Free barbecue for families
A Waitangi man is organising a free barbecue for any families who would otherwise miss out on a Christmas Day meal. Mori Rapana said his family and fellow volunteers would set up a gazebo next to the Waitangi Beach playground from 10am-1pm with food, seafood and salads provided. There would also be games and donated gifts for the children. He urged any families or individuals wanting to attend to RSVP by noon tomorrow for catering purposes. He also needed to know children's ages so they could be matched with suitable presents. Anyone who wanted to attend or help out on the day could get in touch via the Facebook event page 'Feed the Whanau, Xmas Day Lunch'. Mr Rapana, the Treaty Grounds' cultural manager, said he had organised the event because it was heartbreaking to see families struggling financially as this time of year. ''No family should go without kai during this time and we want to do our little bit to help,'' he said.
Revving up for Autospectacular
The Far North Vintage Car Club is in full preparation for the 16th annual Autospectacular 2018, to be held at the Eastern Rugby Football Grounds, East St, Taipa on Saturday, January 6 from 8am-2pm. This year the show features vintage commercial vehicles. People can take their vehicular treasures to display (drivers and display vehicles free entry) with free parking for public, entry for adults $5, children $2. There will be lots of stalls, food and fun things for kids, including a petting park, and bouncy castle. At 11am and 1pm there will be a black-powder gun demonstration, with a special guest in attendance to light the fuse.
New constable arrives
Sara-May Watkins is the latest constable to hit the beat in Northland. She was one of 60 new constables from Wing 310 who marked the end of their studies at the Royal New Zealand Police College. The graduates were made up of 23 female and 37 males, with the youngest aged 19 and the eldest 42. Ms Watkins will be deployed to Kaikohe. For the first half of her life she grew up in Hokianga. She said there was no power, the majority of the time their transport was either by boat or horse and the bulk of the family food was sourced from the sea. Constable Watkins said this experience taught her how to be resourceful, and look after her family.
Food safety message
Holidays usually mean guests and extra food but sometimes holiday food brings guests of its own — so the safety message is ''clean, cook, chill''. That could mean the difference between staying healthy or getting food poisoning. Campylobacter bacteria naturally occurs in the gut of animals and birds, spreads easily on surfaces and multiplies quickly. Clean before preparing food and after handling raw meat, wash hands, utensils and any other items in hot soapy water and dry properly. Cook food and reheat thoroughly, cover and refrigerate within two hours and keep raw food separate. If in doubt, throw it out.
Crash victim's name revealed
The name of a man who died as a result of a car crash on Marsden Cove Rd last month was William Walter Witehira. The 48-year-old died in hospital nearly two weeks after the crash. The accident happened on November 26 when he drove off the road about 7.40pm and was thrown from his vehicle. The Northland Rescue Helicopter flew him to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition with serious head injuries.
