The Eastbourne Herald May 2021

Agreement reached: Shared Path clears unexpected hurdle

A potential fly in the ointment of the Eastern Bays Shared Path's long-awaited kickoff was cleared this week, thanks to mediation through the Environment Court.

Resource consent for construction of the 4.4km path was granted in early March. However, last month local resident Geoff Rashbrooke, supported by others, lodged an appeal opposing the consent.

The grounds for the appeal were that the 70km/h speed limit is a considerable risk to health and safety, and that relocation of bus stops at Sunshine, Mahina, York, Lowry Bays and Point Howard and their proposed reconfiguration will reduce and not increase use of public transport. The appeal said the decision was contrary to applicable stated objectives.

The Eastbourne Community Board, Hutt City Council and some local residents opposed the appeal, and all parties were able to reach agreement on Wednesday, paving the way for the path's construction to start later this year.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ECB said: "The Eastbourne Community Board (ECB) and many, if not most Eastbourne residents, were delighted when the Eastern Bays Shared Path project was consented in early March. The project has been a dream of Eastbourne residents for several decades. Only 5 of the 200 submissions received on the project opposed its construction. Its benefits are many and include safety for cyclists and pedestrians, the environmental and health benefits of an alternative transport mode, connectivity with other cycle trails, cultural and ecological benefits and resilience and coastal protection.

Parties could appeal the consent, which initiates a process through the Environment Court that can potentially take many months.

This is what happened with the consent

for the Eastern Bays Shared Path. A resident filed an objection based on concerns about road speed, bus stop location and the design of the general project. All 200 of the original submitters were notified, and 13 filed to become a party to the proceedings so they could present submissions and evidence at a subsequent hearing. Six parties initially supported the appeal. Seven parties, including the ECB, opposed the resident’s appeal.

We are pleased to report that mediation in the Environment Court between the parties has been successful. The next stage in the project is now bay-by-bay consultation, where residents can discuss details of the path.

The project is currently estimated to cost $30 million, made up of $7.5 million from Hutt City Council (HCC), $7.5 million from Waka Kotahi (NZTA), and $15 million from the Government’s Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund. The project is entirely dependent on the $15 million ‘shovel-ready’ fund. That money comes with the condition that the project construction must start by 21 September this year, so it is a relief that the appeal has been resolved early.

We thank the residents who gave up their time to support the process through the Environment Court."

HCC Senior Project Engineer Simon Cager says appeals are part of the community process that the RMA allows.

"Consultation has been wide-ranging and sustained over the past two to three years. Engagement with the community is a priority and will continue as the project progresses through to completion."

A Letter to the Editor from Geoff Rashbrooke can be read on Page 7 of this edition of The Eastbourne Herald.

Calling all Supergold card holders! Sail

Benji Farndale, 9, is one of four Farndale siblings who reach for the skylight with Lego each Tuesday as part of the Eastbourne Library’s weekly Bricks and Pieces sessions.

EB taking up young people's challenge

“Do something your future self would thank you for." This is the message to us all from the young people of the Hutt Valley who took part in a recent youth workshop on responding to climate change.

At a climate response hui last Monday night Eastbourne and Bays showed we are ready to take up the youth challenge.

The local campaign was launched with a video featuring climate commissioner, James Renwick; Liz Mellish, Chair of Wharewaka O Poneke, mayor Campbell Barry and chair of HCC's Climate Change and Sustainability committee, Josh Briggs.

Our regional councillor Josh van Lier gave an update on the regional council's increased focus on preparing us for what lies ahead as the climate changes and sea rises.

The meeting was one of a series of public engagements as part of a community-led design process for combating the effects of climate change in Lower Hutt. People came up with ideas for how Eastbourne and Bays might

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work as a community to reduce our emissions.

Mayor and Hutt Council committed to working with us to respond to climate change.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says the need to address climate change in our city is urgent and given the scale of the challenge the city’s response must be designed alongside the community.

“We need to create a city plan and start action to reduce emissions now but we can’t create the plan on our own, nor will we be successful if our people aren’t involved in designing the solution. This plan will be done by the people, for the people, so we can all work together in mitigating the impacts of climate change.”

Cr Josh Briggs says this engagement and the work that will result from it is a top priority for Council and the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee.

SAT, SUN & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

10.40am (S) 12.45pm (S) 3.00pm (S)

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(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, student $201, 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.

...the combined strength of our legal teams!

Next ECB meeting:

7.15pm Tuesday 29 June, East Harbour Women’s Club, 145 Muritai Rd

New Rubbish Bins

Council is currently delivering the new rubbish bins to Eastbourne. They will be delivered in stages based on the bins you have ordered, not necessarily by street. So if you see bins in your street, but yours aren’t there, don’t worry, they’ll be delivered on another day.

All the bins have the address on a white sticker on the side. They also have microchips specific to the address they belong to, so don’t swap them around.

If you have questions about your delivery or a site assessment (for residents with difficult access), email contact@huttcity.govt.nz and ask to be put through to the rubbish bin distribution team, or call Council on 04 570 6666.

Community Engagement Fund

If you’re quick, your club or association still has time to apply for the current round of the Eastbourne Community Engagement Fund. There is $2,066 available in this round, and applications close on 1 June. For the application form and more information: huttcity.govt.nz/Services/ Funding/Community-engagement-fund/

Eastbourne Community Board (ECB)

Residents are welcome to contact board members to sort minor issues directly with council staff or to ask for a report from council officers for the next ECB meeting. You can also contact us on the Eastbourne Community Board Facebook page.

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

Ph 021 230 8210

Belinda Moss (Deputy Chair) belinda.moss@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 029 494 1615

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

Ph 021 271 6249

Murray Gibbons murray.gibbons@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 04 562 8567

Bruce Spedding bruce.spedding@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 021 029 74741

Frank Vickers frank.vickers@huttcity.govt.nz

Ph 027 406 1419

New wharf sets scene for future

by some hardier local women.

