Blueskin Bay FM 88.2

27 April 2010

CLEANUP May 2010

BLUESKIN BAY/COAST RD AREA
CLEAN UP DAY
SATURDAY 29th & SUNDAY 30th

May 2010

Mega skips will be situated at the Warrington Domain, Warrington from
10.00am to 5.00pm

Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th May 2010.

* Please load rubbish into the bin provided.

* Rubbish must not be left on the site outside these times.

* No large items ie/ engines, metals, whiteware, demolition
materials or large items of vegetation such as complete hedges or tree
stumps.

* No UNACCEPTABLE WASTE: ie. / hazardous wastes, animal remains,
herbicides, medicines, medical waste, gas cylinders, wire, asbestos,
petrol tanks or paint are not accepted.

* NO liquids: Liquids including waste oil, are NOT accepted.

* No LARGE METAL: ie/ whiteware, tanks.
*
* Green Waste Skip will be on site for this Cleanup Day
*
* CHARGES:- Cars $8.00

Station Wagons $12.00

Trailers, Vans and Utes $19.00

Please phone 477 4000 if you need more information.

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Local police ready to charge offenders

Waikouaiti Police recently completed training and have been issued
with the Taser X26 neuromuscular incapacitation device. This
less-than-lethal tool is now avaliable for police attending incidents
where violence has or is likely to occur. The issue of this device
locally is part of the nationwide rollout.

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Ā ā Ē ē Ī ī Ō ō Ū ū
From blueskin.co.nz and 'Blueskin News' published by Blueskin Media:
voluntary/non-profit community publishers in Blueskin Bay (Seacliff,
Warrington, Evansdale, Waitati, Doctors Point), Dunedin, New Zealand.
All material sent to or published by us is "copyleft" in the public
domain and may be freely shared, archived, re-edited and republished.
If you want to credit the source it's "blueskin.co.nz".

Anzac Day medal lost

At the Anzac Day service, Arthur Templeton lost a miniature medal. It
fell from his lapel at some stage during the day. If anyone finds it,
please treat it with the respect and value it is worth, and return it
to him or phone Helen Beamish on 4821440 to arrange pick up.

Anzac Day service 'impressive and meaningful'

By Helen Beamish

Anzac Day 2010 was an "impressive and meaningful commemoration" and
"very very worthwhile" as expressed to us in a phone all on 26 April
from a lady who attended from out of the district.

Thank you to all those who contributed prior to the service, on the
day, and are continuing with the wrap up process this week. Ours
truly is a Community Commemoration - so many people work to make it
happen.

Special thanks to the speaker PJ Clarke - for his honest, and
heart-felt sharing of his grandfather's story. Our desire to give
voice to the stories of people associated with our neighbourhood, has
certainly begun excellently.

The contributions by both local schools in art work for the Hall, and
children who took a serving role at the Anzac service, were also
appreciated.

We honour those who sacrificed for our freedom during wars past and
present, in the ways we serve on the day, and in making connection and
community here. Our contributions to making a Commemorative Service
each Anzac Day, are one small way we can continue to say "Thank you"
to them and to ensure we do not forget.

If you would like to be involved in helping to make future Anzac
Services reflect our Blueskin Bay community spirit and gratitude,
please contact Helen Beamish (hbeamish@kinect.co.nz) or Carl Scott
(carldscott@yahoo.co.nz).

23 April 2010

Blueskin Garden Club

By Lynn Hastie

On a beautiful autumn day last month members enjoyed a wander around
the Chinese Gardens. Most of us hadn't been there before and were
impressed by the rock formations, but wondered how the garden will
handle the growth of some of the large trees planted within it in
upcoming years.

We then had a look at the Settler's Museum followed by a short get
together to finalise our AGM plans which are as follows:

When: Thursday May13
Time: 6.30pm
Where: Warrington Surf Life Saving Club Meeting Room
What to bring? Pot Luck meal and BYO, plus a wine glass
Dress: The theme is "garden". Let your mind wander and please come
along in something relating to this theme.

President Lyne Carlisle and secretary Lyn Hastie will be stepping down
from their positions as they feel it's time for some new blood to take
over. New volunteers for the committee will be most welcome.

