November edition 2019 Editor: Lynda Scott Araya

Greetings to all our Duntroon Digger readers,

I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend. The road was certainly busy with all the holiday traffic. John recently pulled down our disused aviary and we have created another vegetable garden there with the compost rich soil. Hopefully, we grow huge courgettes and pumpkins there! We also planted out some more vegetables in our raised gardens and have now, officially, run out of space, but not more vegetables to plant! It is a good problem to have! We have a first-time mother duck sitting on a clutch of eggs and we still have three broody hens sitting on eggs. One chicken which has since died, hatched prematurely and had not fully absorbed its egg yolk. We are still hoping for some more healthy ones. Our flower garden, which was, a few weeks ago, a sea of yellow daffodils, is now predominantly purple, pink and white. It is wonderful what is popping up for us to admire for the first time.

Please contact me if you would like to contribute at all to the Duntroon Digger. Lynda’s email for all Duntroon Digger matters is: [email protected]

Nicol's Blacksmith

We held a fantastic working bee a few weeks ago and hosted the Community Trust Monday 21st October. The place is looking amazing for this season. We have volunteers running the forge and hosting visitors from now on through until Queens Birthday. Come down and see the forge in action between 10am & 3pm every Saturday and Sunday. There are still spaces in our beginner blacksmith courses, but booking is essential. It is a unique experience and would be the ideal Christmas present for the "impossible to buy for" person in your life. The pricing for those is as follows; • half day (2 hours) youth 50.00 adult 70.00 (they get to make one item) • Full day (4 hours) youth 80.00 adult 100.00 (they get to make 2 items)

We also have openings in our volunteer roster for both blacksmiths and hosts (no experience needed.) We give beginner blacksmithing tutorials to our volunteer blacksmiths and the hosts are there to chat to the visitors and show them around and answer any questions. You are never alone with this job and those more experienced are always happy to help you.

For bookings and any questions contact Judy at [email protected] also to get regular updates find us on Facebook and Instagram at Nicols Blacksmith

Duntroon Hotel News:

With 5 builders working upstairs things are happening fast. There are various electricians and plumbers and the like working hard as well. Next week we will be starting to gib the walls of the new rooms. To see the hours for the Bar & Cafe, check us out on www.duntroonhotel.co.nz

A Date for your Diary…

Next DDDA Committee meeting: Thursday 14th November 2019. 7:00 p.m. at Vanished World Centre.

Next Wetland working bee: Saturday 7th December 2019. 10:00 a.m. The December Duntroon Digger will outline the tools that are needed for the working bee.

Wai O Toura- Gard’s Road Scenic Reserve

Wai O Toura -Gard’s Road Scenic Reserve is located in the Waitaki Valley between the Otiake River and Gard’s Road, 3 km NW of Otekaieke, North Otago, and is the first lowland scenic reserve in the Waitaki Valley. The reserve contains a limestone ridge and escarpment covered in exotic grassland and remnants of indigenous vegetation, including a range of nationally ‘threatened and at risk’ species such as Prostrate Kowhai, rare Native Cress and Mat Daisy. It is also home to a rare native broom Carmichaelia Hollowayi, one of only three places in New Zealand where it grows naturally. Wai O Toura (Gard’s Road) DOC’s ‘Project Gold’ is about reintroducing kowhai forests wherever possible, along with other natives where possible. DOC Community Ranger Andy Powazynski says: “DOC plays a significant role in conserving, protecting and enhancing our environment. This is a mammoth task and that’s when we need to work with community, volunteers and partners, so we can all achieve strong conservation outcomes.

Where the sheep feed, there feed I Depleted land behind me lie Of dogs and guns I take no heed I only breed and breed and breed! From “A Song of Brer Rabbit of Central Otago” by Arnold Wall

Kurow Museum News

The Kurow Museum re-opened in time for the Labour Weekend holiday after being closed for about a month for refurbishments. John and I had a look around and were very impressed with all the changes and new displays. The centre displays about the Three Wise Men have been moved and there is a large dais waiting for the installation of “New Beauty,” a very rare 1925 canary yellow Ford Model T.

This was sold to Mr Frank Corrigall, of Read Lands in the Haka Valley, by Maude Bros. in and had been exhibited at the A&P Show Day in Oamaru prior to being picked up by Tom, Frank’s teenage son.

It was restored in the early 1970s through several working bees and was entered in the 1972 Vintage Car Rally.

The museum hopes to have the car on display by the end of November and the Committee is hopeful that interest will be high.

Lynda and John would like to invite others involved in tourism and accommodation in the area to a potluck dinner at Western House on November 10th 6pm at 5469 Kurow- Duntroon Road, Otiake. Please contact us if you will be coming. Feel free to bring business cards/brochures to share with others. Children are welcome. We have a toy box!

New neighbours.

Written by Jo Todd

It's not very often that the people on our road up here on the hills of the see changes in the properties around them. Indeed, since my arrival here, little has changed in most of the last 15 or so years. However, with a change of managers in one property to a change of ownership on two farms all within the last year we have lots of new faces on our road. When the farm next to us sold we were invited to the "meet the new neighbour" party and he had his brother who was visiting with him. During the evening, there was a big discussion among partygoers about the sale of the Danseys Pass hotel and our new neighbour’s brother said he thought he would have to buy it. Such is the sort of conversation which seems light-hearted and not very serious at parties. However, a few weeks later, we were surprised to hear that, in fact, the hotel had also changed ownership. Rick and Lisa Jamieson had bought it. As successful hoteliers in Australia, they are the perfect people for such a spot. So, Chris Jamieson who now owns Mt Alexander and his brother are now neighbours although sometimes there is an impassable mountain road between them.

As the last port of call in the , Rick and Lisa send many tourists and travellers into the Duntroon/Waitaki region and we here in businesses and tourist stops need to get to know them and make sure they know where we all are and what we do. They are already making lots of great changes to the area around the old hotel we all know and love and so let them know who you are if you call in or send your brochures over. They are thrilled with the area and the chance to live and own a business that has so much history attached, and we are enjoying seeing new life being breathed into the iconic old hotel over the pass.

Duntroon Hall

We're in the midst of some very overdue R&M at the hall and have a list of other necessities and wish list items that we're looking at completing.

However, as this is local Duntroon area ratepayer money that we are spending, along with hopefully some grant money, we are looking at what the community sees as important. We would like to hear from the locals and regular users and to get some more ideas and requests for what would work well to enhance this underutilized resource. If we want to keep it running, we need to future proof it.

As the school is one of the key users, we are also reaching out to the wider community to support us by ensuring our plans are aligned with yours.

We are holding a workshop/open afternoon where we will have the list of plans/ ideas/ dreams available to discuss and add to. Please stop in for a cuppa before school pickup, or as you're going past on Monday 11th November 2:30-5:30pm

Feel free to contact me if you can't make it and would like to have a say, or just to show us some support.

Jan Keeling

0274979006 [email protected]