Lions: Fresh Approach to Community Support

Martinborough Lions club is wanting to increase its efforts with helping the Martinborough Community.

The club is on a mission to deepen its impact on the local community. 

In a recent interview with our president, Belinda, she shared some of the club’s initiatives, including predator control, charity fundraisers like the Skyline Challenge, the senior’s Christmas Party, and participation in events like Toast Martinborough. 

In addition to these, the Lions are active in supporting the Martinborough Fair, generously contributing to the Pump Track, and making vital donations to various causes, such as Camp Quality, Wellington Free Ambulance, and the Men’s Shed defibrillator project.

While these are worthwhile investments, we wish to do more and are looking to focus on a select number of impactful activities each year where we can make an appreciable difference to how people live, interact or engage. The sorts of things we are wanting to get involved in include:

_fostering a sense of community;

_extending support for individuals or groups in need;

_enhancing the safety, security, wellbeing and resilience of the Martinborough community;;

_enriching the recreational, social, health and other opportunities for the local community

_enhancing the visitor experience.

We’ve already begun talking with people in our community to gather suggestions, but we’re open to more ideas. So if you’ve got thoughts about things that would make a difference, we’d love to hear them. 

Please put your thoughts and contact details into an email to: martinboroughlions@gmail.com so we can consider them. We’ll then get in contact to explore further.

Star Book Review

‘Vincent and Sien’ by Silvia Kwon  

Reviewer: Brenda Gale

Silvia Kwon is a Korean born Australian writer with a background in art history and publishing which makes her rather uniquely suited to the subject matter she has chosen in her new book.

1882 in The Hague, and Vincent van Gogh had committed himself to becoming an artist, spending years drawing in charcoal and pencil to ‘perfect the line’ before even picking up a paintbrush. 

He subsisted on an allowance from his younger brother and in today’s parlance would probably be described as neurodivergent. 

It was during these years that he met Sien, a pregnant, illiterate working girl. Their relationship lasted approximately 18 months and was largely based on each fulfilling the base needs of the other. Vincent’s for a model, sex and the fantasy of the perfect family and Sien’s for food and shelter.

These are the known facts about this pairing but Kwon has taken these bare bones and imagined their meeting, their time together, the family dynamics to which they were both beholden and the society in which they were embedded.

All of these things worked together to doom this pair and although they both knew it to some degree, they plunged into an intense relationship anyway. 

The book becomes a little repetitive in the middle as the author strives to have the reader understand just how different their worlds were. However, it makes for a rich tale of longing, hope and ultimately, tragedy. 

‘Vincent and Sien’ is for fans of historical fiction and those for whom Vincent van Gogh remains a troubled enigma all these years after his untimely and tragic death.

Available at your local bookshop.

Freedom camping bylaw feedback

A new bylaw to place some control on where freedom camping can occur is out for community input/consultation.

At times the bane of the tourism sector, freedom camping has become increasingly controlled after enraaged locals in many parts of New Zealand have spoken out at the mess, filth and despoilation so-called freedom campers have bequeathed to many high-interest tourism areas.

Only a small contingent has visited South Wairarapa recently, in part controlled by Covid-19 lockdown requirements. But the space is now again wide open for an influx.

New Zealand’s freedom camping laws allow camping on all council land unless it is prohibited through other methods – like a bylaw. 

The council said it proposes to pass a new bylaw that strikes a balance between attracting and supporting tourism in its area and protecting special places in the district. 

The proposed Freedom Camping Bylaw updates the approach to freedom camping taken in the Coastal Camping Bylaw and gives council a tool to respond to issues related to freedom camping.

“The proposed Freedom Camping Bylaw identifies those areas where freedom camping is appropriate and those areas which may need protection for reasons including environmental and cultural significance, risks to health and safety and other practical considerations,” it said in a statement. 

“We want to ensure we meet the needs of our communities, our visitors, and all those who choose to freedom camp,” it added. … Continue Reading

Eight medal haul for local wrestlers

The wrestling season came to a competitive end with the National Championships held in Tauranga in early October. The Featherston Club team of Duncan Allen-Alloway, Nate George, Wairangi Sargent, Tommy Read & Angus Read came home with four gold and four silvers, an excellent result as the wrestlers competed in multiple age groups and weight categories.

The club enjoyed a dinner at the end of season wind-up, presenting cups to our junior class with Taine Sargent, Archer Coulson, Mania SInclair, Charlie-Marie Sargent and Ashlyn Sargent all recognised for their contribution over the season.

We also lauded Duncan Allen-Alloway who won the BNZ Trophy for Outstanding Sporting Achievement in Senior Sport at Kuranui College.

Lastly we congratulate Angus Read for winning the Greytown Rotary Youth Award for providing inspiration and contribution to his community and Wairangi and Charlie-Marie Sargent who are finalists in the Wairarapa Maori Sports Awards. 

It’s very humbling to see our tamariki recognised by their communities for the hard work they put in and our gratitude as always to our trainers Jeremy Sargent, Randall Hancock & Chris Sargent.  Wishing you all a happy summer sports season and see you back on the mat in mid-March for the 2024 Wrestling season.