Te Puna Quarry park hopes to grow volunteer base

Some of the Te Puna Quarry volunteers at the park on Tuesday morning included Dulcie Artus, left, Lyn Bellerby, Lyn Elshaw and Jennifer Day. Photo / George Novak

Calling all those with green fingers, who have the ability to operate light machinery and can have a good laugh over a cuppa.

Te Puna Quarry park is on the scout for more eager volunteers to keep maintaining the land Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons each week.

Te Puna Quarry Park chairman Ian Cross said they still had a reasonable number of volunteers, with about 30 turning up for the mornings, but the park could always do with more.

Mr Cross said the average age of the volunteers kept going up making it hard for some of them to continue working.

The youngest volunteer was 60 while the eldest was 97.

Mr Cross said the satisfaction of working at the park was the biggest invitation to helping.

"The quarry is used by thousands of people a year with the popularity of it increasing all the time. That personal satisfaction of belonging to a group of people who are providing something which the public really enjoys."

The camaraderie involved was also a drawcard. "We always make a big deal on Tuesday mornings by all getting together for morning tea. We all have a chance to talk to each other and you meet people from [a] very diverse range of backgrounds, which you would have never normally got the chance to meet, of course.

"What we have created there over the last 15 years is pretty impressive and is getting better all the time."

Mr Cross said it would also be good to have more volunteers with orchard or farming skills.

Te Puna Quarry park founder Shirley Sparks said although the park had about 30 volunteers each working day more were needed.

"It sounds a lovely lot and it is, but when you are working on 32 hectares of land with so much work to do, we welcome more help.

"We want the community to be involved because it is the community who are enjoying it so much."

A range of skills could be used including weeding, carpentry, planting, painting. "There is such a sense of creation up there, creating a wonderful place from waste land."

Work days
A dedicated band of helpers attend work sessions every Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. They undertake the work of clearing, planting and weed control while enjoying the togetherness of a team project. The morning tea break is time for a rest and a chat, and often a few laughs. To contact the quarry: info@quarrypark.org.nz