What's On this month in the Herald
Herald Calendar events can be found here...
Community Notices contain details of current community happenings
Community Noticeboard lists non-commercial Classifieds from the Herald, including new ones for next month's Herald.
Church Notices list details of forthcoming events and services at St Andrew's Community Church
Neighbourhood Support
Stoddart's Cottage News
The Herald Online
Download or view this month's Herald [PDF 2.8mb]
Past issues of the Herald are available to download or view
Contacting the Herald
If you have a story or notice to print, an event to publicise, or an advert you can contact the Herald here
Free Classifieds
Personal (non-commercial) classifieds are free to all Herald subscribers.
Non-commercial classifieds now go up on the Community Noticeboard - for free!
Please email classifieds to dhherald@gmail.com.
If this is not possible, drop them in a Herald box (at the DH Post Centre or Church Bay Services).
Herald Community Notices
Diamond Harbour Community Association Meeting
Report of meeting held December 19 [PDF 80kb]
Woolfun Days at Bergli
The second Saturday of the month is Woolfun Day, for people to gather at Bergli in Teddington between 10 and 4 to do wool crafts together. Next days are February 11.
For details contact Rowena 329 9118, 027 482 9410 or farmstay@bergli.co.nz.
Rowena McGill
Tai Chi
Thursdays: Tai Chi sessions continue from 11am-12noon Thursdays at the Hall. Cost: $28 per term or $3 per session. This class practices Chi Gong exercises and a modified Sun style form. New members/guests welcome.
Sunday evenings: A new Tai Chi evening course is planned to start from February on Sunday evenings 5-6pm at the Community Hall. Cost: $30 per term. We will practice the traditional Yang form with the aim of eventually mastering all 108 moves. This class is for all ages - male and female! We need at least 5 committed participants, to cover the hall rental, for the class to proceed. If you are interested please email daruma@clear.net.nz or 329 4834.
Our motivation is to bring people together to learn the ancient Taoist art of Tai Chi to maintain flexibility and relaxation.
Peter Fischer 329 4835 daruma@clear.net.nz
Diamond Harbour Camera Club
Next meeting 6pm Tuesday February 21 is a field trip/picnic to the Kaituna Quarry Reserve, Lake Ellesmere. All welcome. Visitors: $3 donation.
Rouke Bakker
Diamond Harbour & Districts Historical Assn
Next meeting: Tuesday February 14 at 6pm. A BBQ at the Charteris Bay Yacht Club followed by a talk from John Nimmo entitled Scows: NZ's Sea Camels. Please bring food to BBQ, a salad to share, plates, cutlery, glasses and beverages. All welcome.
Jan Studholme
Free Running and Road Cycling Groups
Free Running Group on Sundays at 8am.
Road Cycling Group meets weekly in Diamond Harbour.Contact Mike - ph 329 4647 or mikecatton@mac.com.
Mike Catton
Diamond Harbour Ukulele Band
Calling all ukulele players and anyone interested in learning to play.
Our first practise of the year will be on Thurs February 23. If you are interested please call Christine on 329 3033.
Christine
Whero Ave Street Get Together
Out the front of 32 Whero Ave
BYO refreshments to share and a chair
Saturday Feb 18 at 3pm (if fine)
Rachel Thornton
Organic Seed and Plant Swap
Sunday February 19 10.30am-12noon at 30 Whero Ave. Details...
Rachel Thornton
New DH Service Directory and Phone Book
The Diamond Harbour Community Association has published a new Service Directory and Phone Book for 2011-2013. In addition to the phone listing, which covers Charteris Bay, Church Bay, Diamond Harbour, Purau and Port Levy, it contains a host of local information, including Local Services, Clubs and Organisations, Businesses, Religious Organisations, Maps, and the Ferry timetable.
Copies are available for $6 from the Post Office, the DH Country Store and Church Bay Services.
Colin McLeod
Herald Subscriptions
The Herald subscription envelope will accompany the next issue, no 154 for March 2012. Your support is appreciated.
Elaine
Diamond Harbour Playcentre Thanks You!
A big thank you to the community for supporting our fundraising fair back in November. We raised nearly $3500 for building a climbing structure at the Playcentre.
