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The Devil is in the Detail

October 3, 2018 October 2018, Regular Features No Comments

Waihinga Centre 

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With the major structural elements of the Town Hall and Waihinga Centre completed, the focus is now on the interior and the exterior surroundings. Myriads of details are being attended to daily. 

Inside the Town Hall the Supper room ceiling is in place and ready for painting.

In the new building attaching the ply wood to the ceiling is a much more complicated affair with each piece needing to be carefully measured and cut exactly to fit around the windows and columns.

Between the two buildings “The Street” is likewise being panelled in plywood.  “The Street”, will provide an opportunity to showcase art or photographic displays” says Victoria Read from the Waihinga Charitable Trust. “We are really looking forward to the numerous ways in which we can use the Waihinga Centre.  Imagine all of the photos of our soldiers being displayed here over the ANZAC day commemorations. Everyone coming in and out would stop to remember.”

Dividing walls between the I-site, the Kiosk/ Café, and Library are place, waiting for the installation of the cabinets and storage units which are 95% finished.  The tiling in the bathrooms is complete and plumbers are poised to fit basins and toilets.  Carpet layers are preparing to install the vinyl flooring in the bathrooms.  The reused flooring in the Town Hall and Supper Room is being sanded.  Wiring is in place for lighting and heating.  With pristine night skies in mind, contractors are working to ensure that the light bulbs for both interior and exterior purposes meet the criteria for our Dark Sky Reserve. The cedar screening on the outside of the building will cover the redeca panels providing the finishing touch, which will enhance the rich buttercup colour of the old Town Hall.  

Outside the terraces are in the process of being shaped and formed to provide easy wheelchair access as well multipurpose seating for outdoor productions.  Imagine sitting in the late evening summer sun watching “As You Like it” or a “Madcaps Caper”.

Completion date is inching closer. It can not come soon enough.

Captions: 

The Plywood Ceiling in the New Building

The Internal “Street”

The Supper Room is nearly ready for painting

The External Terraces are being formed

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Supporter Profile – Noel and Noeline Thomas

The Thomas family has a long history in Martinborough and both Noel and his father before him did building work on the old Town Hall, stretching back some 80 years.  

At that time the present supper room was the Borough offices and a grand staircase led from the front door up to seating on the balcony.

When Noel heard that the building was under threat because of a poor earthquake rating he wanted to help.  As his wife Noeline says, “You’d be paying to pull it down and all you’d be left with was a hole. That doesn’t make sense, does it!”   That’s when she and Noel made the decision to donate to the project to strengthen the building.

Noel died in 2014, aged 92, so won’t be able to enjoy the celebrations when the town Hall reopens later this year but he did have the satisfaction of knowing that he and Noeline had done their bit to save an important part of the town’s heritage.

Image Caption: Noel and his Father attending a ball at the Town Hall in the 1950s

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Thank You to our Waihinga Park and Playground Supporters

Stage 2 fundraising is in full swing, thank you to all of our supporters so far. 

A Bisley & L Wevers, N Bomann, J & A Brodie, L & F Cornelissen, H & B Cox, C & M De Groot, Down to Earth Gardening Group, Eastern and Central Trust, Foley Family Wines – TK Farmers’ Market, 4WD Fundraiser, R & L Griffiths, M&S Guscott, B & B Hancox, M&D Hill, Kebbell Family, D Kershaw, H Kershaw, J & P Kirkup, D & J Maloney, Margrain / Thom Family, J Martin, L Martin, Martinborough Community Board, Martinborough Lionesses & Martinborough Community Board Bike Stand Project, Martinborough Lions, Mitre 10, Neighbourhood Coffee, Pain Estate, Palliser Estate, Kate Paterson and Matt Gloag, B Pearce, W Pearce, Powerco, Milly, George & Buster Richards, A Sears & D Woodham, South Wairarapa Rotary, S Stephen, M & N Thomas, Wairarapa Building Society, J Wilkie.

We have many other smaller and anonymous donors too who we would also like to thank.

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Yellow box “Find out more and get involved” as usual

Sponsors information as usual

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