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News From First Church

July 18, 2023 July 2023, Regular Features Comments Off on News From First Church

Winter Solstice:

A recent Sunday gathering was a reflection on the Winter Solstice which occurred on 22nd June at 2.57am NZST.

Winter Solstice is one of the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction. It also marks the date when the Earth’s axis is furthest away from the sun – the longest night of the year. After the solstice, days gradually get more hours of sunlight (as I write this today, it is hard to believe with fog/mist hanging around until almost 2pm)!  It also marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar, whilst in the meteorological calendar, we are already three weeks into winter.

Winter solstice is the great stillness before the Sun’s strength builds, and days grow longer.  It can be an ideal time to rest and reflect, while you sit cosily by the fire or the heat pump. It’s a time when we have the time, to honour our past and clear space literally and figuratively, to make room for what we ‘wish’ for the coming year. Winter solstice and Christmas share similar messages of new hope, gratitude, and thankfulness for all that has been achieved and received throughout the past year.

Café Church

We continue to hold our Sunday gatherings Café style, in the church hall from 9.45am (time for a hot drink and homemade cake or biscuits) with the service commencing at 10am.

All denominations and faiths very welcome and we look forward to meeting and enjoying old and new friends. … Continue Reading

Marees Musings

July 18, 2023 July 2023, Regular Features Comments Off on Marees Musings

HACKED [OFF]!

Globally it’s estimated that 30,000 websites are hacked every day, and it’s cold comfort that online scams are up by some 60% recently. So I’m not alone, as I will explain. 

The connection between a hack and a scam is obvious. First the hack, which is a bit like someone breaking into your house with designs on pinching stuff. It might happen to your PC, or as I found out, your credit card. Originally the word itself had nothing to do with computers, but was hacked (HAH!) from the 1960’s MIT Model Railway Club’s fiddling with their trains in order to modify their functions. Long before folk tinkered with model trains and now, technology, there was the ProtoGermanic term  ‘hakkona’: that is, to chop, hoe or hew. That’s exactly what it feels like and all!

Next up, the scam, another common term nowadays, which says something about the state of modern living. Back in 1782, it meant a highway robber; possibly derived from scamp which in those days was a swindler or a cheat. I thought I’d dealt with those lowdowns back in May, but here they are again. By the way, there’s no evidence for the word being a shortened form of Scandalous Misdeeds, but says it all, eh?

Finally, the theft. Those in the know realise what’s going on long before any personal information, or in my case, money, is quietly removed. I’m no whizz at technology but like most people, the convenience of a credit card makes life easy. You receive a statement once a month. They make interesting reading, but in my case, as the total is automatically paid from another of my accounts, ignoring it seemed OK, and I often do. No worries. Until recently, that is. … Continue Reading

Martinborough Golf Club

July 18, 2023 July 2023, Regular Features, Sports Comments Off on Martinborough Golf Club

It is hard to believe that we are now in July – this year is flying by.  It is certainly very nice to see the sun shining – the course looks wonderful at the moment.

It has been a reasonably quiet month on the course which is hardly surprising due to the amount of rain we have had but there are a few hardy souls who will go out in all conditions.

Recent winners for the 18 holers have been Marilyn MacKenzie, Marion McKenzie, Sandra Petersen and Julie Weber.  Sandra and Honor Clark are the only ones who have had twos over the last few weeks.

9 hole winners have been Debbie Coom (twice), Leonie Wilde and Jenny Joblin.

Recent Grumpies winners have been Bill Gordon, Rick Hargreaves and Jason Shaw.  Twos have gone to Ed Brown (2), Malcolm Wood, Tony Taylor, Seamus O’Sullivan, Peter Schenk, Brian Russo and Rick Hargreaves.

Thursday Club players are a hardy lot – nothing seems to deter them!!!  Recent winners have been Trevor Petersen, Bill Gordon, Kheinan Morrissey and Ed Elworthy.  Twos have gone to Malcolm Wood (2), Shane Hislop (2), Bob Schofield, Trevor Petersen, Mike Charteris, Sandra Petersen, Stu Taplin, Ed Elworthy and Jason Shaw.

Weekend winners have been John Warner (three times), Bevan Sweeney (twice), Chris Brooks (twice) and Doug Clark.  Twos have gone to Guy Walmsley, Dayle Harwood and Brian Russo.

The Interclub boys had their final round of Marquis Shield last week – they didn’t bring home the Marquis Shield but they did win the Workman Trophy (Senior singles match play – off the stick).

The ladies still have one round of Riverside Cup and Tilson Salver to play but they have already won the Tilson Salver as they cannot be caught.

That’s it for another month – not much happening on the course over the next few weeks.  Here’s hoping for less rain and more sunshine.

Kris Chamberlain

From the Mayor

July 18, 2023 July 2023, Regular Features Comments Off on From the Mayor

Fredericka Walker-Murray and Martin Connelly sitting in front of some of her works in Martin’s office.

By the time this edition of the Star comes out, the Council will have set its rates for the year.  I regret to report that the rates have been set at a higher rate that I would like.  There are two reasons for this happening:

  1. The clearly expressed views of people who responded to our recent consultation and said the Council needed to spend more on Water Infrastructure than we, the Council, had proposed doing.
  2. The state of our Wastewater plants.

The Council has known for some time that it had problems with its Featherston Wastewater plant.  But recently, problems have emerged with the plants in Greytown and Martinborough.  The Martinborough plant has reached capacity, no more connections are allowed to be joined to it.  It requires cleaning (or ‘desludging’) and it has an abatement notice.  

An abatement notice is a legal instruction requiring us to operate the plant in accordance with its resource consent.  If we ignore the abatement notice, we may find ourselves receiving a hefty fine.  Getting the plant back into a condition that meets its resource consent will cost money, but better to spend the money that way than on legal fees and fines.

Desludging should occur round about every ten years, but we understand that the Martinborough pond has never been cleaned. Thus, the need to make progress quickly.  The council also needs to get cleverer at programming these long-term, infrequent maintenance jobs, so that they get properly signalled in our long term plans, and don’t just pop up and surprise us with unexpected bills.  … Continue Reading

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Sports

Golf pro-am success _ without clubhouse

By Karen Stephens A record field of 172 players, including 43 professionals from New Zealand and Australia, battled light winds, warm temperatures and even light early-morning fog at Martinborough golf’s 2024 CER Electrical and Holmes Construction pro-am on February 1. At least that was the range of excuses for some …

Featherston wrestlers go offshore

Two members of Featherston Amateur Wrestling Club’s senior class have again been asked to join a New Zealand team overseas.  Wairangi Sargent and Angus Read will take part in the Journeymen Tournament and Training Camp over Easter in New York state.  Over the week they are there they will be …

Martinborough Golf Club has tumbled down

The demolition of the Martinborough Golf Club is complete. In the last days prior to Christmas a fully-insulated pole shed, much like a top end farm outbuilding, was erected to act as both office and temporary clubhouse. New septic tanks, internet connectivity, power, water, and Porticom loos were installed. On …

Regular Features

News from First Church

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FROM THE MAYOR

By Martin Connelly In February the local Lions Club invited me for dinner and asked …

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BOOK REVIEWS FOR HOT SUMMER DAYS

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Community Garden News

By Debbie Yates This is definitely the month of thank you. Nga Mihi Nui! We …

EVENTS

Saturday 10 February: 10th annual Citizen Science Kākahi Count at Western Lake Shore Reserve, 18km …

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