Greg Imms, of the Kerikeri Volunteer Fire Brigade, receiving the King’s Service Medal (KSM) from Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Photo / Government House.
Mixed fortunes for waka ama teams in Hawaii
Several waka ama paddlers from the Far North competed last month in the Va’a World Sprint Championships in Hilo, Hawaii.
There were mixed results. Two teams, the under-16s from Kaitāia and Gisborne, were second and third respectively in the finals.
The paddlers from Ngā Hoe Horo (Kaitāia) and Horouta (Gisborne) were about to step up to the podium to receive their medals when they were told they had been disqualified.
They questioned the decision and were told the disqualification stood and the judges’ decision was final. The rules of the competition state that any challenge to the result must be made within 10 minutes of the conclusion of the race and their disqualification was advised by the judges two hours after the race ended.
They were told there was no video evidence available. In their place, two Hawaiian teams were moved up to second and third, and it meant three Hawaiian teams were first, second and third in that event.
Richard Ferguson, of Russell, competed in the over-75 category. His co-paddlers came from throughout New Zealand, and out of 17 contestants placed ninth overall. His grandchildren from Whangārei, though, had a great deal of success.
Two granddaughters won gold in the under-19 category paddling for Kaitāia’s Ngā Hoe Horo club. Four other grandchildren, aged 13, 15, 17 and 18, all won silver medals in their individual categories.
Rhonda Williams and Henrietta Maioha Sakey, of Paihia, contested the over-65 category. They made two finals but with a fifth and a seventh, didn’t feature on the podium.
Anahera Herbert-Graves, of the Ngā Hoe Horo club, said whānau watching from Pawarenga were either “screaming our lungs out for our kaihoe to kia tere or screaming at them to back up”.
Over 2800 paddlers from 27 countries contested the world sprint championships in Hawaii, 73 of them from New Zealand.
Nights at the Museum tours at Te Waimate Mission
The nights will come alive at Te Waimate Mission.
The second-oldest building in New Zealand will be hosting a series of exclusive night tours on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28.
Te Waimate Mission visitors can experience a tour lit by candlelight and journey back to the 1800s to find out about the people who used to live there long ago.
“We tried out a first night tour as part of an astrophotography course as part of Matariki, and the response was fantastic,” says Te Waimate Mission property lead Lindis Capper-Starr.
“We’re ready to go again with a series of tours that will have something for everyone.”
With two nights of tours to choose from, earlier twilight tours might be more suitable for smaller children and small groups of no more than 10.
“Other kids just love the dark and they are absolutely welcome to join in on the later tours,” she says.
Tours will last about 45 minutes. Hot drinks will be available on the veranda and the night garden is there for visitors to explore.
“This is the last opportunity to enjoy the special ambience of Te Waimate Mission at night before daylight saving kicks in and the days get longer with the return of summer,” says Lindis.
A 15-minute drive from Kerikeri and Kaikohe, Te Waimate Mission is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and is also a Tohu Whenua.
Bookings are essential.
https://events.humanitix.com/night-at-the-museum-te-waimate-mission
Kerikeri firefighter recognised with royal honour
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) volunteers and staff from throughout New Zealand were presented with their royal honours by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House in Wellington last week.
Arthur (Greg) Imms, of Kerikeri, received the King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fenz.
He has been a member of the Kerikeri Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1968, and rose through the ranks to become third officer. In more than 50 years of service, Imms has had a 92% attendance rate at callouts.
From 2008 to 2013, he was acting deputy chief fire officer, helping guide the brigade during a transitional period. He continues in the role of operational support and remains actively involved in running the brigade and attending callouts.
In his early years of service, he gave his time to help build the brigade through the acquisition of second-hand equipment. He has also supported St John Ambulance in Kerikeri, helping with difficult patient extractions at crash sites and resuscitations for cardiac arrest callouts.
When he joined the Kerikeri brigade, its 12 members responded to 11 callouts a year. Their fire truck was built during World War II and had room for two in the cab while the rest of the crew perched on the water tank.
Fifty-six years on and the brigade has more than 30 volunteers who respond to slightly under 300 callouts a year, most of which aren’t fires.
In 2019, he was awarded the 50-year service medal and was made an honorary life member of the brigade.
“If you’d told me when I joined I’d still be here in 50 years, I’d say you had rocks in your head, but it gets in your blood,” he said.
“It gives you self-esteem, confidence and purpose in life, although I’d still think twice about saying I enjoy it; but it’s like anything, you get out as much as you put in.”
War medals returned to Clendon House
Two war medals associated with the family of one of Northland’s most significant historic buildings have returned home.
The British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal — both awarded to Trevor Clendon Millar for his service during World War I — were presented to family and staff members of Clendon House at Rāwene and will be added to the Clendon House collection.
The two medals acknowledge Millar’s role as a medic with the New Zealand Medical Corp where he served in a Field Ambulance unit in France.
Once Millar’s home, Clendon House today is a Tohu Whenua cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga since it was purchased in 1972.
For David Clendon and his siblings growing up in the 1960s, Clendon House was simply Aunty Marge and Uncle Trevor’s house.
“Uncle Trevor didn’t talk much about his war experiences,” says David, who is also the Northland regional co-ordinator for Tohu Whenua.
“We didn’t know what he had gone through during the war, though his military record shows a man who was doing his duty in the face of constant danger.”
While he was in France, Trevor served in 1 Field Ambulance, which was not a vehicle, but a frontline unit of about 250 personnel that treated men injured in battle. Although not serving as combatants, they were still working at the front line.
It seems Uncle Trevor volunteered to serve again in 1940 after World War II broke out, but his enlistment was cancelled because he was overage.
The medals were presented to Clendon House by Trevor Clendon Millar’s granddaughter, Susan Millar, and her son Adam. Both are based in Perth and were visiting New Zealand.
The medals will join other collection items relating to Trevor’s war service, including his army uniform jacket, rucksack, medical chest and several war photographs of him in uniform.
Bocky Boo Gelato opened in Whangārei in 2019 and quickly became a local favourite.