The Observer - August 2025 by oxfordobserver

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Welcome to the August issue of the Observer.

The North Canterbury Wearable Arts was held last month and was again, a great success. Congratulations on the team for a huge effort to bring this to fruition.

In other community events View Hill Schools 'Discover the Night' was a night of community, education and fun celebrating the Dark Sky. Photos from both of these events are in this issue.

We were reflecting recently on the changing face of print media, with the recent closure of another local publication.

We are grateful that thanks to our advertisers and readers we are still able to deliver into letterboxes, most publications in our area have moved to just a drop off point.

For us it is important to connect with the community and for our advertisers to get maximum coverage by going into all of those letter boxes. So thank you to you all who make this possible.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Remember to get in touch if you have a story you would like us to consider, or if you would like to advertise your business or event. info@oxfordobserver.co.nz.

PUBLISHER

Schnurrbart Design and Publishing Limited

EDITOR

Emily Chapman ENQUIRIES

info@oxfordobserver.co.nz

0800 627 378 37

www.schnurrbartdesignandpublishing.co.nz THE NEXT ISSUE - OUT SEPTEMBER 2025 ADVERTISING DEADLINE | AUGUST 20

All efforts are made to verify the correctness of information contained within this publication.

However Schnurrbart Design and Publishing accept no liability for the correctness or accuracy of any information contained within these pages.

Any views, information or opinions expressed within this publication are not necessarily the opinions or views of Schnurrbart Design and Publishing or any of its providers.

Photo Credit

Kate Sophie Photography

The Gorge Nursery

Fruit trees now in stock

Starting at $45.

Please see website for details

Avenue of Bargains still available and being added to weekly

Open 9am-3pm – Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Closed Wednesdays

Weekends by arrangement

Call/text 0272837279 to make a time

NB – nursery will be closed from the 9th-17th August

479 Ashley Gorge Road, Oxford

Please wear sturdy shoes

Sorry no eftpos

Phone 027 2837279 www.thegorgenursery.co.nz

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Artefact: Artists Explore Oxford’s Past

ARTEFACT celebrates community and collaboration with new works inspired by objects from the Oxford Museum collection. The result is an exhibition that is both personal and responsive in its engagement with local history.

Artists Katie Hallam, Casey Macaulay, Tessa Warburton, Celia Wilson, Donna Coster, Kate McIntyre, Nikki Ferguson-Brown, Louise Johns, Catherine Day, Ange Wyllie and Ruth Stanton-Macleod were brought together by monthly meet-ups hosted by Oxford Gallery. Through these casual get-togethers for conversation and for working on individual projects, the artists found they had a shared curiosity about the stories and events that shaped Oxford and the surrounding district, and embarked on a collaborative project to explore this further. With the assistance of volunteers at Oxford Museum, the group has accessed archives, taken photographs and sketched the objects that they were each drawn to, and incorporated this research into the development of new art work. Some of the artists are lifelong locals, others are new to the area, and with this project they have all explored how a sense of belonging to a place can be built by knowing, sharing and reimagining its stories. In an era where community is often fractured or fragile, ARTEFACT reminds us that strong communities are made deliberately, collaboratively and with curiosity and care. This exhibition responds to the past, and just as importantly, builds connections in the present.

ARTEFACT is the first collaboration of its kind between Oxford Gallery and Oxford Museum and will extend beyond the gallery walls with a trail through the museum, directing visitors to the objects that inspired the works.

Exhibition dates: Thursday 21 August - Sunday 28 September Official Opening: Saturday 23 August, 2-4pm. All welcome.

ARTEFACT Artist Workshop: Sunday 7 September, 1 - 3pm. Free/gold coin | Drop-in

Join the artists behind ARTEFACT for a free, family-friendly workshop that brings their creative processes to life. Drop in and try your hand at the techniques and ideas that inspired the artworks in the exhibition. Draw birds, make a box, experiment with pigments, try simple printmaking and more. Each artist will offer an activity that reflects how their works were made, giving you a glimpse into the making of the finished work.

All ages welcome. No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to have a go.

Gallery opening times: Thursday - Sunday, 11am - 4pm. Includes Public Holidays

IS YOUR ORGANISATION ON TRACK?

