David and Linda Trubridge put the finishing touches on pātiki fish painted by children and gifted by David and built by Ross Mackay for HDC. Photo / Warren Buckland
David and Linda Trubridge put the finishing touches on pātiki fish painted by children and gifted by David and built by Ross Mackay for HDC. Photo / Warren Buckland
The Whakatu community has a new bus shelter, designed and gifted by David Trubridge.
Linda Trubridge said it was the family's way of giving something back to a community that had embraced them.
The bus shelter, on Essex Cres, was a community project built by Ross Mackay for Hastings DistrictCouncil and decorated with fish painted by local children.
It was officially opened on Friday in the presence of Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and local MPs.
Linda said the project involved approximately 20 local children, ranging in ages from 5 to 17.
L-R Linda Trubridge, Ross Mackay (built the shelter), David Trubridge at the Essex Cr bush shelter in Whakatu. Photo / Warren Buckland
"Whakatu has embraced us, we take pride in that community," Linda said.
"[The bus shelter] helped in nurturing the creativity of children in the community, and created a space they can be happy and proud of."
The children got together in the Whakatu community hall where they were led by Ani McGuire and Linda, along with other local adults. The paint and paint brushes were donated by Resene, Hastings.
"The exciting shape of the shelter and its vivacious fish depict the river with its teeming population of pātiki that lend their name to the local Kohopātiki Marae," Linda said.
"Future shelters will depict tuna (eels) and kahawai, all these fish used to swim up the river to Whakatu when it was cleaner.
"Kohopātiki Marae recently received a prestigious award for planting and conserving the river environment, thus sustaining the threatened fish population."
The children worked on painting their individual fish, developing their own patterns, and style, she said.
"Some completed in one evening session but most chose to return to add even brighter, denser patterns to their imaginary fish. The actual painting of the fish took about four hours in total."
L-R Lawrence Yule, Sandra Hazlehurst and Meka Whaitiri at the official opening of the David Trubridge designed bus shelter, Essex Cres, Whakatu. Photo / David Trubridge
Over the next couple of years the studio was hoping to replace the fish as the others faded and involve groups of children who previously missed out.