Instead of the colonial cutting of a ribbon – which we might have seen when the wharf was first opened, 126 years earlier– a blessing was carried out by Hutt City Council’s principal Māori advisor Matiu Jennings. Workers from Brian Perry Civil, council staff, councillors and a couple of MPs, plus locals – including senior boys from Wellesley and a trio of women in historic dress – listened to Mayor Campbell Barry make a speech before he and the boys jumped from the wharf.

Parts of the wharf have been off-limits for more than two years as the decking and structural timbers were replaced bit by bit – all without losing the essential East by West ferry service to town.

Council Strategic Advisor Bruce Hodgins says it was crucial the wharf remained open during the refurbishment.

“The wharf brings our region together by allowing people to ferry over to explore the Hutt, so it was important we did this work so people could continue to do this without disruption, and ensure we continued to have a marine gateway to our city.”

Mr Hodgins said it’s great to have the wharf back to a safe standard, especially with a new surface which means it will be easier to remove for maintenance, and its flexibility makes it more resilient in an earthquake.

It was a day worth waiting for. The postponed opening of the Days Bay wharf was sunny and calm – unlike the planned event date two weeks earlier, which had seen a wet, cold and windy day. Perfect for the manu by Mayor Campbell Barry (pictured above) and senior Wellesley boys, who took the plunge, followed

At the after-match function at the Pavilion, Days Bay photographer Simon Hoyle’s freezeframe sequence documenting the progress of the temporary ferry walkway was included in Southlight’s short film following the history of the bay from first Māori settlement through the wharf refurbishment to the future – in the form of the new electric ferry, due soon.

The wharf decking was replaced with a lightweight and more resilient composite covering and a large part of the timber piles, bracing and beams were replaced. At times the mussel-encrusted remnants of water-worn piles, brought up by divers onto rafts then lifted by crane on to trolleys, assailed the noses of passersby. But everything was carried out with respect for the locals.

Our bus stop is back. And once the planned shelter (see it at the library) replaces the temporary one out on the wharf, we’ll be set for another 50 years.

Germany-based singer home for performance

By Ann Packer

The first time Bianca Andrew professionally sang the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, she had to dive into a swimming pool.

She has many happy memories of that Opera in a Days Bay Garden production in 2010, when she was still a student. But the Frankfurt-resident mezzo soprano, who has since sung the role many times, including with Oper Frankfurt – voted Europe’s best opera house for the last five years – is hoping she won’t have to repeat the dip when she tours New Zealand with New Zealand Opera’s production this June.

Back home for the national tour, Andrew is unsure, when we talk before she heads to Auckland for rehearsals, what kind of production her debut with the company will involve. Unlike that 2010 performance, it will be sung in Italian rather than English. And there certainly won’t be the arduous restrictions that governed the singer’s first performances out of lockdown in Frankfurt last year – 100 people in a 2000-seat auditorium that normally sells out even for the most obscure operas, physical distancing onstage, separation between singers and the pit orchestra, a masked chorus, no touching props, singing in a Perspex box… The production was reduced from three to two hours, with a smaller orchestra.

“We made it work and our audience loved it, of course,” she says, “but case numbers in Frankfurt increased that week, so we were closed down again.”

After that lockdown, all was going well with a revived production of Hansel and Gretel until the dress rehearsal, when a last-minute level change meant the opera couldn’t open to the public.

As for this long-awaited production of Figaro , postponed from 2020, Andrew wasn’t even sure she’d be allowed to come –she needed permission as a member of the permanent soloist ensemble of Oper Frankfurt to leave Germany. As it happens, restrictions mean live performances there have been prohibited since December and show no sign of lifting.

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“I’m very grateful that my theatre allowed me to come to New Zealand for such a long time to sing in this production,” she says.

“It means the world to me to be performing again.”

Still young enough at 31 to play a teenage boy, Andrew is one of four Kiwi singers in the New Zealand Opera cast who have travelled from overseas. Barely out of MIQ, she had just a couple of days to catch up with her mum in Queenstown, and dad and siblings in Lowry Bay, before heading to Auckland for rehearsals.

She is disappointed her German partner of a year was not able to gain a visa to accompany her (“it was a very difficult and painful process”), but is still happy to pay the price to return to a Covid-safe and socially cohesive nation.

“We know this is a dangerous illness – both physically and socially,” she says.

While the first lockdown in Germany was similar to the one here, she thinks that country is now losing its initial sense of social cohesion, with fewer people willing to wear masks and observe social distancing.

“When life has been restricted for so long, people struggle to maintain their sense of

community and social responsibility. They stop thinking about other people. New Zealanders should not take their safety and freedom here for granted – it’s a team effort and it’s priceless.”

Andrew is booked to return to Germany at the end of July – her contract with Oper Frankfurt finishes July 2022.

“It’s a precarious time for all performing artists now. Mercifully, I have one more year of employment ahead.”

The Wellington season of New Zealand Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro runs 23- 27 June at The Opera House.

Bianca Andrew.

Confused about the new bins? So were we...

Despite the comms around the new Hutt City Council bins, The Eastbourne Herald asked HCC to clarify some of our queries about them. Below are the answers we received - we hope you find them useful:

Q: Why are some houses getting their bins before others. This is not street-wide, it’s random addresses?

A: Bins are being delivered according to sets of combinations of bins per street (eg: all people in one suburb who have opted for the 120 litre bin will receive them at the same time). This is the most productive way to stack a truck and, as a result, the trucks deliver more bins. This method may cause a slight delay in terms of every household in a suburb receiving their bins at the same time. There may also be some multi-unit developments that will get their bins at a later date. We are asking for patience and understanding during the rollout. It’s a huge logistical exercise and may not be perfect all of the time.

Q: What do people do with their old bins?

A: If residents have bins with a private waste provider they should cancel those contracts as at 30 June 2021 and make arrangements with that provider to collect their bins. Council will arrange for the old green crate used for recycling to be picked up in early July if residents no longer want them for another use.

Q:Why are some people getting blue bins for glass and some not?

A: All properties should receive a blue crate. They are being placed in the larger 240 litre recycling bins (the ones with yellow lids) for ease of delivery, but where a resident has asked for a smaller recycling bin, the blue crate for glass is placed beside the bins as it won't fit inside the smaller bin. Please contact Council if you do not receive a blue crate with the rest of your new bins.

