Martinborough Golf Club

April has been a month of very successful charity events at Martinborough Golf Club. Firstly the St John Ambrose tournament which raised over $8,000, secondly a Pink Ribbon Breakfast that raised $1285 for the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation and most recently the Martinborough Kindergarten Ambrose tournament on Anzac Day afternoon that raised over $5,000 for Kindy.
The Kindy fundraiser attracted 28 teams, many teams including Kindy parents and grandparents, and even past Kindy student, George Broom. Fun activities, including nearest the wiggly line, and guessing the weight of jellybeans in a jar were followed by an Irish raffle and an auction, which was expertly auctioneered by Graeme Howie. The top selling item was a framed and signed All Black photograph, kindly donated by the NZ Rugby Union.

It is great that the Club is able to host successful charity events that give so much back to the community.
The greens have been cored recently and are definitely improving all the time. The autumn sunshine has ensured that most club days and tournaments have been well supported throughout April.

Last but not least, congratulations to Rick Hargreaves who had a hole-in-one on the 16th hole a couple of Saturday’s back. Well done “Poppy”, the grandchildren will be very proud of you!

Men’s shed

The Martinborough Mens Shed held its first Annual General Meeting at the Old Courthouse on Cork Street on the 16 April. It was a good turnout of members who gathered in the larger room of the building currently under refurbishment by the members.

Many hours of work have already been spent to clear the building of stored items and remove the suspended ceilings. After removal, it was discovered that original wooden ceilings were damaged by the installation of the hangers for the suspended ceilings. Members are in the process or restoring the profiles of the original ceiling throughout the building.
The business of the AGM included adopting a rule change (to comply with the charities office requirements) and elect the Management Committee for the coming year. One current Committee member stood down, Kevin Lund, and another member was elected, Adrian Blackett. The remaining Committee members were re-elected: Ric Geisler, Colin Chamberlain, Mike Woolley, Derek Wilson, John Mansell, John Errington, Ian Thomson, and Colin Hadley. … Continue Reading

News from First Church

Calling for Books!

It has been a long and warm summer, both February and March’s Country Fairs and Easter celebrations were successfully held in glorious sunny weather.
We are grateful to everyone who contributed in every way to the successful result from the sale of Country Goodies produce at both Fairs.

First Church is proud to have had a stall at every Fair and we really enjoy meeting our friends and supporters both from Martinborough and further afield, and making a good sum towards our lovely church’s running costs at the same time. … Continue Reading

Pinot Heaven

May is pinot noir heaven in Martinborough.  Not only are the precious grapes now doing their thing quietly in barrels, the wines from earlier seasons are being served by 47 restaurants around the greater Wellington region in a new Catch Pinot promotion.
 
From 1-29 May 95 pinot noir wines, matched with 95 special dishes, are being offered to celebrate this region’s flagship grape.
 
In Martinborough The Village Café, The Vineyard Café at Margrain and E10 at the Pukemanu Eatery are offering local wines by the glass and matched to delectable dishes.  Greytown’s La Pancetta and Salute, The Gladstone Inn and in Masterton The Farriers and The Grill at Solway have also created their own wine and food matches, while in Wellington another 39 restaurants are participating. Catch Pinot is a new event, organised jointly by Wines From Martinborough, Wairarapa Wines and Wellington on a Plate.
 
All the wines are also available at Martinborough Wine Merchants, with Saturday tastings.
 
The merry month of May culminates in a gala Pinot Celebration Dinner on Saturday 28 May, at Te Papa.  Auckland-based chef Michael Meredith (Metro magazine’s Restaurateur of the Year 2016) is creating a four course dinner which will be served with fine examples of regional pinot noirs, selected by leading winemakers Larry McKenna (Escarpment) and Allan Johnson (Palliser Estate).
 
Details of wines, dishes and restaurants are on www.catchpinot.nz; and dinner bookings for individuals or tables of 8 can be booked online