CourierTe Awamutu Published Tuesday & Thursday THURSDAY,THURSDAY MARCH JANUARY 29, 19, 2012 2012 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER FOR OVER 100 YEARS CIRCULATED FREE TO 12,109 HOMES THROUGHOUT TE AWAMUTU AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. EXTRA COPIES 40c. BRIEFLY Old house comes to life Back to future Don’t forget to change your clocks before you go to bed on BY DEAN TAYLOR Saturday night. Daylight Saving ends on Renovation work on one of Kihikihi’s historic homes has Sunday (April 1) when clocks created lots of interest around the village. go back one hour (3.00am Gary and Elna Bester are the new owners of the Jackson becomes 2.00am). House, built by Forest Ranger leader Major William Jackson on the acre of land he was allocated in the village following Daylight Saving will the Waikato Wars. commence again on the last The Besters are passionate about old homes and first Sunday in September. tried to purchase the property in 2003. The home was owned by a trust, but was in poor Family gala condition, overgrown and only used for storage. The first TAPS X-Factor The couple contacted the trustees but were told the house competition for students is sure was not for sale. to be a highlight of tomorrow They went on to purchase a home in Cambridge, and two night’s Te Awamutu Primary weeks after they settled the Jackson House came up for sale. Twilight Gala (from 5:30 pm at The project to restore the home by the new owner started front of school). in 2006. Plenty of food (nachos, hot The section was cleared and a new roof was put on. The roast lamb sandwiches, drinks, land was also subdivided. ice cream, coffee etc), stalls Work stopped for some time, and then it came on the (white elephant, pre-loved market again. clothing etc) and entertainment Mr Bester initially said to his wife they shouldn’t go and (bouncy castle, games etc) will look at the house, because they would want to buy it. But be part of an enjoyable evening curiosity got the better of the couple, and they did look at the for all ages. house, and in the middle of last year purchased the property. Mr Bester says it was the middle of winter when they Wasting away moved in, and they froze. ‘‘The wind just blew straight through the walls and there With lively, thought- was no insulation to speak of,’’ he says. provoking commentary Murray The couple planned to do one room every few months, Bain will be enlightening the sticking to a restricted budget and doing everything Continuing Education meeting themselves. next week. They have also done some research. Major Jackson was Mr Bain is the owner of local also allocated farmland on Cambridge Road and it appeared firm Red Bins and will be he farmed for a few years then in 1879 put out tenders to describing multiple processes build this house. used throughout the world to Records of the actual date the house was completed were deal with our waste. lost in the Kihikihi Town hall fire of 1905. The Continuing Education Group will meet at the Waipa ■ Continued on Page 5 Workingmen’s Club on Wednesday from 9.30am. For TC290312DT01 more details contact Margaret (RIGHT) HISTORIC home owners Gary and Elna Bester in Watson (ph 871 7308). their dining room — one of the areas where they have Air traffic renovated. Waikato Police are commending drivers for their cautious approach to the new Give Way laws. But they also urge caution while the Balloons over Waikato Festival is on. Acting District Road Policing Manager, Senior Sergeant Jeff Penno says the festival is a real positive for the Waikato, but it does pose a challenge this year, and that is drivers becoming distracted. "While the Give Way rule becomes habit for Waikato drivers, we don’t want them losing concentration as balloons appear on the horizon.’’ TC290312SP01 TC290312DT03 STATE of the house when purchased by the Besters. CURRENT state of the Jackson House. 8629965AA GRASSFARMER DRILLS NOW IN STOCK! Limited numbers available! 