Friday 15 August | 9.30am–12 noon | Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre $20 per organisation (up to 2 members per organisation)

For more details and registration visit bit.ly/HumanitixCommunityTeam or contact Aimee Claassens 03 311 8963 | aimee.claassens@wmk.govt.nz

WANT TO LEARN A BRASS INSTRUMENT OR FINE TUNE YOUR SKILLS ?

Whether you're picking up a brass instrument for the first time, or refining your repertoire, Musicworks and Eastman Performing Artist Ryan Peni, who is based in Oxford, offers expert tuition.

To start your brass journey, or take it to the next level, contact Ryan at ryan@nztuba.com or visit: www.nztuba.com

THANK YOU TO THE LIONS CLUB

49B Main Street, Oxford | Phone 312 4314 Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.30pm | CLOSED Saturday - Sunday f

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Lions Club for their incredibly generous support of our District Nursing Team. Their donations have made a meaningful impact, and include a portable lamp, a gear case, scales, an equipment trolley, and a set of high-quality soft shell jackets embroidered with “District Nurse”.These thoughtful contributions are deeply appreciated and will greatly assist our team in delivering care throughout the community.

STAFF UPDATES

We’re delighted to welcome our new GP Registrar, Dr. Sarah Stevenson, who joined us at the end of July. Sarah will be working with us Monday to Thursday, and we’re thrilled to have her on board.

We also extend a warm welcome to Dr. Joanne MacGregor, who will be with us every Tuesday from 29 July to 19 August, and again from 23 September to 25 November Dr. Richard Clinghan will be taking a well-deserved break, and Dr. Ian Smith will be covering his annual leave. Many of you may remember Ian, as he has worked with us several times before—we’re pleased to welcome him back to the practice. Finally, we say goodbye to Dr. Merope Grifﬁn, whose last day is 8 August. Merope will be sadly missed, but we wish her all the very best in her new role at her next practice.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS

We understand how important your appointments are, and we do our very best to keep everything running smoothly. However, just like everyone else, our clinical staff can occasionally become unwell or need time off for rest and recharge. If changes to appointments are necessary due to staff illness or annual leave, we kindly ask for your patience and understanding. Our team is working hard to care for you, and a little kindness goes a long way. Thank you for being considerate and supportive—it truly makes a difference.

KEEPING OUR CARE SUSTAINABLE: UPCOMING FEE CHANGES

Like many healthcare providers across the country, we’re experiencing increased operational costs. As a result, we will be making small adjustments to our GP fees. We’ll provide advance notice of the date these changes will take effect, and further information will be available on our Facebook page and website in due course.

After Hours Care

Ka Ora Telecare: Mon-Fri 5pm-8pm, 24 hrs on weekends. Call 0800 252 672 or visit kaora.co.nz

Practice Plus: Mon-Fri 5pm-10pm, weekends and public holidays 8am-8pm. Call 0800 7722 7587 or visit www.practiceplus.nz.

Please note prepayment is required prior to consultation. Healthline: Available 24/7. Call 0800 611 116.

Recipe of the month.

with Louize Juniper

ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE

This is by far the easiest and most delicious cake I have ever come across It lasts for a few days in the fridge, so can be made in advance and a fabulous dairy free and gluten free option!

INGREDIENTS

2 large oranges whole

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

6 large eggs

1 ¼ cups caster sugar

2 ¾ cups ground almonds

METHOD

• Place oranges in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 mins. The Oranges should be soft and spongy.

• Leave to cool

• Grease and line a 23cm spring form cake tin

• Pre heat oven to 160oC

• Cut the ends off the oranges and chop in half. Remove seeds.

• Place oranges in blender and blitz till a smooth paste.

• Add eggs, baking powder and ground almonds and blitz till well mixed.

• Pour into prepared cake tin

• Bake for 60 mins, do the cake test with a skewer. The skewer should come out clean after being inserted for 10 seconds.

• Leave the cake to cool in tin.

• Once cooled remove and dust with icing sugar and serve.

• Serve with greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt.

This cake makes a great dessert when served with berry coulis or caramelised oranges.

Creativity shines at North Canterbury Wearable Arts Show

Photos by K Pearce

The recent North Canterbury Wearable Arts Show was again a great success with 62 entries, some coming from as far away as Gore and Nelson. The audience was treated to a spectacle of colour, inspiring designs and beautifully presented wearable art.

