November 2005
HELLO EVERYONE
The last newsletter of the year, just in time for the Christmas Celebrations!………
Christmas Get Together
Tuesday 29th of November
Marine Rescue Centre
Mechanics Bay @ 7.30pm
A chance to get together, for a drink, a bite to eat, good conversation and memories. So come and celebrate the culmination of an extremely successful year.
Please bring something special to eat.
Tea, Coffee and juice provided.
Special Guest – Camilla from the Auckland Art Gallery is coming (after we ran out of time at the AGM) and talk about looking after your precious paper memories. Please bring examples that you would like her to look at.
Visitors are very welcome – please pass the invitation onto other people who might be interested in Camilla’s talk
Maintenance Update – an excerpt from Allan’s’ logbook
Working bee on 12th Nov 2005:
Great crowd appeared, we had John White. Peter Woolnough, Allen Collins, Roger French and his father Trevor, Thorsten. Joan, me and Susan while both Shirley Collins and Angela Woolnough tended to Bach 38.
Susan & Joan cleaned down the wall of the kitchen and stored stuff into jars. Thorsten removed front door and back door and redressed the bottoms so as not to rub on the floors; he also made up a mounting above the stove to hold the utensils. Once Roger returned from Rangi Wharf with extra materials we needed, was helped by Thorsten to remove rotted section of flooring at the front door. Peter and John checked last remaining pile and boxed it. John and Trevor removed front vertical panels and bolted 4X3 H4 timber to the piles under the house and started the timber rack system. Allen and Peter removed rotting corner boxing and some of the weatherboards and removed the single window that needs replacing completely and spliced a new section of framing. This has been protected by building paper and a sheet of ply on the inside.
Working bee on the 26th Nov we will complete the timber rack made the door and mount. It was decided a single door swinging away from front step is best. Then we will restack the timber there and make a start on the scaffolding and start on the Eastern wall properly.
My trip to the Island 29th is only to clean the section of dried Rhamnes trees cut by DoC and stacked around the back 114 creating a fire hazard. Takapuna young Rotarians are coming to do this and DoC will have the 3 ton trailer down at the tennis courts to be loaded.
AMP FINANCIAL SERVICES
OUR MAJOR FINANCIAL SPONSOR
2006 will start on the 14th of January but none on the Anniversary weekend. After that the schedule resumes as per normal. Please contact Allan by email or phone (he now has a cellphone 027 3091766).
Heritage Week – a success Heritage week was a success, we had a lot of visitors through Bach 38 and many were impressed with the work at the Prison Camp. To the volunteers who opened Bach 38 and gave talks and walks – A big Thank You.
Annual Fishing Competition On the suggestion of those who know the fish best, it has been decided to move the annual Fishing Competition to Easter. Apparently the fish bite better then?! The usual format and informalities will still apply.
Prison Camp Look out for the new sign that shows the way to the Prison Camp site on our open weekends – this was made with the funding from the Waiheke Community Board. A new brochure on the Prison Camp has been written. A copy accompanies this newsletter
Islington Bay Wharf is 80 years old This amazing fact comes from a newspaper report that has just recently come to hand. An excerpt from that report is below:The New Zealand Herald of 7 December 1925 reported on the opening of the first wharf at Islington Bay, built by the ‘week-enders’. The glowing account of the facility, the cheerful co-operation and undoubted successful future of the bay, filled an entire column.
Previously the weekenders had hired a launch to take them to the bay and used a punt to reach the shore. For the official opening by the Mayor of Devonport, the wharf was ‘bunting-festooned’ and an afternoon tea followed. Here are some excerpts:
‘The outstanding feature of the Islington Bay settlement is the co-operative spirit that has envisaged and accomplished improvements.’
‘the Domain Board were approached with a request for assistance in the construction of a wharf. A vote of £20 towards this was the result. To the design, and under the supervision of Mr. J. Loch, the little community toiled through the week-ends, contributing liberally from their own pockets towards the cost, and Saturday saw the culmination of their efforts in the official opening of a structure of which they are justifiably proud.’
‘Aucklanders, in their laudable desire for seaside summer residences, have come to realize that here is waiting undeveloped and unboomed, a big area that offers attractions more varied than are to be found in most parts of the Gulf’.
‘There was a consensus of opinion among the visitors that the people of the city had no idea of the charm of the spot, and that its progress in the future would be rapid.’
While the current structure is not actually 80 years old the original stonework can still be seen.
YOUR COMMITTEE – Don’t hesitate to ring any of them if you have any questions.Elizabeth Andrew – 634 1398 Newsletters,
Shirley Collins - 279 9819 Treasurer,
Membership and Wharf rep,
Susan Yoffe – 445 1894 Archives,
Hilary Noall – ph N/A Islington Bay rep,
Lois Eagles – 443 5536 Beacon End rep,
Allan Godsall – 634 0161 Maintenance,
Jim Mason – 446 6228 Patron.
Website: www.rangitoto.org
Plea for help/assistanceThe Trust needs new committee members and Trustees. Trustees meet 2 to 3 times year and the committee meets once a month. We need new skills particularly administration to help up move the Trust forward. Please ring Elizabeth if you can help.
Wishing all our Members a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