Blueskin Garden Club: Lyn Hastie, 482 2896

From blueskin.co.nz and 'Blueskin News' published by Blueskin Media:
voluntary/non-profit community publishers in Blueskin Bay (Seacliff,
Warrington, Evansdale, Waitati, Doctors Point), Dunedin, New Zealand.
All material sent to or published by us is "copyleft" in the public
domain and may be freely shared, archived, re-edited and republished.
If you want to credit the source it's "blueskin.co.nz".

Godwit update

By Derek Onley and Peter Schweigman

1BWRY, the adult male bar-tailed godwit in the STOP PRESS in the March
edition of Blueskin News was banded at Warrington on 28 February 2006.

After banding, 1BWRY (that's white flag on left tibia, blue over white
bands on left tarsus, red over yellow right for the uninitiated) was
first re-sighted at Aramoana on 18 Sept 2006. As it was an adult, it
probably went to Alaska but appears to have returned rather early,
most birds returning a week or two later at the end of September. It
was seen 16 times at Aramoana during 2006, 2007 and 2008. The first
sighting back at the banding site at Warrington Beach was not until 1
March 2007 and it was back at Aramoana the next day. Maybe it had bad
memories of the place. It was not seen at all in 2009.

After a year's absence, or in hiding, it was spotted at Aramoana again
on 11 Feb 2010, a month or so before its last sighting in New Zealand
at Karitane on the afternoon of 9 March just before setting out across
the Pacific. Nine days later it was at Yalu Jiang on the China-North
Korea border at the head of the Yellow Sea; after a week or two's stop
over it headed north-east across the North Pacific to Alaska.

Four more godwits banded at Warrington were seen in the Yellow Sea in
late March this year and yet another had arrived there by 12 April.

Newes: Hare Krishna presentation

By Harvey Woolgar

Popular travelling Hare Krishna teacher Sripad BV Tridandi Maharaja
will hold a programme at the Waitati Hall on Thursday May 6 at 6pm.
Everyone is welcome to hear him speak on "The sweetness of the
Absolute Reality". The presentation will be followed by a discussion
and feast. Entrance by koha.

Harvey Woolgar: 021 1168 620

School to lose bus service

By Tania Turei and Nathan Clarke

Waitati School is to lose its local school bus service at the end of
this term which has been wonderfully driven for many years by Averil
and Mike Thomson. This is the result of a routine two year survey by
School Support Invercargill.

Waitati is a vibrant, family-oriented community where children are the
centre of many activities, and as such it is considered important that
we maintain a focus on developing the educational opportunities for
our children and encourage attendance at the local school rather than
urban schools.

Having a regular and reliable bus service is a factor in maintaining
safe transport to rural schools, and therefore we ask that parents who
have children at primary school or intending to go to primary school
who live within the Waitati catchment to consider Waitati School as
and option for education and to call the school to discuss.

The school board and many parents believe that it is important we keep
the bus service running as it provides transport services on Mt
Cargill Rd and Waitati Valley Rd, where there are no footpaths, and
have open road speed limits. Many parents do not believe it is safe
for primary school students to walk or cycle to school on these roads.

Families particularly affected by the proposed changes include single
car families and families with parents who do not drive. Please help
to maintain our valuable bus service.

We need eight eligible students (who must be enrolled at Waitati
School) but at the moment we have five. School Support will continue
the bus service if we can show that there will be more children
requiring the bus within the next couple of terms.

The bus currently travels (not in this order) down Doctors Pt Road to
Michies Crossing, up Mt Cargill Rd, up SH1 to the Leith Valley
junction and then back down Waitati Valley Road. These routes can
sometimes be altered for eligible children.

The distances for eligible students from their homes to the school are:
• More than 3.2 kms for students under 10 years of age
• More than 4.8 kms for students 10 years of age or over

Can you help?
• Do you have any children aged four years who may be starting school
within the next six months or so?
• Are you moving into the area and have children not yet enrolled at
Waitati School?
• Are you considering changing schools to Waitati School?
• Do you know of any new families moving into the area within the next
six months?
• Have we missed out your eligible child?

If so please contact Waitati School on 482 2888.