Oxford Area School was thrilled with its Year 9/10 students, Margot Godman and Indie Blomfield winning the Supreme Student Award with their beautifully crafted “En Pointe” and Ronia Sinclair winning the Years 7-8 Steampunk category with “The Mechanical Maiden of the Fields”.

Year 2 student Violet Matthews with “Peacock Feathers” bravely led the first set of Years 1-3 students onto the stage. Years 4-6 students also had some amazing hats entered in the Outrageous Hats category.

Laura Hitchon from Compass MC held the show together with her experienced emceeing and Sarah Turpin and George Borrie had their work cut out as the Judges, deciding on the placings within each category.

Adding to the night’s entertainment, North Canterbury School of Dance entertained the audience with two wonderful dances.

This event is a major fundraiser for the Oxford Area School and we appreciate and thank our major sponsor McAlpines Mitre 10 Mega Rangiora and for grants received from Visit Waimakariri and Waimakariri District Council - Creative Communities NZ. It was wonderful having Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd sponsor the flights and tickets to WOW for the Supreme Adult and Student winners.

Oxford Area School is very thankful for the sponsorship received from local companies - Halter, Oxford Ag, Fresh Choice, Super Liquor, Indian Hut, Little Farm Goat Cheese, Andrea Zoe Photography, Diner Oxford, along with PaknSave Rangiora, New World Rangiora, The Warehouse Rangiora and Fernside Trees - in the form of sponsorship which is essential to the successful running of an event of this kind.

While being a fundraiser it is also an amazing opportunity to provide students and adults with a professional platform to express and showcase their creativity in the form of a wearable piece of art in front of an appreciative audience.

The Adult Supreme winner was Suzanne Jensen from Kaikoura with her “Cloak of Blackened Leaf”.

Anyone interested in supporting the show with sponsorship or thinking of entering the show next year, please visit and register with our website www.ncwa.nz for contact details, key dates and categories for next year (TBA), entry information, photos and design inspiration.

Social Services

Cooking for Blokes

Next cooking class is on Tuesday August 12th at 12.30pm. If you would like to book in - call the Trust on 03 312 3006 or pop in to save your place.

Thank you

Our community is extremely generous and we would like to thank people for recent donations to our Givealittle, for those who have donated their Winter Energy Payment, to the farmers who donate meat for our food bank, and to the Malvern Farmers Veterinary Club Charitable Trust for funding.

A Big Shout out to our local Police, Mitch & Jono. The Trust has a great partnership with them, and we appreciate their committment to being available to the community and making it a safer place for all of us.

Thank you to our fab 4 funders

• Rata Foundation

• COGS

• Lottery Foundation

• Waimakariri District Council

Community Trust Responsive

Chris Phillips

Te Kura o Te Poho Rakahua Oxford Area School

Update from Mike Hart

In the first week of the school holidays, eight students travelled to Invercargill to take part in the annual New Zealand Area School Sports Tournament. Our students represented well with many successes over the four days. Well done, Liam O’Carroll (Rugby), Jade Anderson (Rugby), Alice McLauchlin (Netball), and Abi Rei (Ki-o-Rahi and Basketball) playing for the Top of the South Teams in their chosen sports. Nicholas McKinney(Basketball), Phoebe Minchin (Netball), Scarlett Hart (Netball), and Gus Johnstone (Rugby) went on from their Top of the South games and were selected to play for South Island selection teams, which took on the North Island selection teams on the last day. At the end of the tournament, national teams were selected from the tournament. Alice McLauchlin and Phoebe Minchin were selected for Netball, Nicholas McKinney was selected for Basketball, and Jade Anderson was selected for Rugby. Congratulations!

Also, during the first week of the term break, our Year 9/10 Netball team represented our school at the annual Junior South Island Secondary School Netball Tournament at Ngā Puna Wai, Christchurch. The players shone through great teamwork and some exciting wins! Congratulations to all of those involved.

Finally, in the last weekend of the school holidays, Oxford Area School hosted its annual North Canterbury Wearable Arts show in Rangiora. Senior students were involved in modelling for out-of-town designers and we had some amazing Junior entries.

A highlight of the evening was Margot Godman and Indie Blomfield taking out the Supreme Student Award in the school section. Congratulations.

SISS Junior netball tournament

During the first week of the holidays the Yr 9/10 netball team attended the SISS netball tournament in Christchurch.

