At a time when wildfires are raging in Canterbury and t have occurred so far in our region, the twin Parangarahu Lakes plus Baring Head have been closed due to fire risk – and the road from Burdan’s Gate to Pencarrow is temporarily closed to keep the public safe, says Greater Wellington Regional Council's (GWRC) eastern parks team leader Ricky Clarkson.
“Ground conditions at Parangarahu Lakes had changed faster than expected and a wildfire could quickly ignite and become uncontrollable.”
Mr Clarkson says Hutt City Council made the decision, as the road controlling authority, to temporarily close Pencarrow Coast Road from Burdan’s Gate. He says Park stakeholders were advised as soon as possible once both decisions were made.
Not David Woulfe, it seems. In spite of reassurances he would be notified should such a move be taken, the first the owner of
cycle rental company Wildfinder heard of it from either council, he said on Facebook, was when one of their guests was turned away by GWRC.
The decision to close East Harbour Regional Park on 13 February has caused an uproar on the Eastbourne Community Facebook page, with nearly 100 replies to Mr Woulfe’s original post and another slew following his video of tourist buses passing Wildfinder’s Burdan’s Gate kiosk.
Mr Woulfe said that while the ban will impact a bunch of eastern bays businesses, including the ferries that transport visitors, he was upset at the way the decision was communicated, rather than whether it should have been made at all. He was to discuss the matter further with local councils this week.
The highly visible passage of tourist buses each day there are cruise ships in port has further fuelled locals’ outrage. Surely they bring many more people into the park?
Mr Clarkson says organised groups in buses using the road to access private property [such as Pencarrow Lodge] are still able to do so, “if they have a Health & Safety Plan and can show they can evacuate quickly if required”.
He says the risk to pedestrians and cyclists is greater as it may take them longer to evacuate. ”Their ability to access more remote areas of the park also means it may be more difficult to locate them in the event of a fast moving fire.
Even evacuating to a beach exposes people to potential harm from smoke inhalation. The Eastbourne community is also extremely vulnerable if a fire spread in their direction.”
Mr Clarkson says the councils understand Mr Woulfe’s frustration and recognise the impact of both closure decisions.
“Our team will re-evaluate the fire risk level this week, Hutt City Council will make a decision regarding the road accordingly and all affected parties will be informed of any changes as soon as possible.”
*Mr Woulfe declined an interview request from The Eastbourne Herald.
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This sign appeared soon after the road was closed.
The official sign warning people not to enter.
This year’s hunting ballot for East Harbour Regional Park will take place on March 30. Hunters enter a ballot for a time to hunt in the park, in addition to the work of professional hunters which Greater Wellington Regional Council employs each year to control pests. Last year’s professional cull resulted in three deer and two pigs being killed. GRWC ranger Jo Greenman says the low number of kills may be the result of pest control over the prior two years, in which thirty deer were culled. A DNA scat survey had predicted twenty deer would need to be killed over two years to limit further breeding. “I’m hoping the low number is a result of how effective we’ve been,” she said.
Contractors will be cutting vegetation back along Lowry Bay walking tracks for the first time in ten years. GWRC ranger Jo Greenman said the “big boys” are being sent back in following a drop off in volunteers who used to keep the tracks in check.
The 85 express bus may not be a dead issue just yet. GWRC councillor Quentin Duthie told last week’s community board meeting he was advocating for the return of the 85 service, which will be considered as part of the regional council’s current review of public transport. He said he feels much more comfortable about potential rate rises and transport fare increases in the light of bus reliability being restored to above 99 percent. Mr Duthie said bus patronage is above pre-Covid levels.
Get your lists out - Eastbourne Community Board members will travel the Bays to speak to local residents about any burning issues on Saturday, March 2.
Register for the annual Wharf 2 Wharf swim now – go to https://eastbourne.nz/ services/clubs/eastbourne-wharf-to-wharf/
BRIEFS
to enter the event, taking place this year on Sunday, March 3, with a start time of 9.30am.
The latest numbers on the Dotterel nesting season are in and show a better result than last year, according to ranger Jo Greenman. In Eastbourne twelve of twenty nests hatched with five fledglings. Parangarahu Lakes have eight nests, with results yet to be counted. At Baring Head six out of ten nests hatched.
Muritai Home & School’s first fundraiser for the year is this weekend, Sunday 25th in the school playground, starting at 10am. Organiser Gen Packer says the beginning of the school year is a perfect time to declutter, and turn unwanted stuff into cash, while raising money for the school. Each reserved space is $30 and suitable for a family car, van or ute. The car boot sale already had more than 30 entries
when we went to press. The event, which includes a coffee cart, sausage sizzle and raffle, finishes at 1pm. Postponement day is 3 March. muritaihomeandschool@gmail.com https://fb.me/e/1O9If18na
More than 120 people from the wider community attended the installation service for local resident Sue Brown, who became minister-in-charge of St Alban's after nearly two years of the pulpit being vacant. She was welcomed to the church’s “home away from home” at San Antonio on 7 February, after being formally handed over by a large group from her previous parish, Ngaio Union Church. Sue’s first official service was last Sunday, 18 February, and she will be present in the church office, Ngaio St, two days a week. Call the church office 562 6269 to check her availability.
