Doctors Point, Waitati, Evansdale, Warrington, Seacliff 1 May 2010 Waitati School to lose bus service by Tania Turei and Nathan Clarke Waitati School is to lose its local school bus service The distances for eligible students from their at the end of this term. The service has been driven homes to the school are: for many years by Averil and Mike Thomson. It has • 3.2km for students under 10 years of age been reviewed in a routine two-yearly survey by • 4.8km for students 10 years of age or over School Support Invercargill. Can you help? Waitati is a vibrant, family-oriented community • Do you have any children aged 4 who may where children are the centre of many activities, be starting school within the next six months and as such we consider it is important to maintain or so? and develop the educational opportunities for our • Are you moving into the area and have children by encouraging attendance at the local children not yet enrolled at Waitati School? school rather than urban schools. • Are you considering changing schools to A regular and reliable bus service is a factor Waitati School? in maintaining safe transport to rural schools, and • Do you know of any new families moving into therefore we ask that parents who have children the area within the next six months? at primary school or intending to go to primary • Have we missed out your eligible child? school and who live within the Waitati catchment If so please contact Waitati School on 482 2888. consider Waitati School as an option for education. The school board and many parents believe that it is important to keep the bus service on Mt Cargill Rd and Waitati Valley Rd, where there are no footpaths, and high speed limits. Many parents do not believe it is safe for primary school students to walk or cycle on these roads. Families particularly affected by the proposed changes include one-car families and families with parents who do not drive. To maintain our valuable bus service we need eight eligible students who must be enrolled at Waitati School). At the moment we have five. School Support will continue the bus service if we can show that there will be more children requiring Blueskin Bay librarian Louise Booth was just one the bus within the next couple of terms. of around 100 local residents who turned out The bus serves Doctors Point Rd to Michies for the Anzac Day service at Waitati. Wreathes were laid by representatives of the district’s Crossing, part of Mount Cargill Rd, State Highway service clubs, including the Blueskin Bay Garden 1 to the Leith Saddle and Waitati Valley Road. Club and Warrington School. The wreath-laying These routes can sometimes be altered for eligible ceremony was followed by a service in the children. Waitati Hall. Photo by Lynnaire Johnston May 2010 Blueskin News 1 NeWS STOP PReSS Godwit update Anzac Day medal lost by Derek Onley and Peter Schweigman by the editors 1BWRY, the adult male bar-tailed godwit in the At the Anzac Day service, Arthur Templeton lost STOP PRESS in the March Blueskin News was a miniature medal. It fell from his lapel at some banded at Warrington on 28 February 2006. stage during the day. If anyone finds it, please treat After banding, 1BWRY (that’s white flag on it with the respect and value it is worth, and return left tibia, blue over white bands on left tarsus, red it to him or phone Helen Beamish on 482 1440 to over yellow right for the uninitiated) was first arrange a pick up. re-sighted at Aramoana on 18 Sept 2006. As it was an adult, it probably went to Alaska but appears to have returned rather early, most birds returning a Blueskin News advertising week or two later at the end of September. It was Consider advertising locally. Contact us to book seen 16 times at Aramoana during 2006, 2007 and advertising in 2010. Our rates are: 2008. The first sighting back at the banding site • business card (up to 1/8 of A5 page): $15 at Warrington Beach was not until 1 March 2007 • up to quarter A5 page: $25 and it was back at Aramoana the next day. Maybe • up to half A5 page: $35 it had bad memories of the place. It was not seen • up to full A5 page: $60 at all in 2009. • Double A5 page spread: $100 After a year’s absence, or in hiding, it was Discount or waiver of the above fees may be spotted at Aramoana again on 11 Feb 2010, a available for non-commercial community month or so before its last sighting in New Zealand events. Blueskin News is “free” but we welcome at Karitane on the afternoon of 9 March just before koha/donations accepted at Blueskin Bay setting out across the Pacific. Nine days later it was Library, by cheque to Blueskin Media, PO Box at Yalu Jiang on the China-North Korea border at 