Waitati Energy Project

By Scott Willis

Community Turbine update
Whew! Our big report to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Authority (EECA) is finally complete! My verbal report on what we've
discovered will be on the agenda at the next WEP meeting (see below)
but a key finding is that, upon securing a suitable site out of our
shortlist with 7.6 metre/second wind, we could make a community wind
turbine financially viable: generating electricity and income for the
Blueskin community from Purakaunui to Seacliff. That's the simple
story, and the complex one involves a joint development partnership
(we own one turbine in a small cluster of approximately three
turbines), settling on the community ownership form (co-operative
company or limited liability company), and of course, raising the
money.

This is a significant step towards establishing a community turbine.
There is a strong potential to ensure a good return on community
investment (potentially around 10%) that can be returned as both a
household and a community good. The next stage will begin with
community consultation. Then we would need to form the necessary
partnerships, confirm a site and establish the formal community legal
structure. We'll need further funding for project development of
course, and once the earlier elements are in place we can begin
raising community capital for the turbine purchase and start the
resource consent application. This is a $1.5 million project.

WEP meeting
The next WEP meeting is booked for Wednesday the May 5 at 8pm, in the
committee room, Waitati Hall. This is a meeting for the WEP, but
anyone interested in the community turbine is invited. A proposed
agenda has gone out on the WEP e-list, but it includes the community
turbine.

Energy information – word of mouth or online?
Most of us make decisions about what to do next, what to buy or how to
install it or innovate from friends, neighbours and mates. The Waitati
Energy Project in the Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust office has
also built up a body of work and knowledge useful for specific
household energy issues and we often know where to direct people if we
can't answer. (The Internet is for social networking sites isn't it?)

However, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority which has
supported us in various ways (and most recently with our community
turbine feasibility study) has been busy sexing-up its website
recently. They really want people to visit, and now the site is much
more accessible and helpful, it is worth a look. Perhaps the best hook
is a competition organised to get people along. So, come on Blueskin
Bay, I want someone here to win a Honda Civic Hybrid, or at least a
solar hot water system! Go to:
http://www.energywise.govt.nz/competition to enter.

There's also plenty of information on the website
http://transitiontowns.org.nz/waitati or by joining the WEP email
list.

Waitati Energy Project (Blueskin Power): Scott Willis project manager,
waitatienergy@gmail.com, www.transitiontowns.org.nz/waitati, 482 2048,
0274v 888 314

Waitati Enviroschool Column

By Jenna Packer

The days are definitely getting shorter! People will be stoking up
their woodburners and cranking up their heat-pumps... Sustainable
energy is the enquiry topic for this term, which seems appropriate
given the amount of it we need to keep warm down here! The new heat
pumps at school have been described as "just like those furnace things
in the engine room of that steamship" (the Earnslaw) which I'd take to
be a glowing endorsement of the classroom comfort levels this autumn.
An engineer will soon be visiting to talk about wind and solar energy,
and the children will be working with solar kits.

The children all came back this term with their own energy levels
topped up, ready to tackle a busy scholastic term. Last term's enquiry
topic of 'New Zealand' led into the work the children have been doing
on the Anzacs – Rooms 2 and 3 worked on poppy wreaths and drafted
'telegrams home' as nurses or soldiers from the trenches.

'In Flanders Fields' was the inspiration for Room 1 which completed
some stunning static images and delved into life in the trenches. "It
was pretty horrible seeing your friends die around you" was one astute
reflection. By May there will have been various visitors to the
school and visits by the school to both the museum (looking at Maori
hunting and gathering methods and our NZ heritage) and the Orokonui
Ecosanctuary. And with Jayne and Munirah continuing their professional
development in literacy, it looks like there will be some hunkering
down with good books, descriptive words and creative ideas in those
cosy classrooms. And look out for some of children's work on climate
change and Blueskin 10:10 elsewhere in this month's Blueskin News –
thanks to the WEP and Meiling!

We hope all Blueskin families enjoyed the beautiful Easter weather and
had a good break. One of our lovely teachers had to extend her trip in
Ireland: Jayne Fitzgerald was held hostage by the volcanic chaos
affecting Europe and was unable to get home for the start of term.

It is great to see such strong interest and so many nominations for
the Board of Trustee elections. We really feel at the heart of a
vibrant, engaged community and look forward to the energy (again!) and
enthusiasm new trustees will bring to the school as it grows and
changes.