 minutes, 47 seconds to finish ahead of many competitors in the open men’s and women’s divisions.

Tim Fraser won the race from Day’s Bay to Rona Bay for the fifth straight year in a time of 15 minutes, 57 seconds. He was almost a minute ahead of Kim Truscott, who finished in 16 minutes, 53 seconds, only two seconds ahead of Andy George in third place.

Murray Burdan was fourth in 17 minutes, 38

seconds and Burton-Wood stepped out of the water next, two seconds ahead of Jon Muller who won the veteran men’s category.

A total of 123 swimmers tackled the event this year, down on the record entry of 158 in 2015, but a significant increase on the 106 who competed last year when many were deterred by cold sea conditions. Organiser Mandy Holmwood said conditions were really good, and organisers were heartened by the turnout.

WELCOME TO DAYS BAY PLAYCENTRE

We've all been having a mucky good time at Days Bay Playcentre, with children making "magic potions", riding bikes over paint to leave trails, and everyone getting thoroughly wet and sandy in our covered sandpit (while parents happily reflect on how lovely it is to have the mess at Playcentre, rather than at home).

We've had a focus on music and movement this term, and have all enjoyed learning new waiata and getting the musical instruments out at the end of each session.

Days Bay Playcentre run mixed age sessions Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, 9am to 11:45am.

All welcome, find us on Facebook or call Andrea on 02102797311 for more information.

Sebastian Good mixing up a magic potion.

For some it was a family affair: this competitor is high-fived by her family at the finish line.

Ex-Tension, skippered by Carl Longstaff, has won the 24 Hour Endurance Race, hosted by the Muritai Yacht Club, for the second consecutive year. The race, which was staged for the first time and experimentally last year, has blossomed this year into a major event which attracted 15 entrants The 36-foot Ex-Tension completed 10 laps of the Wellington harbour course and sailed a total distance of 101.22 miles in the 24 hour period. That was corrected to 142.56 miles when it’s handicap was taken into account, giving it the overall win from White Cavalier which covered 140.83 miles on corrected distance sailed. The 30-foot White Cavalier was skippered by Chris Rutledge. Manga II, sailed by Phil Bishop of the Royal New Zealand Navy, covered the greatest distance, completing 11 laps and 104.19 miles but that was corrected to 138.73 miles when its handicap was taken into account and left it

SPORT IN BRIEF

in fourth place overall. Madness was third with a corrected distance sailed of 139.09 miles. Planning is already underway for next year’s race which will be sailed on March 16, 2019.

Muritai sailor George Gautrey has finished fourth in elite company in the laser class at the Oceanbridge Sailing Regatta, regarded as New Zealand’s premier event for Olympic classes. Gautrey finished no further back than sixth over the eight races that made up the regatta at Auckland’s Murrays Bay Sailing Club. The contest for the title in the laser class was especially close with only one point separating the winner, Thomas Saunders, from Sam Meech in second place. Saunders and Meech crossed the line only metres apart in the decisive seventh race. National laser champion Andrew McKenzie took third place after winning the last race and was only

five points ahead of Gautrey who had four third and three fourth placings.

Barry Luke will coach the Eastbourne senior rugby team in the Wellington 85 kilogram grade this season. Luke has been a long-serving co-coach beside Kevin Hewson and, over the last few years, Greg Halford who stepped down after guiding the team to the semifinals again last year. Halford, a former Hawke’s Bay and Crusaders prop, will coach for the Old BoysUniversity club this year. Luke has a long history of involvement in Eastbourne rugby and a strong family connection to the Eastbourne club. His move into the head coaching role should be seamless as he knows the returning players well and has a deep knowledge of the 85 kilogram, weight-restricted grade.

SMOKE SIGNALS

Before you stoke up the fire and bring out the heaters and electric blankets from the cupboard, follow these Fire Safety tips to help keep you and your family safe.

• Clean chimneys and flues before your first fire of the season.

• Always use a fireguard or spark guard with open fires.

• Check the electric blanket for signs of wear and replace if necessary, don’t take the risk.

• Always make sure the electric blanket is switched off before getting into bed.

