Tokomaru Bay wharf fundraiser nets $8700

SAVING HISTORY: A community fundraiser organised by Tokomaru Bay Heritage Trust has raised $8700 towards the restoration of the historic Tokomaru Bay wharf. File picture

WITH A Little Help From My Friends was an apt choice for the Jefferd family to sing at a community fundraiser last Saturday for the restoration of the historic Tokomaru Bay wharf.

Koha for various performances and auctioned artworks raised $8700 towards the $2 million-plus project.

“Baye Riddell is a world-class potter but he’s such a talented musician as well and he was one of the star acts,” said Tokomaru Bay Heritage Trust committee member Andrew Jefferd.

Along with a pottery work created by Mr Riddell that sold for $700, auctioned items included a watercolour of the wharf.

Painted by Tokomaru Bay resident Roger Shanks, the watercolour sold for $1170.

A table made by Barry Walsh from loose timbers removed from the wharf sold for $1500.

“The old wharf is starting to disintegrate,” Mr Jefferd said.

“Some of the planks need to be taken off for safety reasons. Some of those timbers were recycled into the table.”

Angela Busby created an artwork from salvaged wharf timbers, which even included long nails from the structure. The nails were fixed in the shape of the letter W on a piece of timber, which stands for Waima, the part of Tokomaru Bay that is home to the wharf.

After various performances, such as the Jefferd family’s medley of The Beatles songs, the floor was opened to karaoke, and the audience opened their wallets to make more contributions to the collection.

The day before New Year’s Eve was a busy time to organise a community fundraiser but the upside was a lot of people’s family members were home, Mr Jefferd said.

“The fundraiser was a wonderful community event that drew people together from all walks of life. There was a wonderful feeling of togetherness. Everyone was really happy.”