The girls played 8 games.

vs Verdon Green win 24-14

vs Waitaki Girls loss 11-28

vs Hilmorton High School loss 16-30 (Hilmorton finished 1st place)

vs Westland College win 26-20

vs Mt Hutt College win 32-10

vs Buller HS win 12-7, (4 all at half time and 6 all at 3/4 time!)

vs Rolleston B loss 22-23

vs Blue Mountain College win 32-18

The girls played some tremendous games and had some really tough battles.The kilometers the girls must have run in the 12-7 game was up there. Both teams defense was phenomenal hence the very low scoring game.

To win our final play off for 19th-20th place (19th out of 32 teams) was a real team effort with everyone getting on the court to contribute to the win.

Tipu Māia Student Leadership Day

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time given us" Gandalf (Lord of the Rings Trilogy)

On the last day of Term 2, thirteen Oxford Area School students joined over 120 other students as part of the Tipu Māia Student Leadership Day.

With a mix of inspirational speakers and activities, students had the opportunity to grow their own leadership.

Both speakers shared their own leadership journey. Amanda Board and her journey to a doctorate (PhD) as someone with dyslexia and Sharon Nicholas with her outdoors journey which included being the first female 'door gunner' for the New Zealand Air Force.

Key messages from both speakers included -

- importance of perseverance (never give in)

- failure is not fatal (you learn the most when failing)

- guide others (leave them to it)

- watch out for obsession (know when to stop)

- work hard for others (not just yourself)

- fear can be a friend and a foe (do not let it stop you)

- make the most of your time (it is up to you, no one else)

Our senior students led fun and energising games for the Year 5-8 students during the afternoon session, demonstrating their own team work and problem solving skills.

A great way to end the term.

New Zealand Area Schools Tournament

In the first week of the holidays eight students from Oxford Area School travelled to Invercargill to play in the New Zealand Area Schools Tournament.

OAS is very proud of the following students who, during the first week of the holidays, represented TOSI (Top of the South Island) in their respective sports.

Gus Johnstone and Liam O'Carroll - rugby, Nicholas McKinneybasketball, Abi Rei - ki o Rahi and basketball, Jade Anderson - rugby, Alice McLauchlan, Phoebe Minchin and Scarlett Hart - netball.

The tournament was held over four days (30 June-3 July) with TOSI versing either the North of the North Island, Central North Island or South of the South Island on the first three days. While the majority of sports were played indoors in the ILT Stadium Southland, Ki o Rahi and Rugby braved some cold and wet outside conditions.

On the final day the best of the South Island teams versed the best of the North Island teams in each sport. At the end of the tournament a New Zealand Area Schools team for each sport was named.

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for the South Island teams

Gus Johnstone - Rugby

Nicholas McKinney - Basketball

Phoebe Minchin - Netball

Scarlett Hart - Netball

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for the New Zealand Area Schools teams

Alice McLauchlan - Netball

Jade Anderson - Rugby

Nicholas McKinney - Basketball

Phoebe Minchin - Netball

Thank you to Liam's, Scarlett's and Gus's parents and Jade's Dad for supporting the team.

OAS students shine at North Canterbury Wearable Arts show

on Saturday 12 July in Rangiora

Oxford Area School was so proud and excited to have Year 9 and 10 students Margot Godman and Indie Blomfield take home the Supreme Student Award with their entry "En Pointe" on the night.

As part of their prize, Margot and Indie will be flying up to Wellington to attend a WOW performance. Congratulations to both students. This award was sponsored by Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd.

Congratulations to Year 8 student Ronia Sinclair who was awarded First place in the Years 7-8 Steampunk category. There were also some fabulous entries from our Years 1-6 students in the Outrageous Hats category.

Suzanne Jensen from Kaikoura was awarded the Adult Supreme Award. With 62 entries coming from as far afield as Gore and Nelson, there were plenty of imaginative and beautifully crafted costumes for the audience to enjoy.

Sarah Turpin and George Borrie were the judges and Laura Hitchon from Compass FM emceed on the night. North Canterbury School of Dance students entertained the audience with their amazing dance routines.