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Community Resilience Expo
The ECB, along with WREMO, Fire & Emergency Services and others, is supporting a free expo at Muritai School to help families and the community prepare for emergencies and disruption. Demos, training, activities, products and spot prizes. 10am to 3pm Sunday 24 March. Eastbourne.nz/resilience-expo
Dog control bylaws
Council is seeking community feedback on proposed changes to dog access in Eastbourne to safeguard seabirds from potential harm. Closes 1 March. haveyoursay.huttcity.govt.nz/ebdogs
Annual walkabout
The ECB’s annual walkaround in Eastbourne will be on Saturday, 2 March (9 March rain day).
The walkabout is a chance for residents and resident associations to meet with the Board and a Council Officer as we travel from Point Howard to Burdan’s Gate.
If you would like to speak to us about an issue or opportunity in your area, bay or street, please email belinda.moss@huttcity.govt.nz.
Next ECB meeting: 7.15pm Tuesday 16 April, East Harbour Women’s Club, 145 Muritai Rd - ALL WELCOME
Anger grows over Bishop BPA
by Louise Parry
Opposition to the establishment of the Bird Protection Area (BPA) in Bishop Park has grown - from residents concerned about potential restrictions to beach access and the visual impact of the proposed fence, to dog owners upset that they are losing a popular area for walking.
Several dog owners expressed discontent with the new reserve at this month’s Eastbourne Community Board meeting, citing worries about reduced space for dog walking and expressing scepticism about claims that the dunes beside Bishop Park would serve as a haven for penguins, when they don’t currently nest there.
The Bird Protection Areas, mandated by consent conditions for the Tupua Horo Nuku project, aim to provide nesting grounds for little blue penguins (kororā) and safeguard the nesting sites of variable Oystercatchers (tōrea pango) and other native seabirds affected by construction activities.
The proposed changes within the Council’s Dog Control Bylaw will impose restrictions in Sorrento Bay, Whiorau Reserve, and the dune areas adjacent to both Bishop Park and HW Shortt Park.
However, there was tumult when Tupua Noro Huku project manager Jamie Rowe told the meeting that kororā would not be relocated to Bishop Park - a consent condition - but it was hoped the birds, much of whose habitat will be lost as a result of the path's construction, would in time nest in the new BPA.
Marine Parade resident Matthew Mallett acknowledged the importance of bird protection but said the location was absurd, and impractical. He criticized the lack of consultation and hinted at a possible judicial review.
Days Bay’s Suzanne Willis expressed dismay over the lack of community involvement in the BPA construction decision, especially considering the existing off-leash dog areas near the BPA by HW Shortt Park.
During public comments, suggestions included relocating the BPA to the northern end of Rona Bay or questioning the impact on reptiles due to the removal of Marram Grass for fencing.
Rona Bay resident John Tattersall doubted the necessity of a BPA on the beach, citing the absence of penguins and minimal bird activity. “It’s a solution trying to look for a problem,” he said, “I walk two times a day on this beach and there are no sign of penguins, unlike HW Shortt park – they’re not here."
Mr Rowe emphasised that BPAs were nonnegotiable consent conditions but encouraged feedback on proposed Dog Control Bylaw changes, open until March 1.
In her Chair’s report, Mrs Moss said the board had pointed out that the potential issues resulting from dogs being adjacent to BPAs were the “result of poor planning and a lack of community consultation". She encouraged people to make a submission on the Dog Control bylaw and speak at the hearing in ?
Hutt City Council told The Eastbourne Herald that there has already been public consultation about the Tupua Horo Nuku project going back to 2020, and confirmed that residents can only make submissions on the Dog Control Bylaws.
https://haveyoursay.huttcity.govt.nz/ebdogs
All welcome at stretch class
Spurred on by hearing Wellington City Missioner Rev Murray Edridge on RNZ recently, Eastbourne personal trainer Matt McCorkindale has opened up his legendary men’s stretch class – started three years ago for pre-season football preparation – to the wider community, in order to raise money for the charity. The low difficulty, high intensity sessions are held on Monday evenings at the Eastbourne Community Hall in Oroua St, 7.30 – 8.30pm. The entire fee of $100 for a term’s participation in Matt’s classes (22 are registered so far) goes to the Mission, which serves “the last, the lost and the least” by providing housing, food, nursing, social work, financial mentoring, among other services. Suitable for all ages.
mattbodyerg@icloud.com
Two options presented for bowling club's relocation
by Louise Parry
Tennis players will have to get used to fewer courts at San Antonio to play on if either of two options for The Eastbourne Bowling Club’s (EBC) relocation to HW Shortt Park goes ahead.
