Plimmerton Residents’ Association Newsletter

What’s new in Plimmerton?

December 2009 – January 2010
January for rail crossing and station roof
We are assured that our new rail crossing will be constructed during
January. While the line is closed the station roof replacement will be
completed, on the 16th and 17th, as well. When we are told the exact dates
for line closure we will send a message out through our community email
database. Our project managers Alan Dodson and Dave Anderson are co ordinating
volunteers for the project … including the interior refurb which will start in February.
Call Dave on 233 1659 or Alan on 233 1087 if you have skills and some time to
assist.

Murals unveiled in our rail underpass

Eat your hearts out Stan and Hilda! We have five fantastic murals with a
Plimmerton theme, created by students in five local schools … Plimmerton
Kindergarten, Plimmerton Primary, St Theresa’s Primary, Aotea College and Bishop
Viard College … were unveiled by our mayor Jenny Brash on Saturday 28th
November. Thanks to the talented kids and teachers who have worked so hard on
this project all year. Thanks also to Meryl and Ian Harwood for their amazing
project management and hands on involvement. And, thanks to the generous
sponsorship of Plimmerton Rotary Club and local businesses, who paid for all the
materials used to create these stunning artworks. Thanks too to Kiwi Rail for the
treats, and council staff for their assistance. And special thanks to our Mayor Jenny
Brash who is so supportive to our community.

Facelift for café corner

What a difference a good paint job makes! Our local shops look positively
Mediterranean. Good work everyone.

Stunning reed pattern fence for underpass in Steyne

That old wall put up a grand fight … great work from the lads who lowered it, and
the talented plasterer, and the clever blokes at Metalmorphic for their stunning
work. Check out the shadows on the wall behind in the late afternoons … nice one.
Landscape architect Linda Kerkmeester and our own Ian Barlow, it’s great …
thanks!

Sunday market at Plimmerton … it’s happening now!

Starting on the first Sunday in December in a small way … and growing. At Big Mac
Slabs Furniture near Palmers … perfect location with high visibility, lots of parking
and tables already in place! If you want to sell arts and crafts, good fresh veggies,
fresh bread, organic produce or other quality goods call Moira soon 021 119
6126

Permanent librarian for our Pavilion library ... good news!

We now have a dedicated librarian running our library on Wednesdays and
Saturdays. Volunteers will continue to support by selecting stock and running
additional library-focussed services. The position will be advertised soon and things
should be hopping in early 2010.
Call Brian Anderson manager City Libraries on 237 1532

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 1
St Andrew’s Parish Foyer
Contractors have been asked to submit prices for the St Andrew’s new foyer. Selection
will happen in February and parishioners will endorse the choice. Exciting news for
Jenny’s parish.

New bus pick up points for route 1606 Karehana Bay to Aotea college and
Route 1611 Aotea college to Karehana bay. Increased congestion and lack of safe
loading areas has meant a change in services. Copies of the new plan have been
provided to us and are available from Sandy at plimmertonra@gmail.com

Beautiful birds and bugs

Tuis, blackbirds, song thrushes, grey warblers, moreporks, kererūs, shining cuckoos,
kingfishers, California quails, silver eyes, stick insect, glow worms, little blue penguins,
skinks … some of the diverse species in our gardens. People are telling us that this is a
bumper year for birds in Plimmerton … it can’t be the weather! What wildlife have you
seen? How do we attract more? What can be done about pests and predators? If you
are keen on local wildlife and want to share wildlife-friendly ideas call Sandy on
233 1652 or email Sandy at sleewerner@yahoo.com

Sharpen your pencils…sketching group Friday mornings

Everyone welcome and it’s free … and there’s help for beginners. Meet at Mana Arts
Clubrooms at 10.30 am on the domain and head out to sketch or paint local scenes.
Bring sketch material, a thermos and lunch … and a small folding seat? You know you
have always wanted to do this … go on! Starting January 22.
Contact Stuart Nicol on 233 6626 or stunicol@paradise.net.nz

Welcome to two more volunteer fire brigade members

Congratulations to recently qualified fire fighters Katrina Smith, from The Track, and
Paul Hudson, from Cluny Road, who have completed fire fighting and breathing
apparatus courses. Well done.
Our local fire brigade urges you to be safe this summer … remember their previous
advice about LPG cylinders and unattended cooking.