Q:We can’t recycle soft plastics or lids - where do we put these and what happens to them?

A: Please put soft plastics and lids into the rubbish bin after which they will be taken to the landfill. Alternatively, some supermarkets in Lower Hutt have soft plastics recycling bins. If you use this service, please make sure all packaging is clean, dry and empty. For further details, visit: www.recycling.kiwi.nz

Q:How much is this scheme costing the council, and how much will it generate via the payment through rates?

A: The new kerbside rubbish and recycling services will cost around $11M per annum, the cost of which will be met through the targeted rate.

Q:If you are renting, who pays for your bins?

A: The new services are funded by a targeted rate. As such, the property owner/ landlord pays for the service.

Q:In some narrow streets (such as Marine Drive around Windy Point) the footpath will now be cluttered with bins on more than one day. This could be a hazard - has the council thought about that?

A: The bins will be collected in Eastbourne on a Monday. We are asking that residents please be mindful of where they are placed to minimise risk to others. Residents may want to liaise with their neighbours to come up with a plan to ensure bins are placed in the safest way possible.

Q:It’s a more complicated system in terms of the different days for different bins. Do you expect there to be hiccups for a while?

A: The new rubbish and recycling services will be on the same day each week. The only thing that changes is that the recycling will alternate between glass (blue crate) one week and other recycling (the bin with the yellow lid) the next. An information booklet, that is attached to the new red rubbish bin, features a calendar showing the collection days. You can tear off the calendar and keep it somewhere handy. Alternatively, the dates will be available on the Council website. =

Two churches "will likely close" Get behind St Albans, EB Volunteers could save the day

Elephant in the room: Ross Jamieson’s ‘oversupply of churches’ (April Herald ) asks if Eastbourne has too many churches. There are many possible responses. Rev John Hughes (St Alban’s) responds in this issue of The Eastbourne Herald and Rev Reg Weeks (St Ronan’s) responds in St Ronan’s May Record - www.stronans.org.nz/response. html Essentially, the one says a church is the congregation, not the buildings, and the other says a church’s primary function is community service, not church services. Both are right, but Ross meant the church buildings…

It’s obvious some building infrastructure is needed if people are to ‘congregate’ and if congregations are to ‘serve’. So, what are the likely (5-year?) futures of Eastbourne’s three sets of church buildings?

•All three church congregations are small and declining.

•Two sets of church buildings are seismically safe: San Antonio and St Ronan’s, but one is not: St Alban’s.

•Two sets of church buildings will likely close: St Ronan’s (lack of money to maintain them) and San Antonio (lack of staff to serve them), but one set is already closed: St Alban’s (seismic vulnerability and lack of money to fix them).

So,

•It makes good sense the three congregations should share their ‘sound’ buildings. They already are but could do more.

•But it doesn’t make sense the two sets of ‘sound’ buildings should be demolished while the one set of ‘unsound’ buildings is restored at great expense. And that’s assuming enough money can be raised in the foreseeable future.

•Many things would stop if Eastbourne had no church buildings.

Sandy Lang Eastbourne

With regard to the article on “over supply of churches” (April 2021 issue), I feel there were many good questions asked both on this subject and the difficult issues arising from declining church attendance. I’m afraid I don’t have answers to these problems, but do believe that Ross is right to call St Alban’s, the “most precious historic church to keep”. This building, from an historical perspective, does link our Eastbourne Community back to the days of the early 1900s, being built at much the same time as the Rona Bay Wharf. I gather this was a time when Eastbourne began to change from simply a recreational summer/ weekend place to a small established community with its own Eastbourne Borough Council. Even if the Historic Places Trust are  unwilling to protect St Alban’s under their auspices, can it not be recognised by our own Historical Society and included in our excellent Heritage Trail as a place of interest to visit when the problem of earthquake strengthening is fixed? It is incredibly sad that the folk of St Alban’s were lumbered with the difficulties and expense of earthquake strengthening, and heartbreaking that the doors of this little gem of a church, had to be closed to worshippers, weddings, funerals, quiet meditation and so on. My only suggestion is to ask, whether there is a way that the wider community can help (maybe financial, maybe volunteer?) and get the earthquake strengthening ‘off the ground’ as soon as possible, so that this church and its once lovely garden can be used for the purpose it was originally built for. Eastbourne is a great community to live in and St Alban’s, at over 110 years old must be one of the oldest, original buildings in Eastbourne. The historic Bus Barns and the Rona Bay Wharf were saved by our community Can we help St Alban’s Church survive too?

M Short Eastbourne

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At your local, friendly Butcher

Ross Jamieson’s clever opinion piece laid bare the history of Eastbourne’s spiritual roots and the sad reality of the Anglican community’s present dilemma exacerbated by earthquake damage and stringent Council regulations.

During our nearly 30 years in Eastbourne, the community spirit was strong between the churches in terms of combined services, Christmas in the Park, Mainly Music, Pop in and Play, meditation groups, Winter Lectures, Anzac services, Alpha and youth groups, community gardens, Eastbourne Music group, weddings and funerals, Bill Wollerman’s engaging Beat the Blues winter sessions which attracted eager participants from Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and music for residents at Okiwi House, that wonderful institution made possible by Dorothy Archibald and Jean Gilmer’s dream and the generosity of the Smuts-Kennedy family.

It is sad to think that beautiful St Albans’ grounds are now languishing unkempt after 110 years. It only requires a small team of volunteers. A monthly roster open to the wider community of Eastbourne might offer new friendships, hope and direction? We’d volunteer to come down twice a year. Date, orange and cardamom scones outside the forbidden commercial kitchen anyone?

Mary Tallon Auckland

Faith in the Community

Was Jesus religious…?

When someone finds out you are a follower of Jesus, often the next thing they say is, “You, must be religious.” This assumes religion and Jesus must go hand in hand. I don’t feel comfortable being labelled ‘religious’. In fact, Jesus received the strongest criticism from religious people and was often at odds with them.