Two options for the club's potential move to Eastbourne's sporting hub were outlined in a proposal to Hutt City Council late last year, both of which would see a new green built on the existing San Antonio tennis courts.
The club will sell its existing land in Muritai Road, which will fund, at least in part, a new green at HW Shortt Park and see EBC amalgamate with the Eastbourne Sports and Services Club (ESSC) as a sixth member club. The bowling club acquired its land in 1913, and has been in existence for 116 years.
The first option was to build the bowling green on the tennis courts, which would mean the croquet club retained its current position.
This option would reduce the number of existing tennis courts, which the club said are under utilised, from three to one.
The second option is would see the croquet club relocate to the tennis courts, and the bowling green take the place of the existing croquet lawn. This option would reduce the number of courts from three to two.
The club noted that the lawn currently used by the Muritai Croquet Club is the site of the now disbanded Eastbourne Women's Bowling Club. The dimensions of this “green” are the exact requirement of a bowling green at 34m x 34m. An international standard croquet lawn measurement is 33m x 26.6m.
The options did not “attempt to include remediation/replanning the areas adjacent to the Community Hall or ESSC Clubrooms".
As a sweetener, the club proposed installing a new 3v3 basketball court, which it says is “regarded as one of the fastest growing sports in NZ”.
Either option would be a win/win for all concerned, the club's proposal said. Relocation of the club would be a minimal "if any" cost to HCC, would increase bowling club membership through its visibility to the community. Proceeds from EBC's land sale could "assist in developing an enhanced sporting hub for the benefit of the local Eastbourne community improved drainage of the court area, and
increased usage to an “under-utilised HCC recreational space” would result from either option, it said.
Installing a synthetic green would mean the facility could be used year round. The club has been troubled in recent years by a sub-optimal green, the replacement of which is prohibitive for the club.
The club cited numbers of 11 full playing members and 112 limited/social members in the 2022-2023 season and said while full playing memberships have decreased, other membership groups have increased at the EBC has acknowledge the change in the community demographic and moved its focus to attracting younger members through its community
Locals among award nominees
Two Eastbourne children’s book illustrators are in the news this month.
The NZ Booklovers Award shortlist for Best Junior Fiction Book 2023 includes Once Upon a Wickedness by Fleur Beale (Penguin Random House) with pictures by Eastbourne artist Lily Uivel. It’s the sixth year for the awards, voted on by ordinary New Zealanders, and 119 entries were received for the five categories. https:// www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/2024-awards
And while the word adorable can be a bit overused these days, it seems quite fitting when applied to the bilingual Run, Rabbit/E Oma, Rāpeti books, the second series of which has just come out from Scholastic. Kimberly Andrews, whose Puffin the Architect series has already garnered awards, does an equally good job bringing to life other authors’ stories, in this case those of American ex-pat Norah Wilson. Those familiar with her own characters will spot similarities in dogs and the occasional pūkeko.
based activities. This includes the popular Thursday night community bowls this summer. HCC says they will look at the proposal in detail. "Given this involves Council land we’ll want to understand the impact on current and future users. It’s likely there will need to be public consultation as well, and that will inform the recommendation officers make to Council" HCC Neighbourhoods & Communities Director Andrea Blackshaw said.
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”
John D. Rockefeller
afoot!
Contemporary crime setting for Macbeth
by Anne Manchester
Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe’s production of Shakespeare’s powerful tragedy Macbeth, opening this month, has been given a new twist – a contemporary crime family setting.
The play is a study of unchecked power and ambition. Macbeth, played by Allan Burne, leads the notorious Scottish crime family's successful fight against rebels and rivals. He and his wife, played by Lian Butcher, plot to murder the Boss, Duncan, and assume control of the family. But who can Macbeth trust? Blood will have blood as Macbeth sinks into despotism, friends turn against him and his wife dies.
This year’s Bard in the Yard in Eastbourne will be the only outdoor summer production of Shakespeare in the Wellington region. This follows the demise of the Wellington Summer Shakespeare Trust last year after four decades of annual productions.
Co-director John Marwick has been associated with Bard in the Yard since the very first production staged in his own backyard 28 years ago. He has directed more than half and acted in a good many. For 2024, Marwick is co-directing with Elspeth Cotsilinis.
Both are very comfortable departing from the traditional mediaeval Scottish setting and transposing it to contemporary times. “In Shakespeare’s day, the actors were dressed in
costumes of the time and we think it works well to do the same today,” Marwick said. “It helps show how this story of personal ambition and greed is still very relevant.”
The play will be performed outdoors in the Muritai School Yard if the weather is fine but moves into the hall if not. Audience members are advised to dress warmly and to arrive in time to get a hot mulled wine from the bar. The production includes some quite violent scenes
and is not suitable for young children – parental guidance is recommended.
The play opens on February 29 and continues on March 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9. Start time is 7:30 pm sharp and, with one interval, is expected to finish around 10:00 pm.