Plimmerton promenade seating

Certificates, and the PRA scholarship for the winning design, were awarded to
industrial design students by Massey vice chancellor Steve Maharey at a ceremony last
month. More than 60 seat sponsors and local community members attended the event
where project manager Helen Chipper outlined the six year history of the project as
part of the village strategy. The PRA promenade team, guided by community feedback,
academic staff and council advice, selected six different designs which will work in our
climatic conditions and in specific sites around the foreshore. Final working drawings
are now being produced as we work with students, potential manufacturers and Ian
Barlow from PCC to get the first seats into production. The object is to get several
seats of the winning design produced and in place during this summer. Different
designs will suit different locations and the final designs will be made up in numbers
needed.

Auditions at Mana Little Theatre … ladies only please!

All aspiring actors are invited to the studio on Sunday December 6th at 7pm to audition
for Steel Magnolias (by Robert Harling) which has an all female cast.
Call director Pat Knight on 233 6634 for more info.
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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 2
Bowling Club news
Twilight Tuesday evening series rolls off in the New Year … flat shoes and a small
charge the only requirement … bar open throughout and a barbecue after! Club
champs under way now with the recent Friday evening Grant’s Whiskey Corner to
Corner tournament proving a real hit. The club’s facilities are available for hire with
bar, kitchen, and social bowls. These people have serious fun - contact secretary
Rachel Wybourne Curtin at home 233 9600, pbc.wellington.net.nz

Croquet … big day January 23rd

With membership topping 90, our local croquet club has welcomed 19 new members
since their open day and is offering six weeks coaching to novice players. Keen players
are invited to participate in the John Burke sponsored Association Croquet
Tournament on January 23rd. Visitors to the croquet lawns are welcome on club days
… talk to those in the know Tony Watts 233 1920 or Carolyn Rait 234 7422 or
Ken Rae 233 9614. Warm welcome guaranteed!

12 hour archery marathon January 24th

Mana Archery Club is planning a 12 hour marathon shoot to raise funds for the Breast
Cancer Foundation. Archers will be challenged by novelty shoots lasting twice as long
as the usual gruelling six hour tournament. Come along between 8am and 8pm and be
entertained by their skill and help them raise money for a worthy cause. Contact
Micky Gunn at clangunn@xtra.co.nz

Courting new members…tennis club welcomes new players

Never hit a tennis ball before? Played years ago but a bit rusty? Do you like to hit the
ball socially now and then? Bit of a Fed Express on the court? Whatever your level you
will be welcome at our local tennis club. There’s a barbecue for members on Sunday
13th December following a bit of relaxed tennis. Next year there’s coaching and
interclub games plus mid-week and club-night games … anything else they can do to
get you back on the court?…talk to Rosiland on 233 1024 or email her at
rosilandhalljones@woosh.co.nz

Hoon drivers …report them!

Yobbo drivers in fast noisy cars are hooning around the fire station corner and along
Sunset Parade. Our local community police officer would like us to report all incidents
so he can take action. Use *555 or report them online at
http:/www.police.govt.nz/service/roadwatch.html

Our community constable will follow up offenders so please report dangerous,

speeding drivers. The speed limit all through Plimmerton is 50k … that’s not hard to
remember. (There is one aggressive individual blasting other drivers doing 50 and
overtaking them … let’s get that menace off the road.)

Tagging and other vandalism

Tagging and other wilful damage has been on the increase. Two of the most persistent
offenders are known to be local youths while others are imports. It’s a waste of almost
half a million dollars of our rates money a year by the council alone to clean up after
taggers and other vandals. We can do much better things with that money. Our
community police officer asks you to report tagging so that he can take effective action
… photograph the tag and email it to plimmertonra@gmail.com, report it to the
council and police and then get rid of the tag if you can.

