Springbank School kids raising money for Foster Hope with a pyjama disco. PHOTO / Peter de Graaf
Springbank School kids raising money for Foster Hope with a pyjama disco. PHOTO / Peter de Graaf
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North, July 2 edition
Health shuttle launched
Russell has the first dedicated health shuttle north of Auckland thanks to St John and the efforts of a band of dedicated volunteers.
Officially launched on June 21, the eight-seater Hyundai Hiace is fitted with a wheelchair hoist and can be used to get anyone living in the Russell area to any health-related appointment.
The drivers are volunteers and money raised by the town's St John op shop keeps the shuttle on the road.
HELPERS: A few of Russell's dedicated volunteers at the launch of a new health shuttle on June 21. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Heather Lindauer and Clive Arlidge blessed the new shuttle while fifth-generation Russellite Tane Hepi cut the ribbon and Russell Primary School pupils put on a kapa haka performance.
Among those present were Mayor John Carter, community board chair Terry Greening, St John staff and volunteers, the St John Medical Trust and representatives of the Ngaiotonga and Te Rawhiti communities.
The service is free but koha is appreciated. It will take patients to Russell's medical centre as well as medical appointments in Paihia, Kawakawa, Kerikeri and Whangarei.
Call shuttle coordinator Michele Fryer on 0274 600 350 to make an appointment.
When someone from Microsoft calls to say your computer needs upgrading or you've won a prize, you can just about guarantee it's the opening line of a scam.
However, when Opua School got a call from Microsoft last week saying they'd won $15,000 worth of tablets and computers, it was genuine.
School administrator Maree Caswell spotted a competition earlier this year encouraging schools to update their computer operating systems. Any school that had upgraded from Windows XP to 8.1 could enter.
She'd forgotten all about it until she got a call saying the small Bay of Islands school had been randomly selected as the winner of 12 Windows 8.1 enabled Dell Venue Pro tablets and two all-in-one Dell XPS computers.
Principal Simon McGowan said helping students understand how to use modern technology was vital to their education.
"Every day we see the children benefiting from their exposure to, and familiarity with this technology, which is why computers are an essential part of our school curriculum."
Support for Windows XP ended on April 8. Opua School has a roll of just over 100 pupils.
Harry's off to Canada
An 18-year-old Waipapa triathlete is heading to Canada to represent New Zealand in the ITU World Age Group Championships.
Harry Pearson, a Year 13 student at Kerikeri High School, says the event in Edmonton in August will be his first international competition.
"But only the first of many, I hope," he said.
His efforts to raise the $6000 needed to cover his flights, accommodation, uniform and entry fees were given a boost last week by the Kerikeri Striders multisport club, whose members donated $1000.
Harry has also held many a fundraising sausage sizzle at Little Dippers pool and has been helped by the Kerikeri RSA.
Harry flies out on August 24. His first event, on August 27, is the aquathon (a swim/run duathlon), followed a triathlon on September 1.
Previous successes include a third place in his age group in the sprint-distance triathlon at the nationals in Kinloch in February; and an age group second in the standard-distance triathlon at the ITU nationals in Auckland, also earlier this year.
Other Northlanders heading to Canada include James Edwards of Whangarei.
Ivory-tickling begins
One of New Zealand's most prestigious piano competitions gets underway at Kerikeri's Turner Centre tomorrow.
Young pianists from the USA, Australia, Malaysia, China, the UK, Austria, Switzerland and New Zealand will be vying for a slice of $30,000 in prizemoney in the Kerikeri International Piano Competition.
More than 50 pianists applied but only the top 16 will compete. They will be narrowed down in three rounds of competition, judged by a panel of adjudicators from Australia, the UK and New Zealand, with the top four contesting Sunday's final, a one-hour recital round, on Sunday. All music must be played from memory. Contact the Turner Centre for information about tickets.
A group of Year 9 students at Springbank School are helping to make sure Northland kids placed into foster homes turn up with more than just the clothes they're wearing.
Kerikeri-based charity Foster Hope creates backpacks containing pyjamas, basic toiletries, cuddly toys and other items for children in foster care.
However, the charity has grown so quickly it threatens to over-run founder Debbie Sutcliffe's home. The students' solution, their choice of a community project all Year 9s have to complete, is to raise money for a storage unit for the mountain of donated items.
Phoebe Huett, 13, and four schoolmates aim to raise up at least $1000, starting with a recent pyjama day and disco at school. The money will be used to improve an existing shed on Mrs Sutcliffe's property with shelves and lining.
The students also created a display at Kerikeri's Procter Library and helped a team of volunteers fill hundreds of backpacks in the school gym.
Irish night
The long-absent Paddy McGinty and his musical friends are returning this Saturday for what promises to be a lively Irish night at Kerikeri's Pear Tree Restaurant, next to the Stone Store.
Known in its previous incarnation as Paddy McGinty's All Night Monkey Revival Band, the group centres on Nick Laird's electric mandolin backed by Ben Tombs on flutes, Victoria Landgraf on bass, and others.
Festivities run from 8pm to midnight. A special menu will feature classic Irish meals.
Pam gets through
You may recall the item in last week's Bay News Bites about Kerikeri identity Pam Harrison-Boyd, who flew to Melbourne for the day to audition for the Australian TV quiz show Millionaire Hot Seat.
She had applied for the show seven years earlier, while living in Perth, and had completely forgotten about it until the producers got in touch last month. Well, we can now inform you that Ms Harrison-Boyd has won a place on the show.
We'll tell you the NZ screening date as soon as we find out. She does her training at the Pioneer Tavern quiz night in Waipapa every Wednesday.
Far Northerners who travelled to Whangarei in April for the 2014Holland Festival have a chacne to see themselves on telly this weekend.
The producers of TV series The Festival spent several days filming the main organisers and characters of the event, believed to be the biggest Dutch get-together in New Zealand, as well as the day itself at the Quarry Arts Centre.
The episode screens at 10.25am on Saturday on TV3. The festival is based on Koningsdag (King's Day), a celebration of the reigning monarch's birthday and an excuse for a nationwide street party.
Do you have news or an upcoming event you'd like to see in this column? Send it to us, including your full contact details, to baynews@northernadvocate.co.nz.