• Remember the heater metre rule; always keep furniture, curtains, clothes and children at least 1 metre away from heaters or fireplaces.

• Never cover heating appliances.

• Check LPG gas heater hoses for damage or wear.

• Always have fresh air coming into a room where a gas heater is in use.

• Test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries if required.

Remember: Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives. For practical advice on Fire Safety visit www. fireandemergency.nz or contact your local Fire Brigade.

Emergency Call Outs:

20th Jan 18 - Rubbish Bin Fire, Muritai Rd

21st Jan 18 - Beach fire, Nikau St

22nd Jan 18 - Beach Fire, Burdans Gate

01 Feb 18 - Car in Water, Sunshine Bay

05 Feb 18 - Assist Police, Muritai Rd

08 Feb 18 - Alarm Activation, Tui Rd

18 Feb 18 - Gas Leak Hourere Tce

28 Feb 18 - Smell of Burning, Oroua St

03 Mar 18 - Beach Fire, Marine Pde

06 Mar 18 - Smoke logged house, Marine Pde.

They've done it again: Bowlers win national title

Eastbourne has achieved a feat unlikely to be matched by any other club by winning the national men’s interclub bowls title for the third consecutive year.

The team (pictured) of Jamie Hill, Gary Lawson, Justin Goodwin, Mike Solomon, Phil Skoglund Jnr, Mike Carroll and Scott Roddick beat the best club teams from throughout New Zealand in the two-day final at the Naenae Bowling Club to complete the historic achievement.

Eastbourne had already won the national title four times before the finals on March 3 and 4 _ in 2004, 2009 and in 2016 and 2017, setting up this year’s historic three-peat.

To win again Eastbourne had to first win the Wellington premier men’s title, a feat in itself because Wellington has a concentration of New Zealand’s best men’s bowlers. They then had to progress through a regional qualifying tournament before being able to defend their national title in the finals.

Eastbourne was in second place after the first day of competition and, according to team member Scott Roddick, “came home quite strong” on the second day.

In fact, Eastbourne performed so strongly that its victory, when it was finally achieved, was almost downbeat. Hill was leading 14-4 in the singles and Lawson and Goodwin were up by the same margin in the pairs in the final round of the tournament when several of the other teams simply stopped playing. Having decided there was no chance of catching Eastbourne, those teams decided not to continue. That caused a moment of embarrassment for New Zealand Bowls officials who had to decide whether to

award Eastbourne the title, even though their final match was technically incomplete.

Bowls New Zealand is considering a discussion paper which recommends doing away with the national interclub competition entirely. That would be a massive blow to clubs for which the tournament offers a rare chance to compete on a national stage.

St Alban’s Anglican:

Sunday Worship 10am at Wellesley College. Thursday

Worship 10am - check venue

with Parish office, 11 Ngaio St, Eastbourne tel: 562 6269

Children and Families Ministry: see www.stalbanschurch.nz

St Ronan’s Presbyterian: Muritai Rd, Eastbourne

tel: Parish Clerk 562 8753

Sunday Morning Worship: 9.30am. Power Hour: 9.30am

San Antonio Roman Catholic: Oroua St, Eastbourne

tel: Fr Marlon Maylon Parish

Priest 970 8405

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5.30pm

Sunday (Sacred Heart, Petone): 9.30am & 5.30pm

Eastbourne’s victory also had a poignant aspect. Gary Lawson, who was the leader of the team which first won the title in 2004 and a key member of teams which won the 2016 and 2017 titles in Auckland, has announced his retirement from competitive bowls. Lawson, a two-time world champion who has won more national titles than any other New Zealand bowler, has decided to leave the sport out of frustration at its administration. He has again been overlooked for selection in the New Zealand team which will compete at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.

CLASSIFIEDS

Cash for scrap - Copper, Brass, Aluminium, Stainless, Cars, Whiteware, Steel. Ingot Metals, 2 Port Road, Seaview. Ph 568 8300.

ORGANIC GARDENER: BSc (ecology) beautiful gardens…naturally ph 562 8726 or txt 027 6939 323.

Window Cleaning residential and commercial phone Graeme 5692247 or txt 027 2509847

GARDEN WORKER for all weeding, tidying and garden maintenance contact Hamish on 022 3748453.

