Rob and Sandra Faulkner and their family have been blown away by the level of support they have received since fire destroyed their 40-year-old woolshed on Saturday morning.
Rob and Sandra Faulkner and their family have been blown away by the level of support they have received since fire destroyed their 40-year-old woolshed on Saturday morning.
The Faulkner family on Wairakaia Station say they are “beyond grateful” for the huge amount of support since their devastating woolshed fire on Saturday.
The 40-year-old building at Muriwai went up in flames at about 9am that day and was destroyed.
The cause was put down to anelectrical fault.
“We are beyond grateful for all the love and support we have received from near and far,” Rob Faulkner said.
“Special thanks to Bruce Graham, Sandra Matthews, Richard and Karen Schofield, Matt Wyeth, Lynley Wyeth and Ally Greaves from AA Earthmovers.
“We also hugely appreciated the work of the volunteer firefighters and the firefighters from the Gisborne brigade.”
Fire crews from the city and rural brigades were there for several hours dealing with the fire and dampening down the remains.
Faulkner said it was “tough” to lose the woolshed, which was built by his father Rodney.
“It was built with timbers from the property and had a painstakingly finished tongue and groove eucalyptus saligna floor, which was glorious for great dancing.”
Fire destroyed the woolshed on Wairakaia Station at Muriwai on Saturday morning and it has been put down to some sort of electrical fault in the shed.
The woolshed was a community facility, with birthdays, farewells, organ recitals, and field days. In 2005 the family held their centenary there.
Cause of Ngaio St fire still undetermined
Fire investigators are yet to confirm the cause of the fire that destroyed two sheds, and a caravan and badly damaged a Gisborne house over the weekend.
The Ngaio Street blaze was fanned by strong southerly winds.
The investigators confirmed the fire started in a shed on the main property and spread from there.
“The incident is still under investigation,” a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) fire investigator told the Gisborne Herald.
Firefighters had a string of calls on Tuesday around the region.
The Gisborne brigade sent a water tanker to Wairoa to assist fire crews in tackling a vegetation fire on a hillside in Ngamotu Road at about 7.30pm.
It covered an area of about half a hectare, a senior firefighter said.
“Two helicopters with monsoon buckets were also called in.”
Fenz in Gisborne sent an appliance with crews from Eastland Rural Fire to deal with a small driftwood and grass fire on Centennial Marine Drive at about 7.30pm that night.
At 5.15am on Wednesday a fire crew was called to put out a burning car in Paraone Rd, Kaiti.
“The cause was suspicious and police were advised.”
The vehicle was severely damaged.
Fenz new local advisory appointments for Tairāwhiti
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has announced five new appointments which will more than double the size of the local advisory committee in Tairāwhiti.
Local advisory committees (LACs) are independent committees around New Zealand which provide advice with a strong local perspective to help Fenz understand communities’ needs and engage with them effectively.
The Tairāwhiti LAC has five new members: Erana Reedy, Joseph McClutchie, William Tamatea, Jordan Walker, and Dr Raaniera Te Whata. They will join Hikihiki Pihema, Shane McClutchie, and Tee Montgomery, bringing the membership to eight.
“Ngā komiti tohutohu ā-rohe local advisory committees bring a strong community voice to the work of [Fenz], so we know how to support their communities in the best way possible, to prepare for and respond to emergencies when they happen,” Tairāwhiti district manager Peter Clark said.
“LAC members are appointed for their demonstrated commitment to their communities, and they bring strong local knowledge and connections. Over its first term, the Tairāwhiti local advisory committee has provided valuable advice ... contributing to the fire safety and resilience of its community.”
The new members will be formally welcomed to the LAC role in December.
