Celebrating Gonville’s community champions

Hannah Li from Canine Friends Pet Therapy with MP Carl Bates, holding the chihuahua dogs that Hannah brings to Gonville Library for children to get confidence reading stories to them, at the Gonville Community end-of-year function at Gonville Library and Community Centre.

“Proud to be Gonville” was the theme for an end-of-year celebration and barbecue at Gonville Library and Community Centre on November 28.

Awards and accolades were presented to those associated with Gonville Library, Te Kura, Gonville Health, Stone Soup and Te Ora Hau.

MC Chris Scott, in region teacher Whanganui at Te Kura - Correspondence School, which has some classes at Gonville Library, introduced new Whanganui MP Carl Bates who gave an address.

“Well done to all the volunteers in the Gonville Community hub,” said Bates.

Gonville Community residents turned out in force for the end-of-year function at Gonville Library and Community Centre.

“Everyone who participates in the library and all the activities that happen in these spaces, I think it’s great that we have awesome spaces like this around the city, where we have the opportunity to come together as a community, to have activities to engage in.

“We had our first Community Connect here a couple of weeks ago, and I look forward to being back in the New Year,” Bates said.

Kat Schroyens, frontline services coordinator - outreach for Whanganui District Library, spoke about the value of the library at Gonville.

“The library is a building with books,” she said.

“Books are important, and our core business is promoting literacy. But it all means nothing without people. I want to acknowledge my team, our volunteers, the groups that use the library space, the organisations we work with and our regular customers. It is this combination that makes the Gonville Library the space that we all know and value.”