Lawn Mowing and all Lawn Care phone Dan Reed 027 3371360.

Guthrie Cottage - beautiful self-contained beach-front accommodation. Perfect for excess visitors or enjoy all of the comforts of home while you renovate. www.guthriecottage. co.nz - email: gceastbourne@gmail.com

BEAUTIFUL DRESSER (2m x 1.5m x 0.8m); chick 70s wall divider (8 open compartments); cane armchair and cushions (fits medium sized gorilla!). Phone 021 0859 1029 to view.

SONNY’S YOGA - EASTBOURNE CLASSESEnjoy a relaxing yoga class near the ocean. Every Wednesday 6.30pm at Muritai Yacht Club. Beginners welcome. For more info call Sonny on 021 800 512.

APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS

Closing date: 20 May 2018

Applications from Eastbourne-Bays groups are invited. Application forms are available on the website (see below) or from Eastbourne Library. Please refer to the following website for information on the Trust: www.ebct.org.nz

Contact: George Tuffin 562 7520 or email: trustees@ebct.org.nz

SERVICE EXPERTS

LOCAL CARPENTER/HANDYMAN

• Small job specialists

• Full maintenance service

• Registered sub-trades

• Competitive rates

• Free quotes & advice

ph: Mark O’Rourke 021 027 61926 email: markorourke2014@gmail.com

APPLICATIONS FOR EASTBOURNE FREEMASONS’ SCHOLARSHIP

Closing date 15 April 2018

This $4,000 scholarship is available to students who have distinguished themselves during a minimum of three years tertiary study and who have lived in Eastbourne for a minimum of five years during their life.

Application forms are available from the website www.ebct.org.nz

ANT PROBLEMS?

We are the experts in Ant Control

Things are changing. After 23 years as your local Flybusters Antiants operator we will be changing our name. The Auckland head office has sold their business & their/our name to a multinational company that does not want franchisees. This means that we cannot use our old name beyond March 31st 2018. For you, our valued customers, nothing else changes. We are the same people with the same commitment to the highest standards of personal customer service that we have always had, and that only a smaller, local, privately owned company can give. We will be sending out an email to all our customers over the next week. From April 1st look out for our new vans with our new name & logo: Best Pest Control. .........

Any vans with the old name & 0800 number after this date will be the new owners of the name. Our direct dial number is still the same, so if you want to reach us, please call:

939 0792

Look out for our new adverts, websits & new email address in next month’s Eastbourne Herald.

POSSUM CONTROL - POISON WARNING

Possum control – Poison warning

Central Districts Pest Control Ltd wishes to advise that a ground-based possum control operation will be taking place in the Wainuiomata-Eastbourne area. The purpose is to keep possum numbers under control to prevent the spread of TB. This operation will be conducted as a part of the TBfree New Zealand programme.

Area covered: The project boundary runs from the south-western side of Wainuiomata, along the Eastbourne coast, down to the southern end of the Eastbourne Domain. Most of the operational area consists of the East Harbour Regional Park Northern Forest. Operation date (approximately): between 9 April 2018 and 30 June 2018.

Poisoning methods, poison used and nature of poison: Possum habitats will be targeted using Feratox (cyanide) encapsulated baits in bait stations or bait bags attached to trees or fence posts. Brodifacoum and Diphacinone may also be used in some areas in bait stations attached to trees.

The public is warned to take care when entering these areas and not to remove carcasses or baits. Baits are dangerous to people and dogs.

General warning:

•Do not touch poison baits/bait stations/traps

•Do not touch poisoned possum carcasses

•Keep pets under supervision - do not let dogs eat poisoned carcasses

•Do not leave children unattended

•Follow the advice on the poison warning signs

If you suspect poisoning:

•Contact your local hospital, or dial 111

•National Poisons Centre 0800 POISON – 0800 764 766

•In the case of a domestic animal being poisoned, contact a local veterinarian

For further information (including maps of the operational area), contact the operator:

Operations Manager

Central Districts Pest Control Ltd

Email: admin@cdpc.co.nz

Ph: 06 836 5590