Jesus was more focused on relationship and on life-giving community, than with the minutiae of religious observances. Religion can so easily ‘major on minors’ whereas Jesus wanted to set people free from the burden of petty observances. One of the complaints made against Jesus was that he was mixing with all the wrong kinds of people (non-religious people). Jesus came so that, in his own words, “You may have life in all its abundance”.

This abundant life brings joy to my heart, a lightness to my step, anticipation that with Jesus as friend, each day has a spiritual depth and colour that adds more to life than it subtracts from it. This abundance Jesus promises means you end up in the company of others on the same adventure with similar and different experiences. Connecting with others at a spiritual level brings a depth to relationships that is deep and rich.

St Ronan’s: Services: Sundays 9.30am. Taizé, first Sundays 7.30pm. 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

St Alban’s: Two Sunday services: 8:30am (traditional) Wellesley School and 10am (contemporary) Wellesley School, with Kids’ Club (primary) and Hot Chocolate Club (intermediate). Communion Thurs 10am, various venues. 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 W:www.holyspirit.nz

What is a Church?

The article (The Eastbourne Herald, April 2021) by Ross Jamieson is very revealing and demonstrates a not untypical understanding of a church. When I think of a church a building is not what comes to mind first. When I left one of my parishes, they asked me what I wanted as a farewell gift. I asked for a picture of the church. So one Sunday the whole congregation gathered outside the building and a wonderful picture was taken of the people – the church.

When I think of the church I think of a large, glorious, messy family. It is a network of connections and relationships. It is a community. It is the only community (apart from the library) that you can be part of from birth to death. I remember wonderful people, kindness, laughter, people there for you in dark and happy moments. I think of the common love we have for Jesus.

When I think of the church, I think of the times we get it wrong, when we squabble badly, when we hurt others, when we behave in a way that is contrary to Jesus’ desire for us, when we are unwelcoming and uncaring. We the church are not perfect. The church is a school for sinners not a museum for saints.

When I think of the church, I think of a living community that has been around longer than most nations have existed. I think of a living organization that started hospitals, orphanages, schools, and universities. I think of the City Mission, World Vision, of William Wilberforce (abolition of slavery), Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Deitrich Bonhoeffer and Desmond Tutu.

When I think of the church I think of playgroups and youth groups of lives changed for the better, of deep spiritual needs met, of people living with hope. I think of the power of faith at work in people’s lives. I think of cooperation between churches and kindness in sharing facilities.

It is a loss that our building cannot be used but it is not a tragedy. Our community continues to thrive. The plan is to restore the building as a functioning space. However, we want it to function well for future generations and for this to be done with care and sensitivity. The hope is that such changes will add value both in terms of function and aesthetics.

Concerning Bishop Justin. I do not speak for him, but I am so glad to realize that his concern for the poor and vulnerable in our communities is well known. In this, as with Pope Francis, they remind us that this stance is modelled on Jesus.

On behalf of the Ministers and Churches of Eastbourne( St Albans, San Antonio (Parish of the Holy Spirit), St Ronan’s).

Rev John Hughes St Alban's Church Eastbourne

Appeal not meant to endanger project

I have worked hard over many years to improve the environment in Eastbourne, as have people who supported my appeal, and I can assure your readers I am not risking construction of the shared path.

When I appealed the shared path consent, I was aware a number of people would be anxious that this might put in danger a project which all of us are looking forward to having finally complete, after decades of waiting. Safe walking and cycling around the bays is not to be sneezed at, for sure.

At the same time, though, there are inadequacies in the consent in relation to environmental protection, and I was not fully hopeful Council would listen to any concerns that ran against what they or their engineers wanted to do.

Since launching the appeal I have been working, with support from others, to get Council to agree that our issues could be dealt with under section 116 of the RMA, effectively allowing the consent to take effect, but parking some matters for later resolution. This is not ideal conflict resolution, but is the only thing available.

I took some time to explain all this to Ginny Horrocks, in her role as chair of the Community Board, but unfortunately it seems Council has convinced her that my appeal has to be opposed by any means possible. That of course helps Council to ignore some reasonable environmental concerns.

For example, two beaches, Mahina Bay and Sorrento Bay, have 2.5 m path width; but the other small beaches, York Bay and Pt Howard, have 3.5 m – which will mean practically no beach whatsoever there at high tide. Reducing path width at York Bay and Pt Howard beach areas would seem more consistent with what is done elsewhere along the path, and shouldn’t be a problem since path width changes 21 times already according to the Council’s plans. (Incidentally, those plans show that something like 36% of the path is already less than 3.5 m wide – contrary to what the consent application says.)

There are other issues around the consent on which more discussion is needed, and for which there is time. The Community Board stance is not helping that happen.

Geoff Rashbrooke

This opinion piece does not reflect the opinions of The Eastbourne Herald.

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

Farcical play coming to Muritai

Get ready for your glasses to steam up with laughter: Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe is performing I t Runs in the Family by Britain’s master of farce, Ray Cooney. In this larger-thanlife tale of comical chaos, Dr Mortimer (a successful neurologist) must fend off a surprise paternity case, keep his wife out of the picture, and simultaneously give a prestigious international lecture that may lead to his knighthood - if all goes to plan. This is a farce though, so nothing goes to plan. As Dr Mortimer tries to get himself out of one sticky situation, he plants himself firmly in the middle of a snowball of lies, mistaken identity, inopportune coincidence and miscommunication. The result is two hours’ worth of laugh-out-loud comedy to banish the winter blues.

Director Florence McFarlane says “Directing this play is such fun. Rehearsal time passes in an instant as we polish and laugh our way through Ray Cooney’s script. It is some time since I directed his Out Of Order which was also a no holds barred comedy: it’ll be an evening of fun to lift your spirits.”

It Runs in the Family is showing in Eastbourne’s Muritai School Hall from 24-

Mahina Bay News

It’s been noted that the bus shelter in the Bay has been there for 62 years. A photo of it when it was completed in 1959 is in the Turnbull Library. The feeling that it should stay in the Bay is very strong amongst the residents. There must be an accommodation in the new shared pathway for the iconic bus shelter to remain. Its mural is so unique and its history should be preserved.