The Oxford Area School would like to thank all our local sponsors, Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd, Halter, Oxford Ag, Super Liquor Oxford, Freshchoice, Canta Valley, Diner Oxford, Indian Hut and Little Farm Goat Cheese, and Andrea Zoe photography for contributing to a successful night.Our heartfelt thanks to our major sponsor, McAlpines Mitre 10 and to ENC and Waimakariri DIstrict Council's Creative Communities for their grants.

Well done to all those who entered the show.

If you are interested in participating next year, please check out our website www.ncwa.nz .

Next year's dates and categories will be listed shortly.

http://www.oxford.school.nz/

Discover the Night event a success for View Hill School

Photos by Kate Sophie Photography

Despite a few clouds overhead, spirits were sky-high at View Hill School's recent “Discover the Night” event, which drew a crowd of between 400 - 500 people for an evening of learning, laughter, and community connection.

As the rain cleared just in time, families and stargazers gathered to enjoy live music, workshops, hot food, and laser-guided tours of the night sky. While a bit of cloud cover affected some stargazing, it certainly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those who turned out.

One of the event's key goals was fundraising, and organisers were pleased to reach their target, with all proceeds going toward future school projects.

“It was also great to showcase and highlight the Dark Sky,” said Principal Pax O’Dowd. “The presentations were awesome, people really want to learn more about this.”

For Pax, the true highlight was the sense of togetherness the night brought. “To be able to pull in that many people to our wee school, and highlight the Dark Sky in a family setting, especially in the middle of winter was fantastic.

The community vibe was something really special.”

MACHINERY

• Dozers

• Graders

• Dump Trucks and Trucks

• Rollers

• Diggers with Power Clamp

• Mole Ploughing

• Land Clearing/Development

TYPE OF WORK

• Subdivision Earthworks

• Ponds and Dams

• Root Raking

• Tree Felling

• Stump Removal

• Tracks and Driveways

• Water Race Cleaning

GRAVEL SUPPLIES

• AP20

• AP40

• AP60

• Boulders

• Silage Pits etc

• Rotten Rock

• Dairy & Silage pad capping

Oxford Women's Forum who are we?

Next year marks an exciting milestone for the Oxford Women’s Forum . 40 years of bringing women together for casual, friendly evenings filled with good food, laughter, and inspiring guest speakers.

Formed in 1986, the Oxford Women’s Forum is a group of like-minded local women who enjoy a night out that doesn’t break the bank, or require cooking! It’s a relaxed and welcoming environment for catching up with friends, meeting new faces in the community, and hearing from interesting speakers and entertainers.

The forum meets five times a year, between March and November, on Wednesday evenings at the Oxford Club Restaurant. Doors open at 6.15pm with dinner served at 6.30pm. You’ll be home by 9pm, making it a perfect midweek outing. (Meetings are cancelled in the event of severe weather.)

There are no membership fees, and the cost per evening is just $27, which includes your meal and helps cover general costs.

A raffle is also held at the November meeting to help fund advertising and thank-you gifts for our guest speakers. Donations are warmly accepted.

Over the past year, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful range of speakers, including:

• Jo Seager sharing insights about hospice care

• Jeff Robinson speaking on beekeeping and honey

• Dave Taylor discussing the art of growing roses

• Lorraine Parry offering expert advice on garden design

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 3, featuring Andrea Gauland (pictured below), a local goat milk and cheese producer. Andrea’s business is going to be featured on Country Calendar in August!

The committee is small but dedicated, and we are currently looking for a treasurer to join our team. If you're interested in getting involved please get in touch with Sandra. To register your interest or learn more, contact Sandra at gsjca@xtra.co.nz or Text 027 698 6163

All current members will be contacted prior to each meeting. We’d love to welcome you at our next event, come and enjoy what the Oxford Women’s Forum has to offer!

Oxford & Districts Lions raise funds for the Oxford District Nurses Team

Every year the Oxford and Districts Lions Club holds a charity golf tournament at the Waimakariri Golf Course. This event is well supported and is one of the Club’s most successful annual events.

For the 2025 year the Lions agreed to divide the proceeds of this event, between the installation of high-resolution security cameras in Oxford, and the surrounding areas, and to the purchasing of specialised medical equipment for the Oxford District Nurses Team.

In close consultation with the nurses, the Lions purchased on their behalf, a Mobile Procedure LED Light, Stainless-steel Medical Trolley, Digital Blood Pressure Monitor, Nurses’ Equipment Bag with Telescopic Foldable Trolley, Digital Floor Scales and for each of the four nurses a Navy Apex Softshell Jacket, embroidered with “Oxford District Nurses”.

