James Robert Graham 1962 – 2015

Members of the Waihinga Centre Steering Group are saddened by the loss of James Graham. ‘The Tall Irishman’ as he was affectionately known was born in Dublin, Ireland and, after living and working in London, had settled for the past twelve years with his wife Rebecca and daughter Jessica in Forman Jury Road.

James was a member of the Town Hall and Community Centre Funding Committee. He was one of our most influential and generous supporters, and a great friend and mentor to many.

We would like to acknowledge the wonderful support given by James to the project. As soon as it had been agreed that the Town Hall was to be restored and a new community centre proposed James offered his time to ensure the success of the project. His enthusiasm for the development and the influence he has had on the project thus far has been significant and greatly appreciated by all members of the Steering Group and our many supporters.

James’s integrity, intelligence and good humour is greatly admired and his contribution towards our shared goal of making the Waihinga Centre a reality has been of paramount importance to our success, particularly in the early development stage and important first funding rounds.

James’s loss will be keenly felt, but his contribution will not be forgotten and his visionary, caring and community-spirited approach will certainly inspire us moving forward and drive much of our decision making through to completion of the Waihinga Centre project.

We wish to extend our condolences to Rebecca and Jessica and to all of James’s family and friends both here and overseas. Our thoughts and best wishes are with you all.

New Library. New opportunities.

We caught up with Martinborough Librarian Shirley Nightingale to find out her thoughts on the new library space proposed for the Waihinga Centre and what it will mean for the community.

“We can’t wait for the new library – it seems so distant at the moment but we console ourselves that at some point we will be able to spread out a little and have a lovely space to share with our customers”, says Shirley.

“We like the proposal to use big glass windows to allow plenty of natural light which is always great for book readers. We think this, combined with the high ceilings and open plan design, will ensure the new library feels spacious and airy. … Continue Reading

Julicher Boutique Wine Awards

20th Boutique Wine Awards – Another Fine Success
Julicher Estate continues its run of wine award successes with a gold at the 20th Boutique Wine Awards held recently in Sydney. This annual event is run by the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers and Wine, eligibility being on the basis that companies produce less than 250 tonnes annually and are independently owned. This makes it an ideal showcase for many Martinborough producers who are, by definition, boutique in size.
Of the 1000 entries 90% were Australian and only 10% from New Zealand, yet Julicher reaped a gold for their 2012 Estate Pinot Noir and two bronzes, while a Waipara winemaker ran away with a bag of trophies. Once again local wines – in the sense both of Martinborough and New Zealand – proved well able to stand tall against their larger Australian competitors.

Kahutara School project nears completion.

Kahutara School’s small BXM track, built in 2008, was due for an upgrade , however Principal Clare Crawford probably didn’t realise what she was letting herself in for when she asked parent Shane Hislop if he had any ideas for improvements. He did have an idea; the removal of some old macrocarpa trees in the school grounds left room to develop a new full size track. Clare agreed as long as Shane did all the organising.

Shane and his sons Connor (11) and Samuel (10) are competitive BMX riders currently ranked 25th and 23rd respectively in New Zealand and Shane says “it keeps me young”. As there are no regulation BMZ tracks in Wairarapa they have to travel to the Hutt Valley Thunderbolts track to train and compete. … Continue Reading