A reminder that there is the planting of the Mahina Bay Stream banks planned for the 13th of June 10am to 12noon now that the banks have been cleared. We’re sending out a call for volunteers to meet up and carry out the task with the incentive of an afterplanting function when it’s all over.

Residents are advised that a Road Safety Survey is being prepared for locals to formulate a combined approach to the Hutt City Council on matters relating to road safety in the Bay.

Great News for all the residents and the visitors to the Bay: An application for funding a defibrillator in Mahina Bay has been submitted to the Eastbourne Community Trust.

Ann Garry (Matron) and Josh Goodfellow (Leslie) fight over who's injecting who.

26 June and 1-3 July at 7.30 pm. Tickets are available through eventfinda.co.nz or at Rona Gallery, Eastbourne.

Local architect awarded for artist's studio

Days Bay architect Liz Wallace, of Tse:Wallace Architects, was one of 28 Wellington region winners recognised for new architectural projects in a ceremony at the Embassy Theatre recently. In the Small Project Architecture category of the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ NZIA Architecture Awards 2021, her Colley Studio was one of two projects honoured.

The citation describes the project (pictured right) as “an elegantly layered composition of timber forms which belies the technical difficulties posed by this small and challenging site. Solved with an inventive cantilevering steel structure, this small addition to a 1960s Lowry Bay home appears to hover. Superbly crafted in every respect, this artist’s studio, with a deck above, is the product of a high level of precise detailing. This delicate and thoughtful response is calming and uplifting, and provides a flexible and useful space that enriches daily life.”

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

Phone Pippa the co-ordinator on

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

Phone Pippa

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

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 home.

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

or on our Facebook page

Phone Pippa

the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

Photo: Paul McCredie

Iconic businesses for sale

Two local businesses apparently up for sale this month each have different conditions that may determine their futures.

Tenders closed last week for an “Iconic Development Site with Holding Income” at Sunshine Bay – in other words the service station.

But there’s no need for alarm, maintains Gordon Husmann, who holds the lease on the service station - part of the Challenge network, until 25 March 2025. “We’ll see how it goes.”

The building for sale has a boundary that ends at the front door step but the pumps and tanks are on Hutt City Council road reserve, from where fuel has been dispensed for the last 80 years.

When his landlord told him the building was for sale, Gordon was a bit shocked. But he says after battling to keep the pumps open 20 years ago, when Sunshine Service Station took Caltex to the High Court to retain the pumps, “It would be a brave developer who’d take away the fuel from Eastbourne".

“As far as I'm concerned I would like to think nothing’s going to change.”

Agent Murray Rodgers of CBD Realty said because the tender had just closed he could not say anything at this stage.

Due to unforeseen circumstances,

including the building being for sale, Days Bay’s iconic Van Helden Gallery is also for sale.  The business has operated in the same premises since 1965 when Leo Van Helden, a master woodturner, bought the present building – then a grocery– with his wife Julia, a painter and potter.

They sold mainly paintings, pottery and Leo’s native wood platters and bowls.  His mission was to showcase quality New Zealand art, ceramics and interesting craft together in one gallery and this is still the case today,

though with a more diverse mix added in.

The beachside gallery is well known throughout New Zealand.

Claire Schmidt, whose lease runs out in August, owned the business with her late husband Hamish Morison and hopes to sell it as a going concern. She says it would suit an owner-operator with an interest in art.  “The gallery has provided me with many happy years of interacting with tourists, artists and the friendly community of residents and business owners in the Bays.”

Recycled Reading

Eastbourne Lions Charity Book Sale

12 June 10am - 1pm, Eastbourne Scout Hall

Cash sales only, BYO bag

Donations can be dropped at Eastbourne Library foyer, or text 027 488 5602

News from Point Howard

The Point Howard Association (PHA) and the Point Howard Tennis Club (PHTC) held their AGMs on Sunday, 2 May. Thank you to all who attended. Your time and input was appreciated. Jim and Kay have decided to take a break from the committee, and we welcome Phil, Zef and Sararose to the committee for 2021/22. The PHA would like to thank Jim and Kay for their hard work over the last few years, and for being the driving force behind the long lunches

It’s also subs time again. You can renew your membership or join the residents’ association for $25 per year per residential address. The membership year runs from April to March. Thanks to all those residents who have just joined or renewed their membership. We really appreciate your support! For details on how to renew or join please contact the PHA via pthowardassn@gmail.com. Residents will also shortly receive a copy of the PHA “What We Do” flyer for 2021/22 in their letterboxes which contains further information

Thank you to the ten residents who attended the Wellington Free Heartbeat CPR Training on Thursday 6 May and also thank you for contributing to the koha. We raised $92.30 for Wellington Free Ambulance. It was, as promised, a fun and interactive session which taught us how to respond to a cardiac event in the first few crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives. The PHA will look to run another session later in the year for residents who missed out this time.

pthowardassn@gmail.com

‘Good old Eastbourne’ – an Okiwi life story

Long-time Eastbourne resident Ken Longmore turned 103 earlier this month (May). Now living in Enliven’s Woburn Rest Home, he continued in his own home of 46 years till nearly 100.

Like many older Eastbourne residents, Ken has some vivid and painful wartime memories. Recalling his long years as a prisoner of war in Germany, Ken draws a wry comparison with his current living arrangements.

“I get fed here and do my best to fit in with the rules. I have moved into my unprofitable years but I have enough brains to realise I am lucky to have got to where I am now. I am living in a very safe place, especially when the whole world is in upheaval. I am also lucky to have my health back, bit by little bit, after my stroke.”

With so many of his friends and family now dead, including his wife Bev, who died seven years ago, Ken says he has “just hung on in there”. His daughter Mary and three grandchildren are the centre of his world.

Still a good looking and imposing figure, with a ready wit, Ken recalls growing up in Brougham Street, Wellington. His mother was a great pianist, who would go to Australia on occasions to accompany singers. His father worked in real estate and bought a little holiday cottage on Marine Parade, Eastbourne. Ken did his schooling at Wellesley and Scots colleges.

