FIRE BRIGADE REPORT 

By Chris Hooson

Station Officer – EMT

Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade

Another busy month for the Brigade and especially our Medical Responders, we are a few calls short of 200 for the year so far, and the team welcomes Dylan Ross transferring from Lake Ferry into a Recruit Firefighter slot and Henry Carr joins as a Medical First Responder.

You might have seen us featuring in the Times Age feature that has been running, featuring the Wairarapa Brigades. … Continue Reading

Did you know 

PLEASE SUPPORT the Give a little page which has been set up for the victims of the recent Bidwills road arsons. https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/mayoral-support-for-the-arson-victims 

‘MY FAVOURITE part about being an American in New Zealand is seeing what constitutes a political scandal or crisis here. They’re like Not every bus has a solar panel yet! You can judge the quality of life in a place by the things they get upset about’. Author Mark Manson.

ONLY THE BRITISH could colonise the world and then leave the EU because they don’t want to be around foreigners  … Continue Reading

How Well Do We Know People in Our Community?

Marco De Groot

Originally from De Bilt, Utrecht, a small town in the Netherlands, Marco grew up with a passion for sport. “At primary school we would play football and baseball. When Wimbledon was in session we converted the carpark into a tennis court so that we could compete with each other. It was serious competition.

Following secondary school, I really did not know what I wanted to do but after spending four years at the College of Economics and Administration I realised that I wanted to pursue a career in sports. I qualified for a Sports Academy specialising in squash, fitness, and tennis. It was here that I gained my experience in coaching which led to my first coaching position in my hometown.

Tennis is an extremely popular sport in The Netherlands. Even though De Bilt has a population approximately the size of Masterton, there were 4 to 5 tennis clubs. The one where I became the coach had nearly 700 members. I stayed there for 12 years before taking a break and working in an office position for a year. 

Then it was time for some overseas travel to South America, Australia, and New Zealand. 

A tennis coach friend of mine in Holland had family in New Zealand, and contacts in the Wairarapa. A coaching position at Rathkeale was a great starting point. … Continue Reading

WHAREKAKA NEWS

The past few weeks have been busy with many meetings, at Wharekaka, and with other community groups, to discuss Wharekaka’s future.   We have appreciated hearing the strong interest and opinions held by many in our community.   We listened and have done our best to be upfront and transparent in our responses, and provision of information, including financial information.   

The Trust Board is grateful to all those who have written to us, and/or attended our public meetings.  Thank you, your views are important to us.

We are now working through the various suggestions that have been made to see which ideas are most likely to be achievable, affordable, and sustainable.  Meanwhile we continue to operate, with the valued support of our Oak Tree Community and Wharekaka Auxiliary.  

We have our AGM coming up on 21 October.  Please see our website: www.wharekaka.org  for details.