Letters

Plenty of issues

Our current mayor seems to think the council had a hand in the increased population and new businesses, I have yet to meet a business owner who was encouraged by the council – council policy has included “encouraging Business” for a long time but like a lot of their policies they don’t actually enact them. The influx of new (young) families is because, reported by the estate agents, they have given up trying to save the continually increasing amount for a deposit.

At the “meet the candidates” evening in Featherston water issues were to the fore so perhaps we should remind ourselves that it was lack of effective monitoring by council employees of the contractors’ monitoring people that failed to stop the contamination of the Martinborough water supply – the LUTRA report paints a damning picture of council competencies. The mayor’s statements twice claimed the water treatment equipment caused the bacteria (caused by animal faecal matter) rather than saying that because it was not working after a power cut it did not eradicate the bacteria as it is intended to do. To discover the cause of E-coli you just have to read a dictionary (or maybe look it up on the internet).

All in all the current mayor does not show any ability to run the core services properly. I notice her advert says she will keep rates low, I did not know that they were low and most people do not consider them low. It’s one thing to increase rates for essentials services, another to use (and increase) them for vanity projects.

Pete Roberts

Did you know

‘YOU WILL NEVER reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks’ – Winston Churchill

THE RECORD for the longest tenure of the Ranfurly Shield is held by Southland who held it for six years from 1938. However it was not competed for during the second World War. 

YOUR MIND is like a parachute – if it doesn’t open it doesn’t work’ –Buzz Aldrin.

THE LENGTH OF The metre was first defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the north pole. Then it was replaced by a platinum bar held in Paris. Now it defined as the length travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458th of a second.

AS AN ADVERTISING promotion an Alabama Ford dealer offered a free King James Bible, a U.S. flag  and a shotgun with every Ute sold. The shotgun was dependent on the purchaser producing a gun licence.

THE POPE DRIVES around Rome in a thirty year old car. Can you imagine keeping a thirty year old car on the road? There’s your miracle. 

… Continue Reading

Cooking corner – Potato rendang

INGREDIENTS

8 small potatoes, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

185 gram rendang curry paste

270 millilitre can coconut milk

1/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 cup fresh coriander leaves or parsley

METHOD

1 Boil, steam or microwave potatoes until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2 Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and curry paste, stirring, for 3 minutes until onion is soft.

3 Stir in coconut milk and water, bringing to a simmer. Add potato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Press potato lightly to crush slightly. Season.

4 Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Break eggs into pan. Cook eggs until the edges are crisp, whites are firm and the yolks are cooked to your liking.

5 Divide curry between serving bowls. Top with fried eggs and coriander or parsley leaves.

Know your town – Soldiers’ Memorial Park

The Square in the 1890s

Originally the Square was called Martin Square and the North – South and East – West roads ran right through it. In 1897 a ‘few gentlemen’ organised an event to mark Martinborough’s Jubilee Day to be held on Tuesday  June 25^th. It was reported as the ‘ biggest day since it’s Foundation’. A tree was planted, and fenced off, in each of the Square’s four corners.

The day’s events included the school children singing the National Anthem after which Mrs W J Martin gave each half a crown coin ( 2019 = $2.45) and a commemorative medal. Two wagons hitched to a traction engine gave rides along Valley Road. Mrs Stewart from the Martinborough Hotel proved afternoon teas, cakes, fruit and lollies.  The day ended with three cheers fro Mrs Martin and everybody went home happy. Sadly none of the trees survived. To mark Queen Victoria’s Coronation Jubilee in 1902 trees were replanted, again they did not survive.  

Over the ensuing years many meetings were held to discuss the fencing of the Square and closing of the roads dissecting it. However consensus was not reached until 1905 when the Martinborough Town Board along with W J and J Martins and A O Considine moved that the necessary Act of  Parliament be passed to close the roads through the Square. This Act , entitled  “MBA.T/BSquare Fencing and Road closing Act” was passed on April 27^th with the Square being vested in the Town Board. 

A proposal in 1908 to have a light over the Trooper’s Memorial and paths formed around it received support with public donations from Martinborough, Lower Valley and Greytown making these  possible.  … Continue Reading