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From the President

From the President

 Waiatarua Mountain Market Day:

A Community Celebration A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in and supported our Waiatarua Mountain Market Day on Saturday, 2nd November. It was a joy to see our community come together to showcase locally made items. While we all hoped for a few more visitors, the day was still a success—a wonderful opportunity to celebrate local creativity, connect with neighbours, and enjoy the vibrant community spirit that makes Waiatarua so special.

Reflecting on 2024: What a Year It’s Been! Can you believe it’s already December? I don’t know about you, but this year seems to have flown by. Maybe it’s because we’ve been so busy, or perhaps it’s just a sign of getting older! Either way, as the year wraps up, it’s a great time to look back on all we’ve achieved as a community.

At the start of 2024, we set out with an ambitious plan to create a calendar of events that would bring us together and celebrate all that makes Waiatarua unique. Thanks to your support and feedback, we not only delivered on this goal but exceeded it, hosting more events than in previous years.

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From the President

Our 50th Anniversary Celebrations

I moved into Waiatarua two years ago, and during that time, I’ve witnessed a range of emotions at our Community Hall. I’ve seen people smile, laugh, shout and cry. I remember attending our quiz night event and seeing the smiles when a team of friends celebrated getting a question right. I recall our Murder Mystery evening, where the hall was packed with people laughing. I attended our “Meet the Candidates” evening and saw people passionately debate an issue that was incredibly important to them. I’ve even witnessed a wed- ding reception in our hall, where a father cried as his daughter got married—though, to be honest, if you saw the man his daughter had just married, you would cry as well.

I’ve experienced many stories within my two years here, so I can only imagine what the walls of our Community Hall, Library, and Playcentre have witnessed over the past fifty years—the range of emotions and the countless stories that have unfolded. This is why we held our one-day art exhibition to mark our 50th anniversary; it was about sharing those stories of our past while, at the same time, inspiring new stories. For me, nothing symbolises this intention better than seeing a group of young children truly fascinated for nearly an hour as they learned felt-crafting skills from one of the more senior members of our community—different generations coming together to pass on stories. We also had one of the first volunteers for our community patrol meet with the current community patrol volunteers, sharing stories.

Putting together an event of this scale would have been impossible without a dedicated group of volunteers who were willing to give up their valuable time to enrich our community. There are so many volunteers that there is a risk I will miss someone, but I want to highlight Catherine Wells, who really drove this initiative and dedicated weeks of her time to ensure the event ran smoothly. Thank you Cathie!

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Fun and winners in Waiatarua

Cutest Pets In Waiatarua Competition

I’m pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Cutest Pets in Waiatarua competition, but the announcement is bittersweet. Unfortunately, one of the winners, Roupert the Rabbit, has passed away. I’m sure this little bunny brought a lot of joy into the world during his short journey, and he will leave a hole in the hearts of those who loved him.
In the other categories, Whiskey and Max used the power of cuddles to win the Cutest Couple category. Among the dogs, it was a close contest, but the winner (by a paw) is Archie. Now, when it comes to the Cutest Cat, let me explain what happened.

We received an absolute mountain of votes in the Cutest Cat category, and in the end, there was only ONE vote that separated the top two. The top two cats both received more votes than any other category winner, so because of this, and because it was so close, it’s been decided that this year there will be TWO winners for the 2024 Waiatarua Cutest Pets Competition. Congratulations to Marshall and Alfie, who both won the hearts of our community.

         •        Cutest Dog: Archie

         •        Cutest Cats: Marshall & Alfie

         •        Cutest Couple: Whiskey & Max

         •        Cutest Exotic Pet: Roupert

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Exciting few months coming up

I’m delighted to announce that we will be running our second annual Waiatarua Photographer Of The Year competition. Last year, we received a lot of high quality entries which demonstrated the incredible level of talent within our community and now is the time for all our enthusiastic photographers to shine again.

Here’s the criteria for the 2024 Waiatarua Photographer Of The Year

All photographs must have a connection to Waiatarua

The photographs submitted must have been taken within the last six months.

Entries must be received by 28th April 2024

It’s time to check out our wonderful scenery and our wildlife, so take your best photos and send them to president@waiatarua.org.nz

 

Help us restore the Community Hall Gardens.

 On Saturday 13th April 2024, we will be having a working bee in order to tidy up and clear the grounds at the Waiatarua Community Hall. Those  who have been here long enough will  remember how the grounds used to look before the seating area became overgrown. Our intention is to eventually restore the Community Hall grounds to its originally beauty and potentially beyond, but it all starts on 13th April with a working bee. So  if you have a few hours spare and are willing to help to dig up some weeds and help out with some trimming then we need your help. There’s no need to register, just turn up on the day with your hat, gloves and a weeding tool if you have one. We will be starting at 10:00am. We will look forward to seeing you there.

2024 Waiatarua Indoor Bowls Tournament

There’s been a change to the date of our first ever Indoor Bowls Tournament, It’s going to be held on Saturday 15th June so check your diary and clear a space on your shelf for the Waiatarua Indoor Bowls trophy. In next month’s newsletter we will be announcing the full details There will be two categories, singles and doubles and competitors will have to register prior to the event. We will not be able to accept entries on the day so if you want to become a Champion then email me at president@waiatarua.org.nz to register. There’s no fee, just let me know if you want to enter the singles or doubles or both.

If you want to know more about indoor bowls or if you haven’t ever tried then come along on a Thursday night at the Waiatarua community hall and join our indoor bowling Community. We start at 7:00pm every Thursday and it’s $3 per person with all proceeds going to good causes.

Mid-winter Christmas Dinner

 Have you ever wondered what Santa gets up to when it’s not Christmas? Well apparently Santa is planning to visit Waiatarua and will be joining us at a Mid-winter Christmas dinner on Saturday 13th July to be held at our Community Hall. We are still trying to work out the details with Santa but being honest I’m still annoyed with him for only bringing me Deodorant every Christmas for the past five years.  I’m getting the impression that Santa is trying to tell me something, anyway as soon as Santa explains himself can work out the details and can let you know but until then, keep Saturday 13th July free in your diary.