Jenny Olley, left, with Genevieve McDuff and Zoe Tong, at the Kapiti Pony Club.
Jenny Olley, left, with Genevieve McDuff and Zoe Tong, at the Kapiti Pony Club.
A 67th anniversary celebration and reunion of the Kapiti Pony Club on Sunday is coinciding with the club's preparation to move to their new location in Poplar Ave, Raumati South.
Their grounds in Raumati Beach, via Gabriel St, have been taken for the new Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway, which runs through it.
The club was was founded in 1950 by Mary Inaha McPherson, or Wera to her friends and Miss Mac to the many pony club children.
Jean Bright, another long-standing member, remembers children riding to rallies from as far away as Pauahatanui, Waikanae and beyond. She said teenagers never got into trouble as they were too busy caring for their horses. As the club grew too large other branches started.
In 1971, the year the club celebrated its 21st birthday, and Wera was made a life member for her service to the club.
Mary Inaha McPherson founded the Kapiti Pony Club.
A fitting tribute to Wera was the guard of honour at her funeral, where 30 children on horseback in full Kapiti Pony Club uniform accompanied the hearse to the cemetery to lay flowers on the grave of their cherished mentor.
The club has a long and proud history of providing valuable equestrian services to the Kapiti community.
Long-time serving club vice president and grazing manager Jenny Olley was awarded the Simpson Grierson Contributor of the Year Sports Person Award in 2013.
She was recognised for contributing more than 30 years voluntary service to the club and has devoted thousands of hours, specialist advice and support to the club president, the committee, riders and their families.
Jen takes special care of the horses and commits to a daily routine of checking their welfare and feeding out hay at the crack of dawn in all weather.
She has witnessed many changes over the years and has mentored hundreds of children, teenagers and adults through the various stages of horsemanship. Her expert equestrian knowledge and care of her young riders is appreciated by the club.
Preparation to relocate their club facilities to their new premises includes preparing a flat riding arena, sourcing toilet facilities and moving horses to their new home.
A new lease has been signed with the Greater Wellington Regional Council in 2010 to graze 20ha at the northern end of Queen Elizabeth Park.
The club management has developed a business plan to keep an equestrian service in the local community.
The club is working to keep this community asset alive and operating for young people from the district.
It has a clear vision for the future, which is to provide a quality equestrian service to the Kapiti community, as well as explore and develop other equestrian service demands. The total estimated cost to move to Poplar Ave and develop an infrastructure to maintain a fully functional club is about $130,000.
The club is actively fundraising towards this target and has already managed to raise funds of more than $70,000 for a barn, new water troughs, water tank, tractor and slasher, gorse control, and a storage container for horse equipment.
Through the commitment and hard work of parent and community volunteers, the club has also built a small arena, a tie-up area to groom horses and created a jumping paddock.
The plans for stage two of the barn build is to develop into clubrooms.
Another priority is to fill in some of the peat, resurface some rough areas for riding and build a purpose-built arena.
The club admits it has a long way to go before it is able to make the transition in the next few months, but feels confident that the local community will support the move.
Community help is being sought, and will be deeply appreciated in any form, the club says.
"We're confident that the thousands of former members will recall their pony club days with great affection and will be ready to offer their assistance to present and future generations," president Te Roera Puna said.
Anyone with time or services to donate should contact the club through its website www.sportsground.co.nz/kapitipc or contact Jen Olley (vice president) 04 2989550, Chrissy Fay (secretary), Christine Kondov (fundraising manager) 027 4416949, or Te Roera Puna 021 1921785 (president).
The grounds will be open from noon to 2pm on Sunday so everyone can visit the old rally grounds, see Jeff's shed and watch the current members and their ponies.