Tickets are available from www.eventfinda. co.nz/2024/macbeth/lower-hutt and also from Artisan Gift Shop in Rimu Street. Early booking is advised. Limited door sales.
Lady Macbeth (Lian Butcher) with her husband Macbeth (Allan Burne). Photo: Hayden Rogers.
Traffic supervisor's a busy bee
It can be a long day on traffic supervision, and Molly, (right) seen here with crochet hook in hand, has learnt to make the most of her breaks, teaching herself to knit and most recently starting to whittle some of the driftwood she’s come across out here – what started last week as a rabbit has become a horse.
Of geckos, skinks
and kororā
If you’re wondering about the status of that last piece of the otherwise splendid Windy Point path, Tupua Horo Nuku, Hutt City Council’s Economy and Development Director Jon Kingsbury advises that “the Wildlife Permit has been issued, so we can trap and relocate ngārara/lizards that live in the vegetation at the southern end of Mā-koromiko. Once the ngārara are relocated, we’ll complete the final shared path construction at Mā-koromiko.”
The proposed ngārara/lizard relocation site is Camp Bay. This site was selected by specialist project ecologists, after consultation with DOC, who approved the site for ngārara release.
Other unfinished work, including etching designs into the concrete and installing the permanent handrail on the stairs, is scheduled for the week of 11 March 2024 and will likely involve a shoulder closure during working hours, he says.
And if, like us, you’ve been wondering just how many penguins there really are hiding out along the road, given they’re not highly visible, the answer is…more than you might think.
“There’s an estimated 60-70 kororā that live between Ngau Matau [Pt Howard] and Eastbourne,” says Mr Kingsbury. “In 2023 during peak breeding season, there were six active nests in Sunshine Bay and four in Mākoromiko – these 10 sites could be home to roughly 30 kororā.”
As for kororā on Mātiu/Somes Island, HCC cannot comment – the island is not administered by Te Ara Tupua Alliance, the project set up to create the harbour’s edge path.
Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service
transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley and Wellington, for older residents living in Eastbourne and the Bays.
Faith in the Community
God’s strength for those who ask...
The story is told of a little boy and his father. They were walking along a road when they came across a large stone. The boy looked at the stone and thought about it a little. Then he asked his father, “Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move that rock?” The father thought for a moment and said, “I think that if you use all your strength, you can do it.”
That was all the little boy needed. He ran over to the rock and began to push on it. He pushed and he pushed, so hard did he try, that little beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. But the rock didn’t move - not an inch, not half an inch. After a while, the little boy sat down on the ground. His face had fallen. His whole body seemed to be just a lump there on the earth. “You were wrong,” he told his dad. “I can’t do it.” His father walked over to him, knelt beside him and put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “You can do it,” he said. “You just didn’t use all your strength. You didn’t ask me to help.”
Combined St Alban’s + St Ronan’s + San Antonio: Good Friday Reflective Service 29 Mar at St Ronan’s church at 9:30am. St Ronan’s: Services Sun 9:30am (informal 1st & 3rd, traditional 2nd & 4th).
Easter Sunday 31 Mar 6:30am ‘Sonrise Service’ on beach, by RSA, hot-cross buns & hot drinks after. Traditional Service 9:30am at St Ronan’s church. E:office@stronans.org.nz W:www. stronans.org.nz
St Alban’s: All Sunday services now at San Antonio church at 9:30am. Activities for children term times. 1st Thursdays only, communion at 10:30am at St Ronan’s church. Easter Sunday 31 Mar 9:30am at San Antonio church. Details www.facebook.com/StAlbansNZ E:office@stalbanschurch.nz W:www. stalbanschurch.nz
San Antonio: Vigil Mass, Sat 5.30pm. Easter Saturday no Vigil Mass. Easter Sunday 11:30am Mass at San Antonio church. Sacred Heart, Petone: Mass, Sun 9.30am and 5.30pm. E:holyspiritparish41@gmail.com W:www.holyspirit.nz
Bye for now, Pam
by Ann Packer
She’s been part of the playground as long as this writer can remember, and a familiar figure in the village, with her double pushchair and, often, extra kids in tow.
Pam Dickeson, known to all as “Pammy”, came here 39 years ago with her own child Simon, to be closer to his grandmother. Her daughter Chelsea was born here.
Now she’s come full circle – having come from Paddington in Sydney, she has gone back to Australia, to the Gold Coast north of the Queensland border, where her son lives. Her daughter is not far away.
“It’s time to move on,” she confesses, “somewhere warmer, with different scenery. If I stayed here I’d be very bored.”
She’s treasured the friends who’ve looked after her over a year or so of less than good health, but she’s looking forward to buying a small house and going to Spain for her son’s wedding to a Spanish woman.
When Pam arrived here, with no
Pam Dickeson with some of her charges.
qualifications but her love for children, she worked at Barnadoes then took on her own charges, at first as a live-in nanny.
