Community gets behind spruce-up at Poroutawhao
School getting ready for centenary in 2024
Poroutawhao School has begun the journey to its centenary celebrations in 2024 with a spruce-up and a community lunch which attracted lots of locals, parents, children and businesses to the school grounds last Sunday.
Recreational Services came with some staff, a shredder and a barbecue, while Mitch Pine delivered truckloads of wood chip and, like Lewis Farms, had owners and their families turn up for the working bee.
Parents and kids turned out in droves and a few past students, like Geoff Lewis, also offered to help and showed support.
Together they filled all rabbit holes on the footy field, spread the wood chips across playing areas such as the junior playground, waterblasted buildings and decking areas, chipped hedge clipping, clip hedges, tidied up the road frontage, fried corn fritters, bacon, replaced a windbreak around the hockey turf and planted trees.
The Tamihana whana¯u attended at special request
from the children, who decided “work first, then fun, Koro”.
Many local businesses donated staff time and materials, especially Mitchpine, Lewis Farms, Graeme Bagrie Contracts and Raewyns, while Foxton Beach School donated food and Waitarere Four Square the sliders, while Ngati Huia ki Poroutawhao also donated
food and COVID stuff for the Working Bee.
In 2024 the school will celebrate 100 years and from this month there will be an event for those formerly associated with the school to bring photos, share stories and dream, to be held monthly on the 26th of each month from 6-8pm at the school hall, said Bronwyn Campbell-Heihei, who organised the community working bee.
She has children at the school and is a member of its board. She will also help with the centenary.
“We want to make it as simple and low-key as possible, so we want to start early,” she said. Hence the monthly meetings to gather information, and enthusiasm in the next 18 months.
“Fundraising will also be ongoing.”