A special day for sport in Porirua

He won’t be there in person, but The Bernie Wood Turf will ensure the man who made it all possible will not be forgotten. Bernie Wood, who passed away during construction of the new arti cial turf at Ascot Park, was instrumental in getting the turf established, securing $1.5million in funding for the project. Trustees Nigel Hillier and Iain Leary of the of the Porirua Synthetic Sports Field Charitable Trust, along with PCC’s John Callahan, also worked tirelessly with the construction contractors to ensure a rst class job.

The only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the turf will be available to all sporting codes in Porirua. Trustee Peter Gillespie says it will be a dream to play on. On Sunday 8 December the turf will be of cially opened. A number of special guests from the New Zealand sporting community will be there on the day, and locals from the Porirua community and wider region are invited to join them in checking out this world class facility that was the vision of Porirua stalwart Bernie Wood. Trustees are extremely grateful to NZ Lotteries , NZ Racing Board , Mana Community Grants Foundation , NZ Community Trust , Pub Charities, In nity Foundation , Community Trust of Wellington, Hutt Mana Charitable Trust and The Porirua City Council Shared Responsibility Scheme, for their nancial contribution to the development of such a valuable community facility.