Being a member of the territorials, Ken was called up the moment war was declared and sent in the first echelon to Egypt. Before being captured in North Africa, he took part in a battle in Greece which saw him and his companions climbing over a mountain range to escape the Nazis, then later commandeering a fishing boat to take them to the island of Santorini where they were sheltered by locals. On another occasion, he remembers stepping behind some bushes to take a leak and returning to find his 40-member battalion had all been captured. He hooked up with a group of Aussie soldiers for a while, becoming their officer.

After his capture, Ken was eventually transported to Oflag VA camp in Weinsberg, Germany, the same camp where New Zealand wartime hero Charles Upham was imprisoned. Ken witnessed Charles’ attempt to escape,

seeing him caught on the barbed wire fence, nonchalantly lighting a cigarette as he waited to be either shot or saved. Ken remembers Upham as a ruthless man well suited to a wartime environment.

Ken’s father died before the war ended. In the 1950s, the family moved into the Eastbourne cottage permanently. Ken remembers having to help move truckloads of sand from the front of the property – sand that had built up over the years. “My brother was not much use about the house – all he did was sleep in it, spending most of his time wooing his girlfriend.”

Ken has only positive memories about living in Eastbourne. “They’re a wonderful bunch. I loved tramping the hills, being on the beach and looking out at Cook Strait.” Returning from the war, he continued working for the Union Steamship Company, but his real love was sport, particularly tennis. He met his future wife Bev at the Muritai Tennis Club, his courtship beginning after they won the mixed doubles. Both played tennis until they were in their 80s. Ken was club champion in the 1950s and continues to be its patron.

He describes the Okiwi Trust as “a very worthwhile organisation”, having enjoyed movie outings, DVD screenings and lunch at the women’s club over many years.

At the end of this interview, Okiwi Trust co-ordinator Pippa de Court and I brought him to Eastbourne for the St Alban’s monthly lunch for older residents. “Good old Eastbourne,” he smiled with some sense of relief as we drove back into the bays.

By Anne Manchester. Photo Pippa de Court

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Maria (Marion) Euphemia Bamford (nee Kolston)

6 March 1953 – 19 March 2021

Marion Bamford, loving mum of Will and Tim passed away in March aged 68 after a beautiful, energetic and fulfilling life.

Marion was born in Upper Hutt to her Dutch parents in 1953, with siblings Frank, Trisha, and Paul following over the coming years. The family spent the next decade there before moving to Linden.

Marion started riding horses aged 10, owning two ponies Gypsy and Blue. The ponies grazed in a paddock straddling the Kenepuru stream, which she cycled half an hour each way daily to feed them. She slowly fell away from horses as she progressed through school, instead choosing to focus on her studies and tramping and climbing. Marion was dux at Tawa College, attending Victoria University after leaving college. She studied Economics and was an active member of the tramping club. After graduating, she moved to Franz Joseph where she worked as Chief Post Mistress.

She then moved north to Tongariro National Park. While there, she trained as a teacher through Massey in Palmerston North. Her first job was at Taumaranui College before she moved back to Wellington to work at St Mary’s in the mid-1980s.

Two years after giving birth to twin boys, she moved to Eastbourne in 1989.That year, she started back teaching at Te Kura (Correspondence School), where she worked

Kidztalk

until her retirement at the end of 2020.

At Te Kura, she was not just a teacher. She ran the Teenage Parents’ club for many years, was involved in the writing of materials for all subjects she taught, and was an active union member. She took an interest in the wider care of her students and was also a close friend with several colleagues.

Marion absolutely loved Eastbourne. She always said that she did not need to go on holiday because she was on holiday everyday she woke up here. It was an awesome place for her boys to grow up, and where she could share her love of the outdoors with her family. Most days she would either tramp, swim, or cycle. She loved to share these passions with others, particularly through her boys’ schooling,

including leading school tramps, cycle rides to the lighthouse, and being a swim instructor at Muritai pool.

Around 5 or so years ago, her love for horses came full circle when she started volunteering at the Hutt Valley Riding for the Disabled. She found so much pleasure being back with horses and working hands on with the children there. While she was an amazing mum, she flourished as an Oma. She was an incredible hands-on Oma and was involved with her grandkids daily – whether it be by video calls, pushing the pram up and down Point Howard, or having playdates at the Point Howard Play Centre and community garden.

She gave so much joy to her grandkids and they were at their happiest when she was near. We will miss the laughter that filled the house from the kids when she was around. The love she gave her grandchildren will never be forgotten.

The core set of values Marion instilled in her family and those she engaged with have been incredibly helpful in enabling her family to navigate life. Her enthusiasm for following your passion, working hard, having genuine interactions with those you meet, and treating people well is something that will live on with them.

The family is incredibly touched and overwhelmed by the support the Eastbourne community has provided the wider family over this period. It emphasises everything mum loved about this place. Thank you.

WELCOME TO DAYS BAY PLAYCENTRE

Horned poppies (Glaucium flavum) are one of many pretty plants that have come into New Zealand and found a place where they can run amok, unimpeded by any of the threats they face at home. Even sheep and rabbits avoid them.

They are a poppy, with a yellow flower, hairy grey leaves, and a seedhead that looks like a curved cow horn – hence their common name. They love beaches and dry gravel banks, putting down a tap root that can be a metre or more long. In these places they outcompete native vegetation, especially grasses and herbs.

Each plant starts as a small rosette of soft grey leaves. By the end of their first year they are usually ready to flower and produce seeds – perhaps 500 seeds that year. If they were a verbascum or foxglove, they would then die. But horned poppies instead spend winter adding more rosettes. And the next year produce more seed. After a few years they are maybe 30 cm across and producing 10,000 seeds a year.

If conditions are good, they will have been joined by a lot of their friends and relations, and eventually their patch of beach will be completely covered in poppies. At Baring Head we have had sites transform from a few poppies to 50% of the ground covered in a couple of years. The numbers can be terrifying – you can

dig out 1000 poppies and it hardly makes a dent.