The Oxford District Nurses provide an extremely important role in our community and generally fly under the radar until we need their services and support.

Supplying this specialised equipment to the Nurses was very satisfying for our Club members.

It’s a great feeling to be in a situation where we could make this happen for them.

Mayoral Update with Dan Gordon

One of the most significant decisions for our district’s future has recently been confirmed – our Water Services Delivery Plan has been approved by the Government. I’m proud to say Waimakariri District Council is one of the first in the country to formally establish its future water service structure under the new Local Water Done Well legislation.

This is the result of years of advocacy, careful planning and community support. When we consulted with the community earlier this year as part of our Annual Plan, we received 764 submissions – over 97% backed our proposal to deliver water services through an internal Council business unit.

That strong mandate gave us confidence to move forward with a structure that keeps decision-making local and puts the needs of Waimakariri residents first. Over the past 20 years, we’ve invested more than $100 million in high-quality water infrastructure. We manage six urban and five rural drinking water schemes, two wastewater systems, and multiple stormwater areas that together serve the majority of our population.

Our infrastructure is already in strong shape, and we’ve planned ahead with a 150-year strategy and another $112.7 million allocated for upgrades and safety improvements. An internal business unit allows us to retain local ownership and control over $1.1 billion of assets, while giving us the flexibility and oversight to meet higher regulatory standards in a financially sustainable way.

Our Council also played a leading role in shaping the policy direction that underpins the Local Water Done Well framework. As a founding member of Communities 4 Local Democracy, we joined with around 30 other councils to advocate for a model that supports local decision-making, while ensuring water services meet national requirements and remain financially sustainable into the future. Over the next 12 to 24 months, we’ll deliver on this plan and continue our strong working relationships with neighbouring councils like Hurunui and Kaikōura. We remain open to expanding shared services where it makes sense to do so and delivers benefits for our communities.

Thank you again to everyone who made their voice heard. Your support helped shape a future where Waimakariri continues to make decisions, for Waimakariri.

I welcome contact from anyone who needs assistance or has an issue that you might want to discuss.

Email me at dan.gordon@wmk.govt.nz or phone 021 906 437.

I’m here to help.

from the Presidents Desk with Oxford Club President Kyle Scott

The 2025 year is flying by, and in September the Oxford Club will be holding our Club election for our Executive Committee.

The club governance structure comprises of President, Vice President and six committee members. The term of service is 12 months, and as the Club is a Friendly Society, we also have three trustees who are elected at the AGM.

, Welcome to the August edition of From the President’s Desk.

As a vital part of our community the Oxford Club serves as a hub for social, recreational and cultural activities. Now, we are on the lookout for interested members who want to contribute to the growth and vibrancy of our club.

New committee members bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the committee and club and make a positive impact by shaping the events, programmes and initiatives that enhance the overall experience at our club.

Why should I put my name forward, you may ask?

The following bullet points are just a few of the reasons to stand for our executive committee:

•Club and Community input: Make a positive impact by helping to plan and shape the events, initiatives and programmes that bring our Club and Community together.

• Team Collaboration: Work closely with a diverse group of committee members who share a common goal to enhance the overall experience at our club.

• Personal Skill Development: Develop your leadership, organisational and communication skills by participating in planning and taking part in various club activities.

• Fun and fulfilment: Being part of a team and creating memorable experiences can bring enjoyment and fulfilment to you as an individual.

• Networking opportunities: Connect with new faces and make new friends and expand your network in our Club and community.

If you would like to find out more about an executive position, please feel free to contact me or our Vice President Lin Fagan. We are happy to chat and explain all.

Our ongoing membership draws have proven extremely popular, and we appreciate your support. Remember to enjoy the services the Club has to offer and if you are lucky enough to win a promotion at the Club, you must be a current financial member and be able to produce your Club membership card at the time of the draw.

Well, that’s all for now, remember that it may be cold outside, but you are always assured of a warm welcome at the Oxford Club. Plus, our log fire in the main bar burns with a cheery glow and adds to the convivial atmosphere.

In keeping with our election theme, the saying of the month is: “Shape tomorrow – Serve today”!

Looking forward to seeing you soon at our Club.

