Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Kapiti News
Rural theme for new preschool HAYLEY GASTMEIER A new preschool and nursery, which is set to open in midMarch, will see urban children get a rural experience. Little Farm will be situated in Ratanui Rd, Otaihanga, and will offer childcare and education, for children aged three-months to five-years, in a farm style environment. “A lot of children don’t get to have the exposure to animals and this will be the opportunity for them to have that,” centre manager Stevie Brown said. Mrs Brown says the idea for the school was dreamed up by her mother, Gaylene Williams, who has always had a love for rural life and wanted to combine farm life with education. She says her mother
developed a passion for early childhood 25 years ago, and has been looking for an appropriate place to set up Little Farm for some time. They choose the 2h site because of its central location to other parts of the district, and it was also not too far off the beaten track for parents who commute to Wellington. The new centre will have animals like young calves, miniature horses, a bird aviary, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs. The animals, which will all be young so they are child friendly, will be sourced from various places and will move to Mrs Williams’ personal farm when they get older. The barn-style centre, which will also have horse riding classes, will employ a full-time
farmhand to care for the animals. Mrs Brown says the centre will open with limited spaces, and then more children will be accepted in stages. It will take 100 children at full capacity and there will be separate classrooms and playgrounds for each age group. “Every age group is catered for and cared for appropriately.” Levin based company TSP Constructions are building the new centre. There is already a waiting list for the preschool and nursery, which Mrs Brown says has been a very expensive project. “It is definitely going to be something different. Everyone is really excited. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
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NEARLY FINISHED: Stevie Brown, left, and Sam Sando, in front of the Little Farm preschool and nursery, which is nearing completion. PHOTO: HAYLEY GASTMEIER
Faith driving force behind 60-year marriage HAYLEY GASTMEIER
TOGETHER: Beth and Clinton Johnson have been married for six decades.
Waikanae couple Beth and Clinton Johnson will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary tomorrow. The pair met in the late 1940s while attending a Presbyterian bible class conference in Nelson. Clinton, who came from Wellington, and Beth, who came from Dunedin, say it wasn’t love at first sight, but they developed a keen friendship. Their romance began a time later when Clinton went down to visit Beth in Dunedin, and in 1953 they got engaged. The couple married in Dunedin, on January 22, 1955, and then shortly after moved to Vanuatu, where their daughter Philippa was born. Clinton taught at a school on the island for nine years, and in 1963 the family returned to New
Zealand. In 1969, the pair adopted their son, David, and settled in Waikanae, where they have lived ever since. “We had a common interest in the church, and were able to work things out together. “Our faith keeps us together, there’s no doubt about that,” Clinton says. “One won’t say it’s been a bed of roses because we’ve both had our own ideas about what we wanted to do, but we’ve done a tremendous amount together,” says Beth. “And we’re very understanding of each other.” Clinton spent 40 years as a school teacher, and was the deputy principal of Waikanae Primary School from 1969 to 1986. The couple have been heavily involved with the Presbyterian church and have contributed to
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the community in countless ways. Beth was a Brownie and Guide leader for 23 years and has volunteered for numerous community-based organisations. They have made seven trips back to Vanuatu and have been around the world four times, mostly since retirement. Philippa and her husband live in New Plymouth and are both pastors. They have four married children, who have already produced four great-grandchildren for Clinton and Beth. David runs an IT business and lives in Sydney with his wife and their two sons. “We’re very proud of our kids. “We’re seeing the wonderful family spirit they’re instilling into their children. “The family togetherness has just been absolutely wonderful.”