Library Bookclub

I think having a book club connected to the library is wonderful. Here we are surrounded by books, books for all ages, all tastes with instant access to books we know and love. So Martinborough library with a good  balance between entertainment and information means I can promise you there is a book for you in this library, if not Shirley will source it. 

We have one member who has become very excited by current feminist writing and the books that she was enthusiastic about were ‘The Beauty Suit’,  ‘That F Word’ (possibly not what you are thinking) and ‘Wild power’. I don’t think any subject is banned from discussion, and these books had us recall some personal memories. We moved on to recommending other books in the same genre? We had the librarian check to see what else was available and we remembered one of the very early tomes ‘The Lives and Loves of a She Devil’  Yes it is in the stackroom at Greytown I will be interested to see if it still has the same impact as it did  35 years ago.

Then The Lilac girls proved to be an entertaining read for another member. Inspired by a real World War 2 heroine it tells the story of three diverse women one from the USA, one from Poland and a German whose lives intersect as the world wages war. 

Dark Emu was my choice and this is why I know libraries play such an important role in every community. Here is food for thought as this book confronts Australia’s past and uses the journals and letters from the initial explorers and settlers in their documents as the author researches what they saw in the Aboriginal culture they encountered.  … Continue Reading

Wrestling season off to a good start

What a busy First term we had!! It’s great to see some new faces this year! We are so lucky to have a brand new committee on board! Congratulations to Warren Hart, President, Thomas and Makere Sargent, Secretary’s, Kelly Sargent, Treasurer. As usual we have our head trainer Jeremy Sargent who is supported this year by Chris Sargent, Randall Handcock and the rest of the team when required. Warren and Jeremy have a successful adults class running on Wednesday’s from 7.30pm and we welcome anyone who would like to have a go!

Last term we were fortunate enough to be formally recognised in the South Wairarapa District Council Civic Awards with nominations in three categories and we won the Sporting Category! This term we have once again been named finalists, this time in three categories for the Wairarapa Times Age Sports Awards.

We have some great events coming up soon with our triangular tournament against Tawa and Waikanae on Sunday 26 May at our club in Featherston. If you would like to see our club in action please come and check them out from 10am. Our annual trail bike ride fundraiser is back Sunday 2 June at Yeronga Road, Pirinoa. Gates open at 8am so if you love a muddy ride with amazing views then come on out!! … Continue Reading

Quitting a Tenancy

When a Tenancy ends it can be difficult , whether initiated by the Tenant or the Landlord. The Landlord inspects the property, addresses the bond involved & finds a new tenant. A Tenant has to find another home, organise furniture removal, change address at NZ Post , clean the property thoroughly, remove all possessions, pay final rent, leave & return all the keys , in order to get his bond back. A need is good communication between the Tenant and the Landlord.

If the Tenant is not caring for the property properly & the Landlord  believes the tenant is capable of cleaning the property up/able to fix damage the tenant has caused , Landlord may write to advise they have 14 consecutive days to make good poor care/ damage. Landlords : a sample “notice to remedy” & a lot more information is available on www.tenancy.govt.nz (Tenancy Services).  If the tenant does not attend to the problem, the Landlord may have the Tenancy Tribunal provide an order to make the Tenant do the work. 

If the work is still not done or the problem is very serious, the Tribunal can order an end to the tenancy. The Landlord cannot evict the tenant himself. Following an order by the Tenancy Tribunal to evict the tenant, the police will attend the eviction. … Continue Reading

Junior netball

The Southern Steel vis MIS. Photo courtesy Cory Coburn.

The Wairarapa junior netball competition has seen a greatly reduced entry from our southern areas this year. Out of a potential 9 teams made up from children across five Southern Wairarapa schools, the final figures saw only enough to tip the scales at a meagre four.

The reduction in numbers was largely attributed to a change in location and scheduling, which meant last years Saturday morning timeslot was ditched in favour of weekday games up at the Colombo Courts in Masterton. 

These changes sadly meant that a lot of rural families were unable to physically make it in time for the games. 

Those that were able to play were spread across 4 teams: A year 3-4 team (Southern Swans) who play on Monday night and three year 5-8 teams; The Steel, Sting and Storm, who play on Tuesday nights.

Following two weeks of grading games, which consisted of playing in a shorter format twice each night, Southern Steel and Southern Sting have landed in grade 2 and Southern Storm in grade 4. The youngest of our teams of course not in graded competition. 

Whilst the change in scheduling has introduced new challenges to the teams; playing in arguably colder conditions with reduced visibility whilst shooting into bright floodlights, all the teams have adapted well to the changes. 

Of note is the Southern Steel who are again proving to be the team to be reckoned with, convincingly winning all grading matches and the two round-robin games thus far.

We may be less in number this year, but we aren’t lacking for spirit. The teams are putting their all into each game, gaining skill and confidence as they go. We look forward to what the rest of the season has to offer.