Waihinga Centre

No Longer Waiting
“Ladies in Waiting” was performed by the Martinborough Little Theatre Society in 1956 in the Martinborough Town Hall to great acclaim. Now Our Grand Old Lady, the Martinborough Town Hall is no longer waiting as renovations to the town hall get well underway.

During this first phase, walls in the Green room are being stripped down to bare bones. The main auditorium is undergoing similar treatment. And the dirt is flying as floors are being dug up to get down to the foundations.

With an aim of reaching 100% of the earthquake strengthening code no anticipated performance will ever be able to be considered quite so earth shattering again. Not even the top brass competing in a rousing jazz festival.

On completion the stage will be properly fixed and the rebuilt back stage will include multi-purpose changing rooms, acting as offices for public use when there are no performances showing. So no waiting in the wings, just new facilities for our community to use.

The floors will be sanded and shining.

The supper room floor will be raised.

A new heat and eat catering kitchen will ensure the platters for Madcaps can continue and new toilets and showers will be there for the cast to wash off the grease paint.

For all of those who have not donated to the Waihinga Centre, but would like to make a contribution, act now. Every little helps the show go on. Call Victoria Read on 06 306 8570 or Max Stevens on 06 306 9095. Donate directly to the Waihinga Charitable Trust bank account: BNZ 02 0680 0056066 025.

What’s Next
The month ahead will see the site fencing go up in preparation to start the new building in April. Work on the town hall will continue with the old back stage area demolished and a start made on the new strengthening ground beams.

Memories
Every Grand Old Lady has her secrets. Some will be divulged with time while others remain hidden in the past. Help us uncover past events you have attended, or where the old Town Hall displayed its glories. Plunket Balls, Weddings, The Golf Club Centenary, Art Exhibitions, Flower shows, Bookfests, Church Fairs. This information will be invaluable for display at our awaited opening early next year. Photos and e mails gratefully received and can be sent to Lisa Cornelissen. E mail: info@wahingacentre.co.nz or drop off documents for scanning at the Martinborough TOP 10 Holiday Park reception (10 Dublin Street West).

Supporter Profile – Angela Busby
Angela Busby grew up on a sheep and cattle station in Tokomaru Bay and it was nostalgia for that country life that drew her over the hill from Wellington as a weekender 17 years ago. She bought a rundown house that had once been the home of the owners of the Radium Boot Polish Company. Now it’s an attractive homestay thanks to untold hours spent renovating.

In Wellington Angela’s career was in arts administration and it was this background that convinced her of the importance of supporting the arts and therefore the development of the Waihinga Centre. The old town hall had great acoustics but she could see it lacked many of the features needed to attract a wider range of artists and events.

Angela’s an artist herself. You might have seen her exhibition at Thrive. Using old wood and other found objects she creates whimsical object works based on New Zealand indigenous fish and birds.