At one stage she had a lolly shop, on the corner of Rimu St. Not surprisingly, she says, “I got to know all the kids.”
Her routine involved going to the café every day, where her charges could converse with older people and learn how to behave in public – she considered this her most important
task. “I taught children manners,” she says. “It’s how I was raised.”
A keen uphill walker, Pam tried to get up the hill every second day, which clearly helped keep her trim and tan.
While she’ll miss us – “I love the whole village feel of Eastbourne, the friendliness of people and the way they care” – she admits she “liked the older Eastbourne” better, in the days when there was a wine bar and a pub.
Cheers Pammy!
Emergency expo next month
Next month’s Eastern Bays Community Resilience Expos aims to boost the community’s readiness and strengthen resilience for unexpected events.
The expo is taking place 10am-3pm on Sunday, March 24 at Muritai School. It will cover everyhting from home safety and first aid to to emergencies such as fires, stors, and even climate change effects.
Organiser Bruce Spedding says the goal is to make sure people leave feeling more prepared and connected with their neighbours. Emergency services will hold demonstrations and local councils and interest groups will talk about planning for emergencies. Local businesses will showcase emergency supplies and there will be spot prizes to be won. bruce.spedding@huttcity.govt.nz
History repeats for keen Scout
by Ann Packer
Camping, kayaking, building rafts, biking to the wharf and jumping off – it doesn’t get much better when it comes to outdoor activities on a summer evening. And it’s all so accessible here.
It’s one of the reasons Ed Churchouse became involved in Scouts, to give sons Aleks, 10 and Kristoph, 7, the chance to take part in outdoor activities.
And the fact he grew up in a Scouting household makes Mr Churchouse all the more aware of what the organization offers. His mum, Jeanette Churchouse, was a Group leader, and his older brothers Jonathan and Matthew all went through Scouting.
In December 2023 Mr Churchouse, Damon Smith and Stephen Catchpole took 12 local Scouts – boys and girls – to Mystery Creek for the triennial Jamboree, as part of a combined Eastbourne and Waterloo troop. (He says the widely-reported Covid outbreak – 48 out of 4000 – fortunately did not happen until near the end of the week-long gathering.) He’s especially grateful to the Eastbourne Community Trust and the Eastbourne Community Board for their support towards getting the group there and back.
Garden Stuff with Sandy Lang REACH FOR THE SKY
Feb/Mar: Late summer, early autumn. Hot, dry, Level-3 water restrictions? Let your lawn brown. Keep precious plants alive by hand watering from a rainwater tank or use domestic wastewater - sink dishwater or machine rinse water (dishwasher, washing machine) but not their too-detergenty wash water.
Sun-loving plants: Many Eastbourne gardens are too shady to grow much. Or are they...? An earlier article ‘Shade Veggies’ www.mulchpile.org/62 told of sunshine-hour maps, and what you can grow where. With only 4-6 hours sunshine /day you can only really grow leaf vegetables. But what if you don’t have the sunshine hours and are fed up with cabbages and lettuces. You want to grow sun-loving fruiting veggies - tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, pumpkins?
But while Eastbourne’s group currently has 18 Keas (5 – 8) and 24 Cubs (8 – 11) as well as 10 Venturers (14 – 18), there’s no one available to take the Scouts (11 – 14 years), so they cannot offer a programme this term for that age group. To be a leader you must
be a parent, he says, and there are not enough parents of boys and girls of that age with the time to lead. He’s hoping to find new Scouts with parents who could, for Term 2.
Fundraising is another of the Group’s responsibilities - and as Eastbourne’s Scout Den, located near the yacht club, needs a new roof, it’s quite a big one. The group has an annual compost drive (easier now they don’t have to fill those bags themselves, he says) and their new committee is looking at other ways of, well, raising the roof.
Up for sunshine: We know there’s more sunshine if we go up (see ‘Light & Shade’ www.mulchpile. org/20). Let’s look at the ‘up’ strategy, as used by the climbing plants. Runner beans quickly twine up a string, easily climbing to 2 or 3 m where the sunshine hours are much more than at ground level. The problem with most fruiting veggies is they are naturally low-growing scramblers that branch often, grow up, then flop down under their own weight on top of other low-growing plants and smother them. They don’t naturally climb. But we can make climbers from scramblers by overriding their natural growth form by pruning and training. Phytomer: First a bit of plant morphology. Plant stems are made up of a series of repeat units (phytomers). Each phytomer is a length of stem (internode) with a bulge (node) at the top. From the node grows a leaf (or a pair of leaves). In the angle (axil) between the leafstalk and the internode is a tiny bud. In a climber this bud stays dormant, so no branch.
Prune: In a scrambler, many of these axillary buds grow to produce a branch. To stop branching prune off (scissors) any tiny branch before it gets too big. Then growth will be concentrated at the top of the primary stem and the plant grows tall, not bushy.
