How Well Do We Know People In Our Community?

Keryn Banks

Keryn was brought up at Mangatoetoe, an exceedingly small settlement east of Ngawi. The coast was a playground, perfect for motorbikes, with the added delight of a waterhole which lay below the ford. If it was too shallow a bulldozer would ensure it was safe for swimming.

“The school bus would pick us up from Ngawi and take us to Pirinoa School. Then I attended Wairarapa College as a boarder, before going to Victoria University where I took a double degree in Commerce and Tourism.

“After working for a year in The Beehive for Hon George Hawkins, the of Minister Internal Affairs and Police, I went overseas.

“London was not my city of choice. Manchester was the first port of call. I lasted a year. In Manchester there were few green spaces, and a sea of endless concrete. 

“Seeking fresh air and outdoor spaces I moved to Glasgow, working firstly for the Royal Bank of Scotland before taking a job with Christian Aid, where after a period of time I took on a Funding Management position. Opportunities came to travel to see projects in action, in India, Malawi, Zambia, Bangladesh. My role was to check on the progress of development, provide support with finance and compliance, and report back to the donors.

“In Malawi, the project was twofold. The aim was to improve the maternal health of women, educate them about HIV and encourage livelihood farming. Access to fresh water was another prerogative. With a changing climate food production needed to encompass new practices. Rice production worked well.

“In India, the project we were supporting was in an extremely remote area, East Odisha. The community was marginalised as Untouchables. Women undertook the farming. … Continue Reading

Junior golf in Martinborough going strong

Sunday 14 January saw 34 adult and child teams competing in a two person ambrose. It was a hugely successful day, with not only Martinborough teams but also from Masterton and Wellington. It was also wonderful to see so many families out to support the kids, creating a great family day out.

The event was run over two competitions, 10 holes for the more experienced and 8 holes for the beginners. The 10 hole winners were Mike and Riley Lambert,  the 8 hole winners Aaron and Archie White.

Debbie Donaldson and Josh Hawkins organised the event and were extremely grateful for the very generous support from great local sponsors, with P & K providing the BBQ, sausages and bread.  Royal Wellington Golf Course provided a voucher for four to play there (which was won in a random prize draw by Josh Hawkins – so a very popular winner for that!)

There were also 24 kids who took part in a golf coaching holiday programme run by the professionals from Masterton Golf Club. These two events have shown there is high interest in Junior golf around the club and the aim is to build on this success.

The next big event at the club is the pro am which will take place on Thursday 1 st February.

This annual event is the highlight of the club year with around 40 professionals playing alongside teams of three amateurs. There are always amazing prizes provided by local sponsors and some from further afield. A full roundup of the event will be in the March edition of The Star.

2024 is shaping up to be an amazing year for the club and its members. If you’d like any  information on joining or about junior golf please get in touch with the office.

Karen Stephens

Onward march the Red Road Cones

Red Road Cones take a Christmas break.

The bane of our existence. Discovered in the most unlikely places. Infestations of them have invaded Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and even Masterton, especially SH2.

The construction PVC witches’ hats were designed as a safety and traffic management measure.

Proline Plastics has manufactured and recycled cones since the early 1990s. RTL (Roadsigns and Traffic Control Equipment Ltd is one of the largest suppliers of road cones in NZ. 

Many were originally and still are imported from Asia. Fulton Hogan import about 20,000 per annum.

Should you look on RTL’s website it comes as no surprise that the cost of a “Wide” profile red cone is $40.50 plus GST. A “Slimline Motorway” PVC cone is listed as $41.00 plus GST.

Interestingly, you can purchase 10 cones for $350.00 on TradeMe.

Unofficial figures suggest there may be several million red cones in use throughout NZ. With a projected 200,000 new cones being used throughout the year, costs keep mounting. This is the cost of cones. It does not factor in the vehicles that are used to position the cones on the road and nor does it include the number of workers positioning, collecting, or monitoring them. Those knocked down also have to be repositioned.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown was quoted last March saying an estimated $145 million was spent _ in Auckland alone _ on road cones and traffic management, an amount he says is unjustifiable. … Continue Reading

Toy Library relocates to Lions Den

A New Year brings a new start for the Martinborough Toy Library, as we kick off 2024 in our new premises at the Lion Dens – 1 Oxford Street. 

We’re excited to be sharing this space with The Martinborough Lions Club and thank them so kindly for offering us a fabulous new location for our library members to visit.

A huge thank you also, to the Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, who have hosted us for the past 2 years. We are so grateful to the brigade members for accommodating us during that time!

We are now OPEN for the year and have a slight change in our opening times. You can now visit us on TUESDAYS 9.30 – 10.30 a.m. and SATURDAYS 10.00 – 12.00 p.m.

We will be closed on both Martinborough Fair Days as the team will be running the Parents Room in the Supper Room at the Waihinga Centre – make sure you drop in and see us.

Lastly, if you’re looking for the perfect gift over the next few months, we now have gift vouchers available for purchase. For more information, pop in and see one of our amazing volunteers or email us: martytoylibrary@gmail.com