Bream Bay's team at the 2019 Division II national championships swimming competition (back, from left): Lisa Cowan (team manager), Nina Matenga, Luca Matenga, Fidel Poulson, Richard Dunkerton (coach) and (front, from left): Lily Matenga, Amy Swanson, Samantha Dutton, Grace Kemp. Photo/Dawn Dutton
Bream Bay's team at the 2019 Division II national championships swimming competition (back, from left): Lisa Cowan (team manager), Nina Matenga, Luca Matenga, Fidel Poulson, Richard Dunkerton (coach) and (front, from left): Lily Matenga, Amy Swanson, Samantha Dutton, Grace Kemp. Photo/Dawn Dutton
BREAM BAY COMMUNITY NEWS
Bream Bay's team of seven swimmers competing at last week's national Division II Age Group Championships in Dunedin brought home handfuls of medals and several personal best times.
Top achiever was Luca Matenga, 15, who won gold in his first event, 100m breaststroke, slashing a minute off his time to qualify for the top tier National Age Group Championships (NAGS) in Wellington next month.
Luca also won silver in 100m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke and 100m butterfly - in which he also qualified for NAGS.
Samantha Dutton, 15, also won gold in 100m breaststroke, dropping an incredible 6.52 seconds from her entry time and qualifying for NAGS. She followed up with silver in 200m breast and bronze in both 50m breast and 50m backstroke.
Luca Matenga at the Dunedin pool with all his medals. Photo/Dawn Dutton
Fidel Poulson, 13, faced tough competition in his age group from around 100 other swimmers but swam personal best times in every swim including taking nearly eight seconds off his 200m individual medley time, propelling him from his 51st ranking to 27th place.
Poulson's 100m backstroke time was fast enough to qualify him for NAGS.
Lily Matenga, 13, also thrived amid tough competition from around 120 girls in her age group, cutting her times in all but one race.
Coach Richard Dunkerton was impressed with all his swimmers, especially Dutton who injured herself 10 days before the competition.
"What she achieved out there with a heavily bruised ankle was incredible," he says. "It wasn't looking good on the third day of racing, so we scratched her out of a couple of races."
Dunkerton was also impressed with the improved times his young swimmers produced. "Lily and Fidel rose up the rankings majorly in a very difficult competition."
For Dunkerton, the 100m breaststroke gold finals were a highlight. "Both swimmers really followed instructions to the letter – in that third 25m they really got out there and hammered it."
Also facing down tough competition to make finals were: Amy Swanson, 14, 5th in 50m free, 6th in 50m back and 8th in 100m free; and Nina Matenga, 17, 5th in 50m back and 7th in 100m back.
Surfing legend drops in to Mangawhai
Young and old surfing enthusiasts couldn't believe their eyes last Sunday when world surfing legend Kelly Slater took to the waves at Mangawhai Beach.
This keen surfing family from Waipu were thrilled to meet Kelly Slater at Mangawhai - John Buckle (left), Slater, Ella Buckle and Vivienne Buckle, who had Slater autograph her framed fin. Photo/Tony Baker
He visited the area as a guest of Rick Kayne, Tara Iti golf course owner, and dropped by the local surf lifesaving club's junior prizegiving before heading to the beach to spend time in the waves with local youngsters.
Club member Tony Baker says it was hard to explain the significance or enormity of the occasion.
Colourful fundraiser for Christchurch victims
Tomorrow One Tree Point School and Bream Bay College are supporting the "Colour Your Day" fundraiser organised by 24-7 YouthWork and Christchurch City Council to fundraise for people affected by the tragedy in Christchurch last Friday.
The event also calls for a one-minute silence at 1.40pm, the time of the attacks a week ago.
Participating students can wear colourful clothes, with money raised going to support the affected families and Muslim communities. Students can take along a gold coin donation or people can donate directly to the Christchurch Foundation account 15-3976-0091104-80 with the reference "Our People Our City".
Ruakākā School Gala
Ruakākā School's Gala is on this Saturday, 10am-2pm, with rides, food, entertainment and activities for all.
Television celebrities Art Green and Matilda Rice (from The Bachelor NZ) will be there to judge competitions, talk about healthy eating and check out the stalls – they may even make a pizza in the school's wood-fired pizza oven.
While the big-ticket item auction is always a highlight, another popular event is Poo Lotto – buy a square and if the cow poos in your square you win a Bay of Islands adventure package worth more than $700. Entertainers include singer Tammy D'Ath and Bream Bay College's Panimals steel pan band. Enjoy a wide variety of food and check out the Garden to Table cafe.
Bream Bay sporting stars won big at last Friday's 2018 Northland Conbrio Sports Awards.
Waipū's Sharon Carroll picked up the People's Choice Award, amassing the most votes thanks to her heavy involvement with a range of community and sporting groups.
Male sports code winner for swimming was Bream Bay Swimming Club's Paul Linton, and female winners were Kylie Jacoby of Waipu Golf Club and para cyclist Fiona Southorn of Waipu.
Residents discuss council plans
More than 40 Bream Bay residents turned out for an annual council planning discussion hosted by Ruakākā Parish residents and Ratepayers Association last week.
Council staff outlined proposals including plans for shoreline erosion protection work, treatment clarifiers for Wilson Dam water and floodlights for recreation centre playing fields.
Residents brought up issues including central city car parking congestion, lack of footpaths, poor road resealing standards, lack of suitable community facilities in Ruakākā.
Many felt the council ignores the needs of the areas outside city boundaries.
Bream Bay WDC councillors Shelley Deeming and Phil Halse, as well as NRC councillor Rick Stolwerk also attended. Stolwerk hopes a trial public bus service from Whangārei to Ruakākā will begin this year, and he is working on resolving vehicle damage to Bream Bay sand dunes.
He stressed the need for collaboration by both councils on coastal, harbour and river erosion problems. The three councillors stressed the need for all concerned people make their own personal submissions to both council's Annual Plans. Submissions close April 4.
Enjoy an evening of Celtic music with the Northcal Pipe Band at Waipū's Coronation Hall this Saturday night from 7pm. Tickets $10, under 12s free. This is a fundraiser for Northland's only pipe band who are heading south to the national pipe band competition in Dunedin.
* Email Julie Paton at moojoy@xtra.co.nz if you've got Bream Bay news to share with Advocate readers.