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 3
Manamum.co.nz
Information is being gathered for a new website for parents and caregivers in the Mana
area. It will feature activities and events for children … check out what they need
www.manamum.co.nz

Jet Ski safety

The 200 metre buoys are in place for summer. The maximum speed for all water craft,
including jet skis, is 5 knots (walking speed) within 200 metres of any shore, beach or
structure, or within 5 metres of any swimmer or diver. There have been tragedies of
this law being flouted so please report any one breaking the law, call 388 5470

Porirua Business Awards. And the winner is …

Richard Persson, owner of Palmers Plimmerton, who scooped the top retail award. He
was up against stiff competition for the top prize. Richard credits his talented staff
with a lead role in their success. Palmers helps with lots of community projects … this
year they sponsored the building of gardens in local schools and hosted the first Big
Spring Clean in Plimmerton. Well done to the whole team at Palmers!

Holiday security
If you don’t yet have a neighbourhood support group organised in your street it’s not
too late! Get a phone and email list up and running and keep your area safe. Make
sure you take precautions to keep your property secure if you are going away during
the holiday season … burglaries and thefts from cars rise steeply at this time of year.
Call Mana Police centre contact Cheryl Hood evenings 233 9548

Carols by the sea

Not feeling Christmassy yet? This will put you in the mood!
December 5th, 5pm at Plimmerton School. Free fun activities for children, food and
beverages for sale, and a live band and choir to get you singing and moving along!
Bring the team and enjoy an evening of fun and pre Christmas cheer.

Civil defence information

We are working with the good people in Civil Defence to get information to
Plimmertonians about what to do in emergencies. This will be available with the next
newsletter in February 2010. This will include info on the planned processes that will
come into play in any event … and advice on mustering places, potable water, first aid
etc. Thanks to the team getting this sorted.

Local historians wanted

A couple of organisations have asked us to help them track down local historians to
help them document their stories. We also have a request for someone experienced in
taking oral histories as we have many people here with great memories Plimmerton’s
past.
If you can help, please contact Carolyn Williams c_williams@xtra.co.nz

Manky Chops mural coming our way

Plimmerton artist Xoe Hall is about to have her work on the wall in Plimmerton big
time. Stephan from Topor Bistro and Bar has commissioned Xoe to design a Polish-
themed mural for the exterior end wall of his restaurant. Xoe is a successful artist who
sold 19 of her own paintings at a recent exhibition of her works. She runs Cuba Street
Gallery, Manky Chops, with her partner Dave Smith. They are committed to helping
other artists and have 12 working with them in their studio-gallery and are selling
works from the gallery. We look forward to seeing Xoe’s lively artwork in place.
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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 4
Plimmerton business Survive-it is thriving
Rod Hall, director of Survive-it, moved his business to Plimmerton 18 months ago.
He’s in the Mana Coastguard, and he’s always on call, so that works well. Survive-it
sells civil defence equipment to businesses of every size from massive fully equipped
cabinets to back pack-size for families. They also help organise courses on civil
defence, workplace emergency and fire safety. They say that while businesses are
generally disaster-prepared, homeowners are not so organised. We should all have
food and water and other supplies to last at least three days and a plan in place for
family members to stay in contact. We are in a very vulnerable area here in
Plimmerton and could easily be isolated in an emergency.
Check out their advice www.survive-it.co.nz

Sail in to Spinnaker
When your house is creaking at the seams with visitors you might want to give Vaughn
and the team a call at Spinnaker Motel, Gray’s Road 233 8171
Plimmerton has great accommodation options … see your next newsletter for info.

Chigiri-e … what is it? Can you pronounce it?

It’s the Japanese art form using washed paper, hand dyed to create water colour-like
effects … of course it is! Hands up those who knew that? You can see an exhibition of
chigiri-e works at the Bay Gallery from December 6th up to Christmas. Local artists
Margaret Brown and Katrina Lloyd will tell you all you ever wanted to know about
this Oriental art form.