154 Warrington, or to account Blueskin News the head of the Yellow Sea; after a week or two’s 03 1726 0010157 00. stop over it headed north-east across the North Blueskin Media is a not-for-profit, 100% Pacific to Alaska. volunteer- run community publisher. Four more godwits banded at Warrington were Deadline: 22nd of the month, January to seen in the Yellow Sea in late March this year and November. yet another had arrived there by 12 April. BlueSkiN NeWS Published not-for-profit by volunteers of Blueskin Media on the 1st of each month, February to December, 600 copies distributed around Seacliff, Warrington, Evansdale, Waitati and Doctors’ Point. Additional copies available at Blueskin General Store, Blueskin Bay Community Library and Warrington Post Office Boxes. Blueskin News is “free” but we welcome koha/donations accepted at Blueskin Bay Library, by cheque to Blueskin Media, PO Box 154 Warrington, or to Blueskin News 03 1726 0010157 00. We publish anything about this area, or anything written by someone from this area; and all ranges of opinion which are expressed in a respectful way. All unattributed opinion shall be attributed to Blueskin Media. All material sent to and/or published by us is “copyleft” and may be freely copied, re-edited and re-published. Content is pooled with the blueskin.co.nz website and other local media. Content offered for publication under the above principles is welcome; please email by the 22nd of each month to [email protected]. Electronic copy should be formatted as simply as possible with two returns between each paragraph or item in a list, and after each heading. Produced and distributed this month with the help of: Craig Marshall, Louise Booth, Lynnaire Johnston, Peter Dowden, Polly Higham, Kelvin & Bev Lyon Milk Vendors, Blueskin General Store, Gallery on Blueskin, the Contributors and Advertisers. Printed by North East Otago Computing, Hampden. 2 Blueskin News May 2010 NeWS Hopeful outlook for new hall and library complex by Geraldine Tait A resolution at the Waikouaiti Coast Community with but I’m hoping he will see an opportunity to Board meeting on April 14, requested the architect design a fabulous new foyer which will provide to investigate the feasibility and cost of building a combined entrance into the new library on the the new Blueskin Bay Library at the south end of left and the hall on the right. If this new plan costs the Waitati Hall. This is a very positive move as more money I’m sure many of us in the Blueskin it was supported by a petition presented to the Bay community will get in behind a fundraising Community Board from 80 local people who are drive so that we can have a better positioned library concerned about knocking down a perfectly good and a great new little meeting space at the other building which could have multiple uses (Toy end of the hall. Library, Youth Group space, meeting room for The Council is contributing $500,000 to the groups like the Garden Club, Weggies etc). new library building but another $350,000 has The proposed plan to build the new library to be raised locally through funding applications at the north end of the Hall would also have an or other means. I‚Äôm sure we can follow the adverse effect on the children’s playground, which example of the committee behind the Waikouaiti is already surrounded by trees on three sides and Events Centre and access the necessary funds to would be completely blocked in by the library. We make this a multi-purpose community hub which can’t be sure what the architect will come back will meet the needs of our area well into the future. RevieW Bohemian Nights by Lynnaire Johnston A small but enthusiastic crowd made it along to the Warrington Hall for the third visit by international folk performers, Bohemian Nights. Duo Ernie Gruner (right) on the violin and mandolin, and accordionist Phil Carroll provided lively, foot-stomping European and gypsy-inspired tunes, tangos and movie scores. Many members of the audience were obvious fans, having seen the group on previous visits, while others took the opportunity to show their appreciation by dancing in the aisles – or more correctly, the back of the hall. The concert was organised in association with • Photo: Lynnaire Johnston Blueskin Bay FM. everything printed here appears on our website as it arrives, in full colour, with clickable links and in searchable form May 2010 Blueskin News 3 COMMuNiTY BOARD Speed Limit Review: Good news for north coast area by Alasdair Morrison The DCC Transportation Operations Department the speed limit will reduce from 100kph to 80kph has completed its review of speed limits on a to the intersection with Mount Cargill Road.