But the good news is that the seed doesn’t seem to last very long in the ground, they are easy to grub out, and it is easy to snap off the seedheads. At Baring Head we have almost eradicated them from large areas of the coast by stopping them producing seed and gradually grubbing them all out. If you get in before they proliferate, eradication is easy. And getting in early saves a lot of work. That said, clearing Baring Head has taken an enormous amount of work, and we probably have a few hundred thousand plants in one patch left to do. We are also gradually (with landowner permission) working our way along the next section of beach towards Pencarrow and have also helped Jo Greenman to get most of them off the beaches near Pencarrow, where they are just starting to invade.

If left unchecked, they will spread throughout our coastline reducing the suitability of the habitat for regionally threatened birds such as the banded dotterel and plants like the sea holly. Recent work by Greater Wellington has shown that coastal sites across the region are now dominated by non-native species, but this dominance is due to just a few species which, if contained, would give our native species much more of a chance.

So, if you see a horned poppy, admire it,

and then pull it out. If it has a seedhead, break it off and put it in your rubbish bag, as they can continue to develop mature seeds even when broken off. By acting now, we can easily stop Eastbourne beaches from being taken over— every poppy you remove will avoid thousands more being there next year.

- Paula Warren, Friends of Baring Head

A Horned Poppy

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

Cubs Monday 6.30pm – 7.45pm

Cub Leader: Damon 022 620 7116

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, Mike 562 8688.

• 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

• 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, Mike 562 8688. 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 6.30pm – 8.00pm Scout Leader: Susan 027 535 4962

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.

Tel: 562-7555 or Spencer Logan - 021627773

Campbell Logan - 0220938090

Email: spencer.logan@xtra.co.nz

www.spencerlogan.co.nz

There has never been a more important time to seek professional property advice!

Garden Stuff with Sandy Lang LEAVES

June: Winter. Gutters clogged with autumn leaves. Time to tidy up…

Leaf fall: Leaves don’t just fall off. First, trees detect the shortening autumn days and signal (hormones) for the leaves to ‘senesce’ - a process in which they are scavenged for useful stuff (amino acids, sugars, minerals) which they transport back into the tree. We see this as yellowing. Next, an ‘abscission’ layer of fragile cells forms where the leafstalk joins the twig. This isolates the leaf from the tree, stretching, breaking and sealing-off the vascular connections, and creating a ‘plane of weakness’ so a puff of wind breaks the leaf away.

Lifespan: Leaf lifespan varies from weeks (annuals) to months (deciduous trees) to many years (conifers). In general, short-lived leaves are flimsy things, built cheaply (minimal investment in leaf structure) so by 8 months (or less) they’re wind-torn, sun/wind-burned, insect chewed. The long-lived leaves are thicker, tougher things (high investment in leaf structure) and these better endure the rigours a tough world. So, it’s cheap, throwaway or quality, built to last. Try an experiment. Dry out a leaf from a Pohutukawa tree, from a deciduous tree, and from wandering willie – the different structural investments are obvious.

Strategies: All trees shed leaves, but some (evergreens) shed them one by one, anytime through the year, as they become surplus to requirements (shaded, damaged, stomata no longer open/close to control water loss), while others shed them all at once in autumn (deciduous). Satellite images in winter show there are some areas of the world where deciduous forests predominate, and some where evergreen forests predominate, and some with a mix. In most climates, and on most soils, there’s a mix of evergreen and deciduous, suggesting neither strategy is quite without its special advantages/disadvantages. If there were a standout, ‘best strategy’, it’s likely all trees would do the same, everywhere.

Photosynthesis: It’s generally true the flimsyleafed, deciduous trees have higher leaf areas and photosynthesise faster than evergreen trees. So, the net amount of photosynthesis by a deciduous tree in 8 months is about the same as that by an evergreen tree in 12 months.

NZ: Most (96%) of our native trees are evergreen. This might be something to do with our soils and climate (maritime - mild temperatures, windy, uniform rainfall,) but more likely with our geological past and isolation. - www.gardenstuffnz.blogspot.com

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Eastbourne-Bays Community Trust will be held at 17 Hinau Street, Eastbourne

Thursday 20 June 2021 at 7.30pm

Appointment of Eastbourne-Bays Resident Trustee

Nominations are sought for the position of one of the two resident Trustees for a three year term.

The term for the current Trustee, Gaby Brown, ends in June 2021 and Gaby has indicated a willingness to be reappointed.

Please refer to the following web site for information on the Trust: www.eastbourne-bays-community-trust.org.nz

Contact: Anne Keogh 027 687 1845

The end of the 2020/21 Muritai Tennis Club season was held at the beginning of the month and included a visit from the club's longest-serving member, Ken Longmore, who presented the cups as below:

Sandy Green won the triple crown - blitzing all three champs she entered.

• Women's doubles: Sandy Green and Jaq Henderson

• Men's doubles: Bryn Rees and Dylan Pretorius

• Mixed doubles: Sandy Green and Dylan Pretorius

• Women's singles: Sandy Green

• Men's singles: Glen Butler

• Most valued member: Pete Carter

Winter club continues on Sunday afternoons,Thursday nights, and Tuesday mornings.

MTC champions with Ken Longmore.

U85 rugby team top the JC Bowl competition

With their centenary just a week away, the Eastbourne RFC U85kg side sits atop their competition, with seven wins from seven matches played for the JC Bowl. Included is the 39-7 hiding dished out to last year's winners, the Upper Hutt Rams, which their charismatic and inspirational leader, Dan Hewson, says was one of the proudest moments for the club in recent times, having not beaten the Rams for several seasons.

Dan himself, is still recovering from a knee injury received last season in the semi-final of the National Cup, against the Eden Lizards. But he has been active on the sideline this season helping out coach, Barry Luke and the management team.

Barry says that the side has built some great momentum from previous seasons and in 2021, they have a big squad of talented players. Top try scorer is Cahon Holden with six, including three against Avalon in an 18-12 win at Fraser Park three weeks ago.