Flopping: Stop the flop by tying the stem at each node to a string or cane. Climbers do this by twining (beans) or tendrils (peas). But tie loosely as the stem will be garrotted as it thickens.
Steps: There’s much more sunshine 2 m up but you’ll need a stepladder to harvest your fruit. slang@xtra.co.nz www.mulchpile.org
Keas had no uniform at the time Eastbourne Scout Group Leader Ed Churchouse posed for this photo with his brothers Jonathan (a Sea Scout) and Matthew (Cub), and parents Jeanette and the late Jack Churchouse.
Help is at hand
“Eastbourne may be an apparently affluent community,” says Val Meyer, St Alban’s emergency meal coordinator, “but we can all think of people who are not. And anybody can be laid low".
The parish’s cooks keep a selection of staples in the freezer in the commercial kitchen behind the church hall, ready for the kind of emergencies that seem to be more
common in the community these days –hospitalisation of a family member (especially if that’s the cook), a household hit by Covid, an incapacitating accident.
She emphasizes this is not invalid food –if anything it’s more seasoned than usual, as flavours tend to diminish when frozen.
Think meatballs in tomato sauce, mac’n’cheese, tomato carrot and lentil soup –the kind of comfort food that comes in handy when a parent gets sick but the rest of the family needs to eat.
The meal service, “a gesture of manaakitanga, not just for the congregation but the wider Eastbourne and Bays community”, was set up when the Anglican Diocese’s Ezee Meals were no longer available.
Ms Meyer hopes that cook-ups involving working bees of parishioners might be reinstated at some future date.
The service is anonymous.
For further information contact the church office, 562 6269
The only gourmet community fridge in the world?
“Who looks after the community fridge behind St Ronan's?” A recent Facebook query from a local restaurant for the name of the minder of the community fridge sent us in search of this resource, accessible 24/7 at the
rear of the Presbyterian church on Muritai Rd. Parish clerk Sandy Lang’s response is much the same as that of his St Alban's colleague –there are indeed people in our community who are struggling for various reasons to put food on the table. Hutt City people too passing through to Burdan's Gate have been known to stop in response to the notice out front. The turnover of food is substantial and the contents change continuously, but anonymity is the key, says Mr Lang, who contributes a surplus of grapes from his garden in season. “You decide if you’re in need.”
The service was instigated by Finola Rance, now living in London. She approached the community board some seven years ago, sourced a free fridge from Coca Cola and had it located at St Ronan's, who supply the power and location. The MenzShed made a shelter
for the fridge, across from the entrance to the church hall.
While there are shelf-stable and tinned foods, one of the main purposes is to avoid fresh food waste – just last week a bountiful supply was left by one Eastbourne Facebook user, including fresh silver beet, cabbage, tomatoes and capsicums. The Eastbourne food shops and some cafes drop off food, while locals often donate bread and buns from overcatered parties. Others donate Food Bag seasonings not to their taste. We’ve found goodies ranging from crabapples and plenteous zucchinis to grapefruit and tomatoes. And now there’s the occasional restaurant surplus, too.
But please, don’t bother leaving empty jars – they usually end up going into the recycling. And an occasional voluntary clean with warm soapy water would be really nice…
Raymond Frederick Watters
2 June 1928 – 3 February 2024
Geographer Ray Watters, one of only a few Eastbourne residents to have a Wikipedia entry, died this month aged 95.
Andrew Watters says his father led an inspirational and adventurous life defined by his academic career through and beyond Victoria University, his dedication to family, and his love of rugby.
His career in human geography took Ray to indigenous communities in the Pacific and South America, and his family – wife Bethlyn, daughters Jane and Carla, and son Andrew –were sometimes taken along. Former student John McKinnon of Days Bay says the inspiring teacher took leave from VUW to do fieldwork “and never spent a comfortable sabbatical at another tertiary institution”.
Born in Cambridge in 1928, Ray moved with parents Fred and May, and brother Syd, to Napier in 1931, after the earthquake. His father, FR Watters, later became the Art Deco city’s Town Clerk, from 1935 – 1959.
During the Depression, the community was genuinely poor – the brothers would often stop at the corner before reaching Nelson Park school, to take off their shoes and put them in their bags so they didn’t stand out in front of the other kids. Otherwise, it being WW2, after school meant war games – throwing mud balls at kids from neighbouring streets in the raupo on the Georges Drive creek, Scouts and “a cricket bat that was well treasured despite the boys having no talent at all”.
Ray went to Napier Boys High School and finished up as Dux in 1946, winning the Ashcroft Cup for scholarship, leadership and
Kidztalk
Point Howard Playcentre has been enjoying being out and about in the community again this term. Having been displaced from our Centre due to slip repairs, we are making the most of it...visiting gymnastics, libraries, parks and the beach.
We are so grateful to Days Bay Playcentre, for welcoming us to join their sessions. Lots of new friendships have been made , along with a lot of sandpit volcanoes!
