High speed country internet

A curse of modern country living has been slow and intermittent Internet access.  The advantages of the online world have been largely denied to many in the rural sector.

That’s where Stuart Campbell, who came to Martinborough in 1999, saw the opportunity to apply his network engineering skills to create a decent wireless Internet service.  Initially it focussed on farmers and lifestyle block owners.   

The company, run by Stuart and his wife Caroline, now have access towers set up at Tora, Ruakokapatuna and Homebush providing internet connections to farming families in the areas.   They import the equipment, provide the know-how and use local contractors for installation.  They also offer unlimited data plans so their customers can avoid those unpleasant overusage bills. … Continue Reading

Historical bike tour of the old town

To help celebrate 150 years of Pakeha settlement at Waihenga (Martinborough), Green Jersey Explorer Tours is hosting a historical bike tour around the old town on the morning of Monday 26th October (Labour Day). 

Town Historian Mate Higginson, will take us on a historical excursion, starting from the Green Jersey Shed at 16 Kitchener Street at 10.30 am, visiting and discussing sites of significance over the next two hours, culminating with lunch at the Village Café about 1pm. … Continue Reading

Book review

A simpler time.

Author Peter FitzSimonds  is remembered by older rugby fans as the fearsome Wallaby rugby forward. These days he is a Sydney Morning Herald  columnist and author of a number of books. His specialty is in taking an Australian historic event or person and explaining it, what happened, where, when and why. 

In A simpler time he describes the breaking in of the difficult land balloted to his father in the 1940s soldier repatriation scheme. Without any mechanical assistance native bush was cleared and an orange orchard gradually established. For the years until the tree matured existing the young family existed on a meagre income from harvesting wild passion fruit found growing on the block and tomato growing .  … Continue Reading

Aberystwyth Lymeryckth

BY JOHN ANSELL

In response to a challenge to write a limerick that included the word Aberystwyth. (A Welsh town, pronounced ABBA-wrist-with.)

To sell a house in Aberystwyth

I strongly suggest that you list with

Llewellen & Bowen,

But not Barry Owen, … Continue Reading