Gift ideas for greater mobility

Practical gift ideas … jazzy coloured folding walking sticks, suction hand rails, magic
jar openers, easy reachers and much more … for the less mobile.
If you have guests needing medical equipment they can organise wheelchairs, walkers,
bathroom and bedroom gear … call to discuss your needs and competitive rental rates.
Greater Mobility, Unit 15, 2 Northpoint Street 233 6116, 027 555 3123

Christmas with Parish of Pauatahanui

December’s Advent events include: 2nd Friendship Group at St Mark’s Pukerua
Bay 9.45am and Christmas Preschoolers service 1pm, 6th Remembrance service at St
Andrew’s 3.30pm, 13th St Andrew’s Sunday School Festival 9.30am and 9 Lessons
and Carols at St Alban’s 7.30pm, 20th St Philip’s Children’s Advent Service 9.30am
and Christmas Taizé Evening with Derek 7.30pm, 24th Children’s Service at St
Andrew’s 4pm and Candlelit Eucharists at St Alban’s and St Andrew’s 11.30pm,
Christmas Day Family service at St Andrew’s 9.30am, St Mark’s 11am and St Philip’s
9.30am, 27th Combined Churches Service at Parish Centre Steyne Ave 9.30am.

You can help

The PRA welcomes new members, just $15 a year for family membership. Forgotten
how to pay? Direct credit through plimmertonra@gmail.com

Getting two newsletters?

Sorry about any double ups with email and printed copies. Give your letterbox copy to
a friend who is not lucky enough to live in Plimmerton!

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 5
News and Views
Our twice yearly review of events in Plimmerton is in your mailbox. We would like to
say a huge thank you to editor, Diane Sprowell, for the brilliant job she has done with
this publication over several years. Diane and her family have recently moved out of
Plimmerton … we wish them all the very best!

Plimmerton School of Dance presents … (drum roll) …

…The Mystical Keys
On Friday 11 and Saturday 12th December at 7pn in Plimmerton School Hall. Tickets
from Baby Vintage Steyne Ave … be quick, they are going like hot cakes!

Buttons, beads, buckles, baubles … Local artist keen to buy all your
buttons old/new, fancy/plain, jazzy/dull, whatever - contact Carolyn
c_williams@xtra.co.nz

Guardians of Pauatahanui
Check out their new website http://www.gopi.org.nz/ sponsored by Lighthouse
Pauatahanui and constructed by Victoria University students as part of their e-
commerce studies … with huge help from Matt Gunn. Entries for their long-running
annual photo competition close in March … details are on the website and will be
available locally. They would love to see more junior (under 13 and under 18) entries
… so there’s a holiday idea … be inspired by the inlet!

College sports stars

Brilliant work by local students has been recognised in the recent College Sport
Wellington Awards. Plimmerton’s Taelar Samuel won the female hockey award after a
stand out year in goal for Wellington’s under 18 and under 21 sides. Deborah Lynch
was multi sport winner after wins in regional and national triathlon and duathlon
events and her 10th place world champs finish.

Stay fabulous, fit and flexible over summer

Deidre-Lee of Purebalance is staying on deck during summer to make sure we
don’t all turn into Christmas puddings. We are all invited during January to attend
yoga pilates classes on a casual basis. Strengthen and stretch for just $15 a session.
Jan 4th -29th Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9am and
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7pm.
Unit 6, 2-4 Northpoint Street, Plimmerton Estate .www.purebalance.co.nz

Is your club or group on our email list?

Have your club news distributed throughout the area and all your club members kept
up to date with events in Plimmerton.
Email us today at plimmertonra@gmail.com

Plimmerton Resident’s Association wishes you all an enjoyable festive

and holiday season. We look forward to working with you next year to
make Plimmerton an even more pleasant place to live.

Support your community – it’s the best!

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 6