Medical demand lifts emergency call-outs

Chief Fire Officer Jake Hawkins

Another month rolls around and we are rapidly closing in on our call numbers total for last year, this week clocking up our 200th call this year. 

This is mainly due to the huge demand for our Medical First Response team's skills, and we know we have made lifesaving interventions. 

You are starting to see our new Responders out on calls and having them on board is fantastic. Remember our turnouts to these Medical calls don’t activate the siren unless critical so you don’t always hear us out and about.

A special thanks to the Medici Quiz night for their support which has allowed the purchase of a Burns Gel kit for treatment of burns once cooled, leading to better pain management and healing.

We have had several Fire responses lately, and quick thinking action by Brigade members has stopped fire spread along with preventing substantial property damage.

On the achievement front, our DCFO Lisa Ireland, recently selected to represent the Fire & Emergency New Zealand in their New Zealand National Golf Team playing against the Australians – big shout out to Lisa for her part in being successful for the Winning New Zealand Team. … Continue Reading

Aratoi’s Current Exhibitions

Rita Angus in the Wairarapa! 

A first for the Wairarapa is Te Papa’s touring exhibition – Rita Angus: New Zealand

Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa. 

The exhibition brings together 20 works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20 th century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970) with many of these never been displayed before in the region.

The paintings span Angus’s life and career as an artist, drawing out the themes of pacifism, feminism and nature that shaped so much of her work.

Sarah McClintock, Aratoi Director, is excited about the exhibition. 

“Few artists have captured the unique New Zealand landscape and light as well as Rita Angus. To have an exhibition of her striking work in the Wairarapa is an exciting opportunity for our community to see some of the best paintings in Aotearoa by one of the country’s most iconic artists.” … Continue Reading

Country Dog City Dog

Tauherenikau Friendship Club

Travelling in times of covid

Sue Teodoro is a seasoned traveller who did not let covid deter her from embarking on overseas travel as soon as the New Zealand borders opened up. Speaking at the recent Tauherenikau Friendship Club monthly meeting, she related her experiences travelling through Europe in those early days of living with covid.

The first thing that alerted her to that travelling had changed post-covid was the scene at Wellington airport. At that stage few planes were flying in and out of New Zealand so that the usually bustling airport was virtually empty of people and mask wearing was the norm. However, when she arrived in Europe, she found that people did not seem to socially distance and that masks were few and far between. The first country she visited was Spain, to walk the Camino Santiago. Here Sue found the trail congested with crowds of walkers – so many people had decided that they too needed to get travelling again as soon as they could and would not allow covid to hold them back.

Sue did behave sensibly, for example, wearing masks in planes, and she pointed out that she had family in Europe who would be able to help her should she fall ill. All the same, she stressed that it was quite possible then to travel overseas and that we should not let covid rule our travel plans. 

Do feel free to join the club if you are of retirement age. Visitors are welcome.  Meetings are at 10am the first Friday of the month at the South Wairarapa Workingmen’s Club. However, the August meeting will be a week later than usual, on August 11^th, when Marlene Ditchfield, who has written several books and articles about historical places and events, will talk about historic Wairarapa buildings.