The Oxford Club, your Community Club!

Kyle Scott

Oxford Club President

Dan.

Kiwilaw - making legal work more bearable after a loved one dies

• All types of tree removals (large and diﬃcult?? No problem )

• Crown lifting and Crown reductions

• Formative pruning

• Fruit tree pruning (Autumn/Winter)

• Hedge and shrub trimming

• Stump grinding

• Felling

• Chipping

• Mixed age arborist mulch, sales and delivery

Probate (High Court approval of the will) should never cost more than $1000 unless there are major problems with the will. Get a speciﬁc probate estimate before you let any other lawyer start that work! As executor, it’s your decision...

Kiwilaw’s online probate service usually costs $490 (plus $260 High Court fee).

Available nationwide—tho’Oxford based—so please tell your friends and family!

Txt/Call Alec 0275 255 044 alec@maartentrees.co.nz Cheryl Simes Kiwilaw lawyer/director

Emergency Services update

Oxford St John

with Mel Brooker

We have had a reasonable month with our total jobs at 160 for the year so far.

At this time of the year we get a lot of call outs for croup. This is caused by a virus - usually the same virus that causes the common cold. It affects the upper airway and is more common in winter. It mainly affects children under 5 years of age, due to the smaller airways. The word croup means to cry hoarsely. It will usually last for 3-5 days.

You should seek medical advice if:

The child develops high pitched breathing sounds both in and out. Makes high pitched breathing sounds when not crying. Begins to drool or has swallowing problems. Fast breathing rate, or struggles to breathe. Seems anxious, upset, restless or extra tired with no energy. Develops a blue or grey tinge around the nose or mouth or fingernails.

Sometimes taking a child outside in the cooler air may help to settle croup.

With Spring not far away, I imagine people will start taking advantage of our fantastic walkways and tracks we have available in our foothills and mountains, please make sure you are prepared for a change in weather with warm clothing and extra food. Make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear. Jandals and crocs have no place on any of these walkways/tracks. If you have any enquiries for the Oxford station, our phone number is 03 312 3516. Leave a message and someone will get back to you.

The ambulance station at Oxford is not manned 24 hours a day. If you require an ambulance, please call 111. Enjoy the nice sunny days.

Oxford Fire Rescue

with Chief Fire Officer Trevor Ealam

June was a bit busier for the Brigade with seven calls. One call was to assist the Cust Brigade at a house fire. The calls in our area were for two structure fires. One house fire where the fire damage was contained in the cell of origin, and the other was a two bay shed fire which was basically destroyed. There was one call to assist St John, one to a commercial alarm activation where no action was required by the Brigade, and one motor vehicle crash (car versus pole). The occupants of the vehicle had decamped and fled the scene before Brigade arrival. This brings our total calls for the year to thirty.

This months message is; When cleaning the ashes out of your fire boxes, please put the ashes in a metal container, not plastic buckets, plastic bags, cardboard boxes or the like. Please put the container outside in a safe place, not on wooden floors or decking and soak them with water, you can even bury the ashes in the garden and wet them down,the ashes can be good for the soil. Just remember it can take up to five days for the ashes to cool.

Oxford Police

with Jono Stagg

Mitch and I have been busy with lots of random jobs. Of note there have been a couple of burglaries, so please make sure you keep things locked and report any suspicious activity. Just a reminder when you are reporting , use the 105 number or online if it’s already happened, otherwise 111 if it’s currently happening.

We are out and focused on traffic now, so expect to be stopped if you are travelling over the speed limit. Police are targeting the 1-10 km/h over.

We have been very lucky weather wise this winter, but we’ve still had crashes involving vehicles hitting icy patches on our roads, so please be careful when driving especially on cold mornings.

The first new community cameras will be up and running next week. This is a great result and hopefully the fundraising can continue to get the rest of the network in and active.

If there's anything that you need to discuss with Mitchell or I, please use 105 or 111 if it's happening right now, otherwise drop in and see us if we're at the station.

ARTEFACT

Celebrating community and collaboration, with art inspired by objects from the Oxford Museum collection. Katie Hallam, Casey Macaulay, Tessa Warburton, Celia Wilson, Ruth Stanton-Macleod, Louise Johns, Donna Coster, Kate McIntyre, Nikki Ferguson-Brown, Catherine Day and Ange Wyllie.