Waihinga Centre

Glow in the Park was a hit with all ages.

Fundraising Success

Fundraising efforts are go and so far it has been lots of fun! The Square of Gold kept on rolling until a total of 50 ½ metres had been snapped up, bringing us to a total of $2020. Quite mind blowing given this was only meant as a bit of gold coin fun for Easter Sunday! It goes to show that people are really keen to support and love the idea of a set amount that is both achievable and makes a big difference as a collective.

We also had a fabulous evening for the Glow in the Park event. The word of the night was “WOW!” as children and adults enjoyed the beauty of the moon through a telescope and the planet hunt gave fun facts on a unique journey. A Huge thanks to Becky from Under the Stars and Alex and Crew from Hiamo for their time and expertise, it really was out of this world! Also a HUGE thanks for all the support from local businesses and volunteers making it all possible. We raised $534 which meant we all had a glow. 

What next?  Well there are no end of ideas in the mix, a disco and dessert night, comedy show, degustation dinner, bingo the list is endless so watch this space but we will also be thinking of quirky ways for people to pledge too, follow the Friends of the Waihinga Facebook page  to keep in the loop!

If you’re keen to join in the fun making things happen contact me, Charlotte on 021 949 049 or email nzlottie@hotmail.com. Watch this space for what’s happening and how we are progressing and don’t forget the Give a Little page where you can donate directly: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/waihingacentre”.

Supporter Profile – Jaspers Family

Charlotte (7) and Earl Jaspers (5) are playground connoisseurs.  “Whenever we travel we visit the local playgrounds” says their mother Celia. “They just love them and can’t wait for the new one in Martinborough.   Earl loves water play so he’s excited this is part of the new design.   They both miss the flying fox and look forward to seeing it back in action.”

Knowing the value of a playground to their own children, Celia and husband Ali wanted to contribute to an amenity that would benefit the whole community.  “We’re here for the long haul and we hope the same will be true of the Waihinga Centre park and playground.  It’s a legacy for the town and maybe one day our children’s children will be able to play there too.”

It will be a double delight for Charlotte and Earl.  They already love the new children’s library area.   Soon they will be able to run straight out the door into an exciting new playground.

Museum news

There’s been quite a buzz recently about the discovery of million year old moa footprints in a river in the South Island. If you are intrigued by this strange and now extinct bird follow the moa prints around the square to the Martinborough Museum where we have our very own moa collection. It was created back in 1976 by Robert Cairns, a 13 year old Masterton school boy who did it as a science project. It includes bones, egg shell and lots of information about the bird.

This old photograph, courtesy of Mate Higginson, shows well preserved moa leg bones (including the claws) that were found at Haurangi Station. It graphically demonstrates their huge size.

The museum is open Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 1.30-3.30pm. Admission is free but any donations are much appreciated.

Know your town

Destruction following the 1942 earthquake . A path has been cleared to allow customers to get into the shop.

George Pain corner

For those who think Pain and Kershaw’s was established on the Square in Martinborough in 1873 , please think again. The building there now is the third George Pain Building,  having been completed in July 1908. The first store and dwelling was built in 1873 on George Pain’s land in where the road branched south to go to the  Smith and Bidwill’s farms or west to the Inn and Ferry crossing.  The track is now the boundary of Martinborough Transport yards.

The store was run by George Pain’s wife while he went around the  Stations selling good  from his pack horses. There is  no photo of this store but it was probably of the same  plan as his second store.

George Pain later sold his business to John Gallie however a few years later he  bought the  business back from Gallie and  formed a partnership with  T O Haylock to form the company Pain and Haylock.  John Kershaw was the accountant for this company becoming a third party in 1899 with the store then trading as Pain, Haylock and Kershaw. John Kershaw bought out  Haylock in 1905 with George Pain becoming a silent partner at that time. 

The second store was opened on the Martinborough section in 1882. It was a stop gap building as while the present building was planned and built. 

In 1907 work started on an new upmarket building on the Square, this featured an ornate façade. The Kershaw family bought the building from the  George Pain Estate when he died. 

On the night of July 22nd 1908,  just as the new store was preparing to open, store number two caught fire and burned down.

During the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake most of the facade fell down and that which didn’t was pulled down  by the army First Battalion Scottish Regiment  who camped in the Town Hall during the operation. Grimmer and Bicknell builders from Carterton boarded up the frontage  to make the building workable.  In the early 1950s Riggs did the complete restoration of the building. 

In 1973  the company celebrated one hundred years of service and is now looking forward to the one hundred and fifty years celebration in 2023. Over the years  both the Pain and Kershaw families have given freely to many causes in the district.

Mate Higginson

Maree’s musings

IS THERE A ROBOT FOR THAT?

Recently I’ve been able to get back to my customary daily walks after a period of enforced inactivity (a warning to my readers: avoid coming down with sciatica – it’s ghastly!). The return to exercise is bringing me much joy. There’s nothing like getting out on a glorious Martinborough morning and getting some exercise too. One such occasion recently – a Saturday – I came across about half a dozen others doing just that: we exchanged the usual greeting (“Cracker day!”) and continued on our ways. 

However, for me, there was a little heartbeat of sadness: the others were all accompanied by a dog or two. After 40 odd years, I no longer own one, and the walk got me thinking. Maybe I could invest in a toy one? Not a ‘toy breed’ as such, but an artificial one. A ‘robodog’! I confess the remainder of my walk that day passed in a thought blur as I mused on how that could happen. Modern society is awash with labour-saving technology; from relatively simple things like the pop-up toaster to automatic garage doors and so on; and there are robots slaving away in sometimes surprising environments. So why not a robot dog?

Later, I googled (smartphone – there we go again) ‘robot’ and discovered it derives from the Slavic word robota which means work. Of course that word was not part of my Whippet’s vocabulary ( they’re the laziest breeds on the planet), but she did have her uses. Not many, I must confess. Dogs are a great conversation opener for a start, and naturally a robot version would work superbly with that, but without the drawbacks associated with the usual living model. For starters, there could still be the motivation for exercise, which might need working on initially. To help with that, however, there’s the thought of controlling your (and ‘her’) pace and without having to stop every metre or so for a sniff or a pee. No racing up to other dogs, attempting to chase cats or chooks or absolutely HAVING to eat that discarded pie-crust while almost dislocating your own shoulder into the bargain. And no need to incorporate a ‘motion’ while in motion if you get my drift. … Continue Reading