TREE OF THE MONTH

By Martin Freeth – Trees of Martinborough

What is Martinborough’s oldest tree? Well, it is not the prettiest and it might be regarded a pest by some people. 

The tree is a sycamore – botanical name ‘acer pseudoplatanus’ – and it has been growing behind the Victory Family Church on Jellicoe Street for 127 years.

Near the property’s rear boundary fence along Kansas Street, this sycamore is rather nondescript but in remarkably good shape given its age and many hot summers. It’s been growing quietly on this spot since 1897 – far longer than the more-adored oaks 100 metres away, in the middle of Martinborough Square. 

Our information source is Mate Higginson, Martinborough historian and a life-long gardener. … Continue Reading

Living Positively with Parkinson’s

Some Wairarapa people living with Parkinson’s gathered at the Carterton Court House recently to listen to and be motivated by former boxer Billy Graham.

A former New Zealand and Australasian light welterweight boxing champion, Billy Graham has spent a lifetime involved in sport and physical fitness. 

He has achieved international success through goal-setting and determination, turning common sense into an art form.

Billy is now a world-class international speaker, a great motivator and fitness advisor. He puts his winning philosophy into practice every day of his life and delights in sharing his zest for living with others. … Continue Reading

News from First Church

 Many folk imagine that going to church is a bit of an ordeal, a waste of time, or at best a

stuffy affair marked by archaic mumbo jumbo. 

One attendance at First Church would dispel these misconceptions. 

To start with, the environment is informal with no sign of incense or solemn chanting. 

Instead, for those who arrive in their Sunday best (jeans and open neck shirt) twenty minutes before the service starts, the first urgent priority is a cup of tea bolstered by a truly impressive array of scones and home baking. The talk then is less about Genesis or Delilah and more about the cricket or Navratilova. Its lively and truly congenial. … Continue Reading

Head winds buffet Pain Farm effluent spray dispersal plan

By Ray Lilley

The slow realisation that Martinborough’s 85 hectare trust-owned Pain Farm would see 93 million litres of sewage effluent a year sprayed onto its land has become “the cause of agitation and concern,” according to Mayor Martin Connelly.

At a council meeting Feb. 21 it emerged:

* the sewage effluent disposal plan has unresolved legal issues over the proposed land use;

* the Martinborough Community Board, as Pain Farm trustees, may not have been consulted over the plans;

* SWDC may not be paying the trust to use part of its land for the rubbish transfer station; 

* public consultation nearly a decade ago is under serious question, while Mayor Connelly claims it was “good” and at the time there were “no major objections to the plans for waste water dispersal.”  … Continue Reading