8631870AA Mike Whitburn: 0274 824 614 07 846 5554 Murray Barclay: 0274 753 690 07 872 1964 2 TE AWAMUTU COURIER, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CourierTe Awamutu CONTACTS Have your say on plans MANAGER Having attended the Kihi- again council would make One of them would be the accommodate more office Alan Price kihi Ratepayers meeting I more money by investing the proposed beautification of space for staff. e: [email protected] would like the council to initial deposits. This would Victoria Rd in Cambridge, (or The building would accom- explain to those using the mean having to pay more is it now the Victoria Boule- modate a lot more offices to EDITOR five per cent discount why it rates again . ? vard?) at a cost of $11 million what the council would is going to be removed. If you are one of those who plus. Comments are that road- require (unless the council is Dean Taylor I’m not sure how many save money by paying in ing cost is a council wide cost. anticipating more staff . .) e: [email protected] actual ratepayers are using advance, put in a submission The Heart of Te Awamutu has and also $1 million would be it and what dollar value is to reverse that decision. not yet been finished as more spent to save $800k over 10 REPORTERS pre-paid (hard to get Also look at the rubbish paving is required . years. Your thinking and information), I would like to proposal. Another project (and yes, thoughts would be welcome Cathy Asplin know the benefit to all rate- If the status quo remains I’m not afraid to mention this via a submission. e: [email protected] payers. then the cost will stay the one) is the Cambridge Pool. If With the current economic One reason given was that same as council will only council would withdraw from situation we have a lot of Colin Thorsen those ratepayers not able to collect to do the recycling. this (losing $2 million already buildings empty especially in e: [email protected] prepay were at a disadvan- If council is getting spent in the process) the the main street area. We tage. If so what happened in involved with the rubbish planned asset sales and loan might be getting more busi- ADVERTISING all those years before? collection you will have to pay totaling $10 million plus could nesses in town but do we My perception is that the $25 plus the bags. be used for the needed Cam- really attract more buyers? Dorinda Courtney people who have some Currently users buy the bridge Sewer Treatment Plant IMHO more businesses but e: [email protected] budget knowledge and put- bags from a supermarket and upgrade. less buyers per business. ting away the dollars needed the proceeds of that is actu- I’ve never been against a If you have not attended a Julie Jackson to pay for the rates, that ally covering the current rub- stand alone museum so Long Term Plan meeting it’s e: [email protected] these people are being penal- bish collection! The $25 that appreciate the plans for the not too late. On Tuesday, ised. I believe that council council would charge is basic- proposed one. April 10 the Te Awamutu Bookings should be able to use the ally managing the rubbish The library project came a Community Board has its [email protected] advanced money to create contract and a $25 rates bit out of the blue, but again public meeting so please come money, ie no borrowing in increase. knowing the state of the cur- and have some input. CLASSIFIEDS the first periods, some capi- Ratepayers would also be rent library I know something I’m stressing here that the tal projects could start aware that there is a lot of has to be done. What I do not above is my personal view, Tania Cortesi-Western, Rhonda Bird earlier etc. It’s also your money being used for understand is the not that of the Te Awamutu Anna-Marie Holmes shortsighted as when the projects that you will hardly refurbishment of the library Community Board. [email protected] percentage rates increase (or never) use. and museum building to BERNARD WESTERBAAN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We welcome letters - preferably via email. They should be under 300 words and must have Speak up on outage timing the sender’s name, address and phone number. No pseudonyms are accepted and names will only be withheld in special circumstances I hope people who don’t Why is the outage held hotter weather, January, Transpower will still go at the discretion of the editor. Letters are not agree with the date of the when the weather is colder? February or early March, it ahead with advertised date; usually acknowledged and may be edited, power outage that was It is not good for older would make things a lot it won’t matter what the 8629619AA abridged or discarded. advertised in the Courier on people and families with easier. people who pay for the power Tuesday, March 27 will very young children, a large It could even be over two think, if it did, they would attend today’s meeting. percentage of people have days, 9am to 2pm, in one have put more thought into PHONE: 07 871 5151 FAX: 07 871 3675 It is a shame the meeting electric heating, and not weekend or over two it, and it wouldn’t be when is when a lot of people are at everyone can drive out of the weekends in the warmer the weather can be cold.