14 Wairarapa Midweek Extra Wednesday, January 19, 2022 ARATOI VOICES
Extra
Looking back on 2021 With the opening of the Sotheby’s New Zealand International Realty Wairarapa Art Review last month, the Friends of Aratoi could look back with sighs of relief on a quite successful 2021. Some activities had to be postponed or cancelled but whenever possible, fundraising events and exhibition openings went ahead, albeit with changed formats. Other events went ahead just as planned: the opening of Pūkana – Te Karu o te Ika: Moments in Māori Performance was early in the year and was a huge success with a capacity crowd. One event just squeezed in. On the day in August that the latest covid outbreak was announced, the Friends’ bus trip to Wellington took place. With visits to the Parliamentary Art Collection, the Adam Art Gallery and City Gallery Wellington and the Italian Embassy, this was an
Ro Worley’s bequest will assist Aratoi’s education programmes in 2022.
outstanding day and a successful fundraiser. Sadly, we also registered the deaths of three very active members. The bus trip and the 2021 Art and Architecture Tour would not have been such successes without the work of Friends committee member Steve Davis who had passed away in April. Steve was not afraid to harness big ideas and
buoyed by his enthusiasm, the Friends committee adopted schemes that seemed impossible at first but which were always a runaway success. Steve was great at big picture ideas but also careful to follow projects through, taking care of every little detail. Fellow committee member Stephanie Chilcott remembers seeing Steve
in Wellington Hospital not long before he died. Even though he was very ill, Steve was insistent she listen to his advice to follow up on some loose ends of organisation for the tour. Ro (Rosemary) Worley, with her husband John, farmed at Otahome before retiring to Little Otahome at Homebush where Ro developed a magnificent
Massive summer at Tauherenikau One Wairarapa venue is ramping up for a big summer with almost backto-back events planned from now until April. Although many places have had to scale back activities due to covid restrictions, the Tauherenikau racecourse near Featherston has become the go-to setting of choice for many organisers. The racecourse had turned into an ideal function spot, with its two entrances well positioned to check vaccine passes. At the same time, plenty of space and good onsite accommodation options meant the venue could easily cater to large numbers, with accommodation for motorhomes and campers
and even glamping possibilities. Tauherenikau had kitchen and bathroom facilities, and there was also a large bunkroom for people who didn’t mind sharing. About seven events catering to thousands of revellers were planned for the summer months. Wairarapa Racing Club general manager Matthew Sherry was looking forward to it. “It’s our biggest summer ever. It’s a pretty special place, and it’s going to be fun,” he said. Sherry listed the packed schedule, which stared with the New Year races on January 2. The Wairarapa Country Music Festival is next up from January 28 to 30, with about 5000 people expected to attend.
Cruise Martinborough cars alongside the Country Music Festival at Tauherenikau Racecourse last year. PHOTO/FILE
“It will be three days of good quality country music and some of New Zealand’s best acts,” he said. More than 70 motor homes from all over New Zealand had already booked spots onsite for
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PHOTO/BEAU ELTON
garden. She was a keen art lover and long-time supporter of Aratoi which she visited regularly and attended exhibition openings and floor talks. Ro left Aratoi a generous bequest in her will. The education programme and the solar panel project, which will greatly reduce Aratoi’s power bill, will benefit from her generosity. The third influential member of the Friends of Aratoi to leave us last year was distinguished scholar, literary historian and critic Lydia Wevers, a long-serving member of the Aratoi Regional Trust Board, the governing body of Aratoi. As well as her tireless work for the Trust Board, Lydia’s association with Aratoi included speaking at events and she edited Aratoi’s 50/fifty: 50 Years of Aratoi, published in 2019. The Friends of Aratoi will miss these three as we look ahead to the work to be done in 2022.
that event. On January 29, classic cars from the Cruise Martinborough event would park up at the racecourse for the day. The week after, the Waitangi Day race
meet was scheduled for February 7. On March 6, the racecourse would host the first day of the Martinborough Fair, with the second day booked for April 3. From March 11 to 13, the 121 Festival would rock the racecourse. Organisers of the three-day dance odyssey expected to have up to 5000 participants camp onsite. On March 27, the Masterton Racing Club would have a meet and celebrate its 150th birthday at the same time. “That’s quite some timeline and a lot of events,” Sherry said. “It’s a real team effort. We have a good team here, and it turns into a beehive of activity. I just can’t wait for it all to happen.”
