Rotary thanks its supporters

The Rotary Club of Porirua Sundown would like to thank our generous community and North City Plaza for giving us the opportunity again to wrap up your Christmas presents, which enables us to distribute all funds donated into our community.

Funds raised this year will enable us to extend our Healthy Heroes programme into more Porirua schools.

We have loved this fundraiser over the past 10 years and are always humbled by the generosity of people to donate at a financially challenging time of the year. The December 1976 Porirua Stream flooding caused mayhem around the region, including washing cars away and leaving families stranded.

Our Facebook readers have vivid memories of that torrid time of torrential rain.

Robert Malcolm said he remembered cars being washed down the Porirua stream from Ian Taylor’s yard and Ngaio Gorge, then piling up at Kaiwharawhara.

Jo Ann MacDonald said her car was almost washed away, too.

She recalled being at Moore Wilson in Kenepuru when the stream bank burst.

‘‘ As we were loading the car the stream burst its banks and started coming across the car park pretty quickly, she said.

‘‘Luckily we were able to leave before getting swamped.’’

However, it took them two hours to get back to their dairy in Wadestown.

Miles Lacey was 7 and remembered his mother being stranded in Wellington.

‘‘ She didn’t get home until after midnight,’’ he said.