We'll be back at our Centre in Point Howard for Term 2. Come and join us: Mon, Wed, Fri mornings.
sport – the first and most probably last First XV front row forward to become Dux, as John McKinnon puts it. (A life member with Wellington Lions and then the Hurricanes, he was buried in his 1995 All Black jersey.)
A surprise baby sister, Christine, arrived in 1946, 20 years younger than Syd and 18 years younger than Ray. Sadly, in 1949 their mother May developed leukaemia, dying in 1955.
At Victoria University Ray majored in geography and history, going on to earn his Masters in History. He trained as a teacher and spent time on the staff at Wellington College before working his passage by ship to London to study for a PhD on the Geography of Samoa at the London School of Economics. Bethlyn Budd, his fiancée from Days Bay, joined him and they were married in Oxford.
Back in New Zealand, Ray became a lecturer and later professor at VUW, where he stayed for
38 years, leading many field trips with young geography and anthropology graduates. He published more than 90 papers, reports and books, edited the Asia Pacific Viewpoint for 20 years, supervised eight PhDs and in 2010 received the prestigious Distinguished New Zealand Geographer Medal.
“His reading was wide, interdisciplinary, catholic, uninhibited by the conventions of what geography was in the immediate postwar period,” says Mr McKinnon. “His interest in indigenous cultures and how they use their resources, the challenges they face, posed the question of who they were, what special knowledge they held and what they could teach you. Fieldwork was rarely physically comfortable, you had to be prepared to learn and if necessary, rough it.
“Life was about doing the work. Doing research. Writing it up and making results available to others: this was a wartime duty. He rarely attended academic conferences. He did not schmooze or attempt to curry favour with administrators. He considered such a choice to be a dereliction of duty. He didn’t entertain colleagues or students with private parties. He didn’t frequent the Staffroom. He did not seek distinction and acknowledgement. Scholarship was a duty and a distinguished academic position was no sinecure. We owe Ray a deep and profound debt of gratitude for his intervention in and the role he played in our lives.”
Ray Watters retired in 1994, and after years of struggling with a rare autoimmune disease, Bethlyn died in 2001. But through the tramping club, Ray was fortunate enough to meet Eastbourne resident Helen Stokes, and the pair were to enjoy 20 years together, including a trip around Europe.
News from our local playcentres
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Eastbourne through the eyes of local artists
by Ali Carew
When the newly formed Historical Society of Eastbourne began accepting items for its archive collection in the early 1980s, no one had any idea of the volume and variety of material that would be donated over the next 40 years.
Among the thousands of old photographs, manuscripts and other items, a small but interesting art collection has developed, dating from the 1920s to the present. Ranging from small drawings to large watercolours and oils, the artworks depict local places and people. Most are by local artists, among them Rena Swift, Catherine Clunies-Ross, Arthur Percival Potter, Albert Hansen, Stella Gibbs, Hilda Walker and Alan Collins. The collection offers a tangible and ongoing link with our past, and reflects the lively arts and crafts scene that has flourished in the eastern bays for more than a century.
These works are stored in the Society’s rooms above the Eastbourne Library, where few people ever see them. So we decided to do something about it, and made a plan: first, to create an inventory of the artworks, including information about the artists; second, to identify items that needed restoration and to get that work done; and third, to put together our first exhibition.
Stage 1 is now complete, and late last year we made a start on stage 2. Thanks to a grant from Hutt City Council’s Community Engagement Fund, and an anonymous benefactor, two of the works have now been professionally restored. They are ‘Portrait of Miss Aileen Stace’ (1958), a large painting in oils by Seeman Prins of Point Howard; and ‘Muritai Park Store’, a woodblock
print by Leigh Hunt, whose parents Iris and Roy Hunt owned the store from the late 1920s.
We’re now exploring other funding sources to get more of the artworks restored. Meanwhile, we’re moving on to stage 3: making plans for an exhibition, tentatively scheduled for later this year if we can find a suitable venue. The aim is to showcase both the art and the artists, and place them in their wider historical context.
Depending on the venue, we plan to have other items on display as well, including works by local artists now in private hands (some owners have already offered to lend their paintings). Some of the framed historical photographs in our Collection will also be included.
Ideally, such exhibitions could become annual events. We’re also exploring the idea of displaying items from our art collection in some of Eastbourne’s public spaces, on either a semi-permanent or rotational basis.
In recent years we’ve lost three exhibition spaces in the bays: Montage, Rona Gallery and Van Helden Gallery. They are sorely missed, but we hope our efforts to make local art more accessible will help to remedy that loss.
Local Library’s 50th Birthday Bash
It seems like yesterday to some of us, but it’s 50 years since the Eastbourne Library opened, in a brand-new building. Wednesday 20 March will see a day long celebration starting with morning tea. The Mayor will cut the cake, before an audience including anyone who’s ever worked there – and all in seventies dress. At least that’s what librarian Holly Bond, who’s been charged with looking after the event, is hoping for. There’ll be party games throughout the day – party hats are “strongly encouraged” – and since the organisations who’ve had a special relationship with the library have all been notified, it promises to be quite an occasion.