“I love being back after a season off,” Holden says, “love being back into it and alongside such a good side.”

Last Saturday Eastbourne put Poneke to the sword with a resounding 51-5 victory at Kilbirnie Park in Wellington.

With the centenary celebrations to follow that evening, the Eastbourne side will face Hutt Old Boys-Marist at HW Shortt next Saturday and they are hoping to attract the biggest crowd

to the park in some seasons. Will Dan Hewson be back? The team would love to see him return to the playing field.

“I’d love to play,” says Dan, “but we have a lot of talented props going round at the moment.”

The ERFC centenary celebrations begin in earnest on Friday, June 4th with the ‘Captain’s Run’, a registration meet and greet at the ESSC

Clubrooms. All junior grades will be playing at home at HW Shortt on Saturday, plus the U85s match against HOBM, followed by the ‘Test Match’, a dinner and auction hosted by rugby commentator, Scotty Stevenson.

The Satisfactions will provide music to round out the evening. Recovery on Sunday is also covered. Brunch and farewells at 10am.

EFC opposed to ESL as 2021 season gets underway

Eastbourne FC Chairman, Mike Andrews, says that like the vast majority of football clubs around the globe, Eastbourne were totally opposed to the recent debacle that was the formation of a European Super League.

“The Super Club owners clearly didn’t read the room and suffered at the hands of the fans,” Mike says. “The fans are the lifeblood of any football club, whether it’s one vying for a top spot in European competition, or a fledgling suburban club, struggling to field teams on the other side of the world.”

“Any club that puts money and the selfinterest of out-of-touch owners over the hearts of the masses,” he adds, “has only itself to blame when the masses revolt.”

Here in Wellington, all local football competitions have been underway since early April and Mike says that junior playing numbers are strong again this season, with just as many teams as last year.

“One of the teams (the Lions) have been asked by Capital Football to move up to a Premier grade, because they’ve been trouncing the other teams in their current one,” he says. “Unfortunately though, we again have no women's or senior teams fielded this season.”

As with last year, the EFC has three teams playing in Masters competitions, with our highest grade representatives, the Hammers, in the prestigious Masters 1 League.

“The Hammers are finding it tough mixing it with the best Masters teams in the region,” Mike says. They are currently mid-table, which isn’t a bad effort considering they’re the newest team in the grade and don’t have the playing resources that other larger clubs have.”

Player/Manager,Neil Drummond says it’s great to finally be in the topflight masters grade, which the team are collectively enjoying and he believes they are up for the challenge.

“We got off to a flyer this season by beating last year’s M1 champions Western Suburbs 2 -1,” Neil says. “Since then, we have operated on an alternating win loss strategy and are currently 3 wins and 3 losses. Nigel Butt and Jonathan Rowe are currently our top scorers with 3 goals apiece”

Last Saturday the Hammers scored an emphatic 3-1 win over NW Villa, at their chosen home ground at Petone Memorial.

The Thirsty 5’s (playing in the Masters 6th grade) and the G’s (playing in the Over 45

grade) are both going well.

“The G’s have won all their games at home,” Mike says, “cementing Bishop Park as their fortress and notching up nine goals in their last two games. They’ve lost two away games, but are nicely placed in the top half of a competition, which has been boosted by an additional 3 teams this season.”

On Saturday, the G’s won a local derby against Stop Out - at Fortress Bishop - by 2-0. The first was an unfortunate own goal, with Roo Wilkins bagging the clincher.

The real success story thus far though, is the Thirsty’s, who top their table by two points with five wins from six games played. Their first defeat came on Saturday when they went down to Wainui Pacifica Originals (now second on the table) by a goal to nil.

Their last fixture in round one is at home against Tawa Dad's Army on May 29th (2:30pm).

“They’d love to see a big home crowd for that one,“ says Mike. “Home support is always welcomed and it should be a cracker of a match. If you’re at a loose end, Bishop Park is always home to some great local football.”

Quality, not quantity for Hoop Club

The Eastbourne Hoop Club ramped up for another winter season on May 15th, with organiser, Rodger Thompson, saying that numbers will be limited to 100 spots this year.

Rodger says that ideally he’d love to have more kids attend (two years ago the number was 150), but the organising committee have decided that it should be based more around giving a lesser number more in terms of quality coaching and as an experience.

“For us, it’s all about managing numbers,” Roger says. “We haven’t done much by way of promotion this year, it’s been mostly return kids and word of mouth. We feared that we’d be inundated and numbers would explode!”

The Hoop Club meet every Saturday afternoon at Wellesley College, where four sessions are run. Rodger and Bradley Allen are assisted by 12 youth coaches and Rodger says that it is fantastic to watch those young people develop their coaching skills and gain in self confidence from it.

Rodger says that Wellesley College becoming available as a venue was critical to the success of the club.

“Not having to drive into the Hutt Valley was a big thing for local enthusiasts,” he said. “Suddenly, basketball was just three or four minutes down the road. Wellesley have been fantastic to us and we owe them due gratitude.”

In keeping with national trends - and in many cases, international - basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in Aotearoa, let alone little ol’ Eastbourne. Participant wise, only football and touch rugby come anywhere near team sport numbers attributed to basketball in this country.

“Statistics reveal that the sport is now the biggest by participant at secondary school level also,” Rodger says. “Although not available yet, I’m picking the recent survey done at primary schools will reveal the same.”

“The success of Steven Adams has given the sport a higher profile,” he adds, “not forgetting that of our own local hero, Stella Beck. Hoop Club member, Rufus RusholmeCobb should also be congratulated on making the New Zealand U17 trial in February. An inspiration to all Eastbourne ‘ballers in how you play and your commitment to keep improving and developing your craft.”

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

ECO GARDENER - 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.

Zaiden Silemu was given a special award at Muritai School assembly recently to celebrate the fact he scooped the pool at the Wellington Junior Athletics championships back in March. The 9-year-old took Gold in all his events – 200 metres, 100m, 60m, Long Jump and Shot Put. And last week,, he won his race at Muritai’s cross-country. A decathlon medallist of the future…?