Moving earth to make roading project work
A look at what will be making headlines around the Waikato through the eyes of those in the region’s community newspapers.
Viv Posselt, Cambridge Edition
It’s been a year since the first sod was turned on the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway, and there’s been a huge amount of work completed since.
Figures show that a whopping 872.73 tonnes of reinforcing has been used for bridges so far – the equivalent of the weight of 7.5 blue whales, and earth with a cubic metre equivalent volume of 550 hot air balloons has been shifted over the same period.
Back closer to town, Cambridge High School has been attracting national attention after successfully implementing a programme known as Positive Behaviour for Learning.
Those running the initiative at the school cite dramatic decreases in anti-social behaviour, with data showing that incidences of students being stood down dropped from 108 in 2010, to just 17 so far this year.
We’re looking at the grit shown by young Cameron Macdonald, a nineyear-old who has battled a rare type of cancer since babyhood.
Cameron is one of many around the country who supported Friday’s Odd Shoe Day, an initiative run by Camp Quality New Zealand to bring some fun into the lives of children battling cancer.
Ganges role in history
John Brown, Franklin County News
Newcomers to New Zealand would probably be pretty surprised to learn that the name of a settlement just south of Auckland has a distinct Indian flavour to it as they drive their rented motorhomes to explore the country.
While the Bombay Hills are considered by many Aucklanders to be the ‘border post’ between them and provincial New Zealand, Bombay was so named after the ship Bombay which docked in Auckland in 1865 with a cargo of settlers. The ship was named after the Indian city (now know as Mumbai).
And now the Franklin Historical Society wants another name associated with India to gain more prominence in Pukekohe.
The clipper Ganges brought settlers to Auckland on February 14, 1865 from Ireland as part of the Waikato Immigration Scheme, about a month before the Bombay.
This week the society announces it is well under way in planning for the 150th anniversary of the ship’s arrival – many of its passengers settled in the Franklin area.
The journey was a torrid one. Of the 474 people on board that set off from County Cork, 56 died en route – 54 of them children, mostly from bronchitis and whooping cough.
Tom Brownlee of the Franklin Historical Society says it is important that Pukekohe’s history is remembered.
He isn’t surprised there wasn’t a Ganges St, Ganges Park or such like in the early days due to the nature of the journey, but the society believes the time is right to formally mark the Ganges’ role in Franklin’s history.
‘‘Perhaps now it is time to use that name along with the hope and promise that those children would have held for the settlers,’’ he says.
The society’ main idea is to name a children’s playground after the ship to honour those young pioneers who perished.
The idea has gained support from the Franklin Local Board.
Your vote counts
Julie Kaio, North Waikato News
Election fever is rife in the North Waikato as we count down to the big day on September 20.
This week we conclude our candidate coverage with profiles of the three hopefuls seeking local votes in the Hauraki-Waikato Electorate, doing our bit to help our readers make an informed choice on Saturday.
We are also bursting with coverage of the historic Ralph Mine disaster centennial with three pages of photos from Saturday’s moving events in Huntly’s town centre. Reporter Frances Ferguson was right there in the thick of the action, chatting to relatives of the 43 miners who perished that fateful day 100 years ago.
Staff at the BNZ in Huntly took a day off last week to lend a hand at Ohinewai School. We’ve got pics of the crew, sleeves rolled up and spades in hand to give the grounds a spruce up.
The generosity of Huntly and Ngaruawahia locals gets high praise from the Cancer Society for the towns digging deep on Daffodil Day, and we preview Te Kauwhata Primary School’s colourful production, Shre-Kauwhata.
And finally, Community Constable Corey Rees shares with readers his adventure pig hunting with North Waikato youth deep in Whangamata bush.
Boxing on
Petrice Tarrant, South Waikato News
South Waikato always seems to punch above its weight when it comes to sporting success and the emerging of a talented Putaruru boxer has once again hit that fact home.
Tristan Allison, 18, has claimed the North Island Heavy Weight Championship title for the second time after just four years of training in a lowkey, rural club.
If the district had a sporting trophy cabinet it would be brimming after more success on and off the Rugby League Field. The Tokoroa High School team won the More than Just A Game Award at the National Secondary Schools championship for epitomising the tournament’s seven core values – arguable the second highest honour to gain over the week-long tournament.
This is the second year Tokoroa High has won the prestigious award.
Meanwhile, player Isaiah CooperTetevano was the deserving recipient of the overall It’s Not OK Best & Fairest award and manager Billy Maea won Best Manager for the third year running.
The stack of awards was an impressive scoop for a side that came eight place overall.
Young South Waikato kids are having their say in this year’s general election through a nationwide Kids Voting Programme. David Henry School students had no idea what the term democracy meant before joining the other 78,000 students on the initiative.
Now hear this . . .
Teresa Hattan, Matamata Chronicle
Seeing her colleague Kelly Westgate’s son Riley benefit from hearing aids has inspired Noble and Lee accountant Kerry-Anne Knight to get loud.
Matamata six-year-old Riley Westgate has had hearing aids since he was four. Kelly said the aids have been more to help his son with speech than anything else.
Kelly said Riley couldn’t hear high frequency noises without the aids and this meant he would mispronounce words too.
‘‘The main reason for the hearing aids is so his speech develops properly,’’ he said.
He had noticed his son had trouble hearing and pronouncing ‘‘s’’ and ‘‘z’’. ‘‘We would drive past maize and he would say ‘look there is maie’.’’
Kelly encourages anyone to take advantage of the free hearing tests and ensure that their child gets the help they need.
‘‘I’d hate to think he was missing out and his speech was being affected because of something as simple as needing a hearing aid.’’
Knight is encouraging the staff at the local Matamata accounting firm to again this year put on their loudest shirts for Loud Shirt Day, which is on Friday.
Vieuxtemps popular Violin Concerto No.5 with soloist Brigitte Balzat was a delight to behold. This romantic, tuneful and virtuosic work was given a very sensitive and intuitive performance by this special musical talent.
Balzat’s handled the technical aspects superbly and her sweet tone pervaded throughout. The legato playing and musical phrasing in the Adagio were beautiful with enough in reserve to produce a really fiery finale.
An encore L’esperance rock composed by her mother showed another side of her musical personality.
In honour of Emeritus Professor Marshall Walker, the Scene with Cranes and Valse triste from Kuolema by Sibelius were performed.
The colours captured by the strings in these tender morsels captured their essence and fragility with the wind punctuating shards of northern light into the desolate aural landscapes.
Prokofiev’s A Summer Day Suite were a series of colourful cameo sketches played with finesse and warmth.
Quality programming and an excellent performance conducted by Peter Walls were both hallmarks of this very successful concert.
REVIEW
What: Opus Orchestra: Mozart Sibelius When: Friday September 12 Where: Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts
Works by: Mozart, Vieuxtemps, Sibelius and Prokofiev
Conductor – Peter Walls, Soloist – Brigitte Balzat