Authorised by Chris Bishop, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
'Portrait of Miss Aileen Stace’, by S. Prins, 1958
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.
• “Baby Bounce & Rhyme” at the library 10.00am.
• Toy Library - Two Monday Sessions at 1.302.30pm and 7.30-8.30pm.
EastbourneToyLibrary on Facebook. Kathy 0273551950
• DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 9:15 to 12 noon, Drop in anytime to visit a session or call James on 022 043 7841 to arrange a visit.
• DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 9:15 to 12 noon, Drop in anytime to visit a session or call James on 022 043 7841 to arrange a visit.
• Muritai Tennis Club 9.30–noon. Merryn 562 0236.
• Eastbourne Homebirth Group 1st Tuesday of the month. Phone Kate 562-7096.
• East Harbour Women’s Club Morning Tea & Chat Group 10am. Contact Glendyr 562 7181.
• Indoor Bowls Club 1.30pm, at the croquet club, Oroua Street. Rosemary 562 7365
• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.
• 9.30am Nia Dance Fitness Class (low impact - teens to 70+) Music Movement MagicMuritai Yacht Club - call Amanda 021 316692 www.niainwellington.com
and Friday mornings, from 9:15 to 12 noon, Drop in anytime to visit a session or call James on 022 043 7841 to arrange a visit.
• “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!
• EHock - Fun Stick and Ball game Girls and Boys 7- 13.Eastbourne Community Hall. Wednesdays 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. Derek Wilshere 0274303596
Thursdays
• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.
• St Ronan’s Mainly Music, 9.15am-11.15am, during school terms. Contact Cathy 027 213 9342.
• SPACE at Days Bay Playcentre. Michelle 971 8598.
•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.
• AA Plunket Rooms 7.30pm. Mark 566 6444/ Pauline 562 7833
• DB Playcentre 9.15-12 noon Puddle Jumpers casual ‘drop-in’ session.$5 per child per session. Call James on 022 043 7841
Saturdays
• Justice of the Peace at the Eastbourne Community Library, first Saturday of each month 12pm-1pm.
• Croquet from 10am Muritai Croquet Club. Lyn 562 8722 or Val 562 8181.
• Lions' Bin - cost effective rubbish and e-waste disposal. Last Saturday of the month
(except December) by Bus Barns. Gavin 027 488 5602.
Sundays
• AA Plunket Rooms 10am. Karen 021 440 705.
• Mindful Mummas group for Mums and preschool children. Childminder onsite. 1011.30. Text Emily 027 552 6119 to join or go to bemoreyou.co.nz for more info.
We are looking for a property assistant to meet potential customers at our Self Storage facility at Seaview, show the units available and sign up a simple agreement.
This would be on as “as required” basis, however we also require 5 hours per week to check the facility is clean and tidy and all locks secured.
This would suit someone who lives locally, has flexibility with their time, you could be retired or a student.
Hourly rate is between $30 and $35.
Please forward your CV to: sarah@bcmanagment.co.nz
Eastbourne Lions Auction & Garage Sale (slightly delayed but better than ever) Sat 23 March, Muritai School
Garage Sale 7.15am; Auction viewing and toys/ household/bric a brac sales 8.30am; Auction 9.30am
Donations of saleable goods gratefully received
LETTERS
How about thank you? SPORT
As I read the tirade from Maya Hammarsal [ Eastbourne Herald January 2024] , her comments and lecture reminded me why people like Maya are an absolute drain on society, moaning whingers that will never be happy and find fault in most things .
How about thanking the majority who have funded the minority for a very expensive and arguably unnecessary cycle/walkway .
The walkway/cycleway is intended to be shared and is intended to get cyclists off the road .
Cyclists using the walkway will be safe , motorists won't be further inconvenienced .
How about thanking the general public and being a considerate cyclist, use the bloody walkway.
Maya we don't care about you, stop moaning and be appreciative of what's been provided
Cross-code cricket
On February 4, the inaugural EFC Masters cricket match was held at HW Shortt. It ended up being 8-a-side, which meant that two players from the batting side who were not batting helped out as fielders.
The Orange team batted first and compiled 201 from their 25 overs. Alex Yates took to the bowlers and top scored with 43 not out (players had to retire on 40). Tom Lynskey and Darren Williamson were the pick of the bowlers, picking up two wickets each.
After a social drinks break, the Green
resulted in them chasing down the Orange total and winning with an over to spare. Surprisingly only one ball was lost in the two innings, and no windows or cars were damaged.
It was an awesome afternoon in the sun with players of various abilities all getting a chance to bat, bowl and field and some umpired.
The plan is to make this an annual event from now on, ideally we will field two teams of eleven next time.
Thanks very much to Neil Grey for helping us with the organisation, Tom Daglish for
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Players in the inauguaral EFC Masters cricket match.
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