Some impressive skills

Landscape Architect Peter Griffiths had already spent a lot of holidays with family in the Martinborough so when he and his wife Rachel also a landscape architect, decided to get away from the pressures of Auckland the choice was obvious.  They sold up and moved here with their 4 year old daughter Charlie Mae.  For Peter, a keen golfer, Martinborough’s fine golf course was part of the attraction as was the stunning beauty of the Wairarapa.

Moving to Martinborough is becoming something of a family tradition.  Peter’s mother Margaret, his uncles Ro and Whitney and cousin Ailsa have all chosen to make their homes here.   

Martinborough’s a winner with this move too because Peter is bringing some impressive skills to town.    He’s been involved with many successful commercial and residential commissions and will continue this work, along with his Auckland-based partner Hamish Foote,  through their practice FieldLA2.   “Perhaps our greatest achievement was being selected as finalists in the competition for the redesign of the Auckland Waterfront, up against major New Zealand and international companies. Unfortunately the project itself was later canned.”  … Continue Reading

News from First Church

Weep for the waste of all that might have been

Weep for the cost that war has made obscene

Weep for the homes that ache with human pain

Weep that we ever sanction war again.

 Shirley Murray

Members of First Church joined locals and visitors at Lake Ferry to celebrate the traditional ANZAC Day in a service led by our minister the Rev. Dr Jim Veitch.

NOW – spread the word – the 10^th Midwinter Monster Book Fair will take place on the weekend 16^th and17th June. As the Town Hall will not be ready for us this year, this will be held in the First Church Hall on Weld Street. So if you need a spur to tackle that job of clearing out book shelves, or disposing of boxes of books cluttering up the place, you are invited to “go for it now”. 

From now to the middle of June we will be gathering books of all kinds (also jigsaws and music) in the hall, and sorting them by category for the avid book-hunter. 

Please look for notices round town in the coming weeks for collection points – in the meantime contact Mary Smith, Pam Colenso, Anne Dodd or any member of First Church to arrange collection.

  Or email: mboro.firstchurch@xtra.co.nz 

Nancy-Ann is a writer of rhyme

BY JOHN ANSELL

Nancy-Ann is a writer of rhyme

Whose stanzas are simply sublime,

But while sprung with surprises

And clever disguises

Her final lines invariably slip out of time.

For four lines she’ll be right on the meter;

For rhythm no rhymer can beat her;

Of her lines, I repeat,

The first four are a treat,

But the fifth line will always defeat her somehow.

The constraints of the limerick limit her

When she gets to the southern perimeter:

She’ll do dimeter fine

In the third and fourth line

And then clumsily trip on her trimeter.

Usually.

MEET YOUR MAKER

Carol Reed with one of her creations.

Local lady Carol Reed is a major contributor to Boomerang Bags in Martinborough. At last count Carol had made 576 (?) bags for Martinborough! And her bag making doesn’t stop here. Currently Carol is making bags for her son Adam to sell, raising funds for the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge. Adam, a volunteer firefighter in Dunedin (?), has completed the challenge 15(?) times.

Carol’s contribution to the Challenge doesn’t stop here either! All the money from Bought to Support Boomerang Bags which she has made, available at Kitcheners, go to our local volunteer firefighters who are enlisted in the Sky Challenge this year too.

You can help our local volunteer firefighters, Annah Rait and Justin Hudepohl with their fundraising while also helping to reduce the use of plastic bags in Martinborough.

Thank you Kitcheners for volunteering your support! … Continue Reading