We would like to acknowledge the following groups and individuals who contributed to making the fair the success that it was: DH Community Association, DH Herald and Website, Snowdrop Cottage, Orton Bradley Park, all the people who donated baking for the cake stall, Graham, DH Ukulele Group, DH Fire Service, DH School Children and all of you who came to the fair - we could not have done it without you.
Raffle Results: 1st Joan Gladwyn, 2nd Gavin Millar, 3rd Anke Richter, 4th Jane Broughton, 5th Michelle Howard (all prizes have been collected).
Karen Broomhall
Profiling Diamond Harbour Area
Next month the Herald feature will be about our Community and Residents Associations. Following that we will look at organisations, groups and individuals who contribute to keeping us and our environment safe and healthy. To make this coverage as extensive as possible, please send any information to us at dhherald@gmail.com.
Elaine
Wandering Dogs
Last month a large stray dog went onto a property in Purau Ave and killed three bantams before running off when the property owner tried to detain it.
To report wandering dogs, you call CCC Dog Control at 941 8666 (go to after-hours service).
If you feel able to catch it and tie it up, or can identify its registration number, this would be helpful for the dog control staff.
Elaine
Contacting the Herald
Email: dhherald@gmail.com
News and Community Notices: Elaine 329 4512
Advertising, Classified and Display: Ron 329 3032
Payments and Accounts: Colin 329 4119
Boxes at the Diamond Harbour Post Centre and Church Bay Services are provided for subscriptions, pre-arranged payments, ad copy or news etc.
Deadline for March issue: 12 noon Wednesday, February 22.
Stoddart's Cottage News
Update following the June 13 Quake
Stoddart Cottage has suffered damage to its internal brickwork around the old fireplaces. The damage is to the best of our knowledge quite repairable, but where the cottage sits on the Councils priority we do not know, which means that we cannot use the building. We will let you know as soon as we receive more information about the repair timetable. Hopefully as the cottage is now one of the last historic buildings in the Diamond Harbour area this will be in the not so far distant future.
In the meantime the grounds remain one of our major concerns and as our income is severely limited this will have to be attended to on a voluntary basis. I will be gardening at the cottage on Wednesday afternoon, and if any gardener is prepared to help we would be delighted to see you there
Bryan Fowler (Secretary Stoddart's Cottage Trustees)
Update following the Feb 22 Quake
A Future for Stoddart's Cottage?
The cottage came through the first quake in September last year relatively unscathed and we were attempting to carry on as before, particularly as this was to be the cottage's 150th birthday.
However the February 22nd quake has changed the situation and there are now issues of considerable concern. The three chimneys have succumbed to internal crumbling which has affected the internal walls, and the cottage cannot be used for the time being.
The trustees feel that the damage will be relatively easy to repair, although when that might happen is in the lap of the Council.
We do, however, have long term concerns about the future of our cottage - not as a result of the recent earthquakes, but because of the lack of community support.
Our cottage garden is not as well cared for as in the past as we no longer have the necessary funds to employ a gardener. We are attempting to obtain funding from the council to cover at least a part of the cost of its upkeep, but this has been a slow process, which doubtless will be exacerbated by the quake. We feel that the cottage deserves a garden that truly complements its heritage status.
With Annie Baxter soon departing for Oamaru we will be down to five trustees - hardly a bare minimum.
As a community we need to ask ourselves what kind of future we see for the cottage.
As a museum?
As an art display area?
As a community area?
Or a mixture of these functions?
If we feel that the cottage is worth keeping and developing, then how do we go about it?
Anyone who is prepared to help in any way, or to suggest ways that we might go forward is invited to contact me on 329 3135 or bryan.f@xtra.co.nz.
Bryan Fowler (Secretary Stoddart's Cottage Trustees)
Stoddart's Cottage Website
Further details about the cottage are available on the Stoddart's Cottage website
Friends of the Cottage
Stoddart's Cottage is a wonderful asset to the whole community and the focus of many superb events throughout the year.
If you would like to support the Cottage, please consider becoming a Friend of the Cottage by paying an annual subscription of $24 (single), $36 (couple), or $36 (family) which is used to assist in its upkeep, maintenance and development. If you are already a Friend of the Cottage, we would like to remind you that subscriptions for 2010/11 are now due. The application form and payment details can be downloaded here...