sunnews From left: Rua, Anna Easthope and Ra.
Through the keyhole
PHOTO: Rhonda Van Rooden
Stonemasonry training
Sue Wards The Alpha Club has not run out of “fabulous houses” to showcase in 12 years of organising house tours. The club has been raising funds for charities and organisations in the Upper Clutha for 18 years, clocking up more than $63,000 in funds so far. The Wanaka Scout Group will be this year’s recipient of funds from the club’s annual house tour. The Scouts have become increasingly popular in the past few years and there is a waiting list
Scouts hope to buy life jackets and new tents with the funds raised. of children (boys and girls) hoping to join. The Scouts hope to buy life jackets and new tents with the funds raised. This year’s tour will feature six “fabulous houses with fabulous gardens”, according to Alpha Club member Carol Orbell, who said the event is always a fun day out. A Devonshire tea will be served at a seventh home and there will be a demonstration of Scout activities at the Scout Den from 1-4pm the same day. The Alpha Club House Tour will be held on October 16 between 1 - 4pm. See sunspots for details.
Clever canines Charlotte Trundle Two LandSAR dogs from Wanaka are leading the way in avalanche search and rescue. Labradors Rua, nine months, and Ra, two years, gained their Advanced Operation Level qualification and are some of the only dogs in the country to have passed this exam. Handler Anna Easthope, who is also a Cardrona Alpine Resort ski patroller, has owned the pair
Ford focus at Warbirds Calling all Ford owners: Organisers of the Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow are putting together a celebration of Ford vehicles and their place in New Zealand culture and need help from Ford owners. Mainstream models are required for the ‘Ford Through the Ages’ exhibition which will be held at the airshow
next Easter. Event manager Mandy Deans said there has been a good response in rare and limited edition models but they are also looking for a representation of mainstream Fords from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Models of particular interest are the Australian Falcon, Futura, Fairmont, Fairlane and Ltd, and the English Fords such as the Popular,
inbrief
Anglia, Prefect, Consul, Zephyr, Escort, Cortina and Capri, Mandy said. The event is expected to attract as many as 60 vehicles.
since they were eight weeks old. She may be the only civilian in the country to own two fully operational advanced search dogs. Anna trained them as search dogs and introduced them to the ski field environment. Each dog has their own personality, searches differently and even gets their own fan mail. “They are both equally enjoyable and challenging for me as a handler. Ra is full on all the time. I suspect she is sneaking
a cup of coffee in her kennel each morning but I have yet to catch her at it. Rua is the nerd. Her searches are very methodical and precise.” The dogs also have some special talents. “I pick up a stone at the lakefront, hold it in my hand for about a minute then throw it in amongst all the other stones on the beach and Ra will sniff it out,” Anna said. “Rua loves fruit, especially apples. I should have trained her for customs work.”
People considering stonemasonry as a career or interest to follow can register for the 2012 Otago Polytechnic Certificate in Stonemasonry. Stonemasons are in high demand at the moment and that demand is likely to grow as the restoration and rebuilding of Christchurch stonework gets underway. Stonemasonry students at the Central Otago campus work on a variety of projects including renovating stonework in old Cromwell and learning on the job in work placements during the final term. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 16 and the course begins in February. Applications should be in by December.
Nikora Parsons in old
Cromwell.
PHOTO: Isabella Harrex
U-Fly celebrates The team at Wanaka U-Fly are planning a celebration next week to mark five years in the tourism industry and 12 years on site at the Wanaka Airport. Flight instructors Ruth Presland and Wayne Allanson decided to diversify into the tourism industry to help their business flourish and have found success with the U-Fly format.
Fire risk high Dry conditions have led to accidental vegetation fires around the Upper Clutha over the past week. Farmers, rural firefighters and Department of Conservation staff have fought three fires in the past fortnight, including a minor fire in the Cardrona Valley on the weekend – which may have been caused by a discarded cigarette - and a fire on private land on the Hawea Back Road on Friday night – caused by a lawnmower. Thirty hectares of fire in the Craig Burn reserve were burnt the previous week after a planned burn-off at Glen Dene Station.
Thursday 06 October to Wednesday 12 October 2011
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