Stone walls along Three Mile Bush Rd, Whangārei, and author Kate Ballard who has written a book on them and a second book on the stone walls of Bay of Islands and Kaikohe.
Stone walls along Three Mile Bush Rd, Whangārei, and author Kate Ballard who has written a book on them and a second book on the stone walls of Bay of Islands and Kaikohe.
Northern Advocate contributor Sandy Myhre writes a weekly column of news, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and Mid North. mywordmedia@yahoo.com
A chronicler of stone walls
Kate Ballard is fascinated by dry stone walls. So much so she has written a second book on the subject called Stone WallCountry, the Dry Stone Walls of Bay of Islands and Kaikohe, and self-published.
The origin of the stones and the people who built them are based on the recollections of living people who give an overview of how the walls were built.
The district has hundreds of kilometres of dry stone walls and they are a defining feature of the landscape in several areas. It is no accident that those areas are dominated by small volcanic cones and the walls have become as much a part of the landscape as the cones from which they originated.
They are scattered throughout the district, wherever there are rocks from the volcanic eruptions - south at Pakaraka and Tautoro, east to Kerikeri and Waitangi, north to Okaihau and west to Taheke.
Kate makes specific mention of Esther Horton who has a direct connection to the original wallers in the Edmonds-Inlet Rd area of Kerikeri.
"She is a descendant of John Edmonds who built what is now Edmonds Ruins and the surrounding dry stone walls in the 1840s and 50s and some of these walls are on Esther's property."
She has lived in Northland most of her life. She was farming at Whakapara until recently but now lives in Kamo.
Cassandra Gaisford with one of her dramatic artworks. She is based in Kerikeri and is also an author and life coach.
Kerikeri therapist, author, artist, coach
Reading Cassandra Gaisford's life story is enough to make you breathless. She is a high achiever and multi-tasker.
She is an award-winning artist, best-selling author, she heads up her own publishing company, she's a therapist who uses what she calls chromology and, just when you thought it couldn't get any more complex or varied, she's a Reiki master.
First, the art. She was the supreme winner of the Wai Art Awards and a finalist in the Adam's Portrait award. She has participated in various overseas workshops including a fresco painting workshop in Florence, and a Sumi-E ink painting workshop in Hawaii.
When she sells a piece of art, or when she signs someone up to her creativity workshops, she donates some of that money to Women's Refuge.
She has become an Amazon best-selling author with titles that include Art of Success: Leonardo da Vinci, The Happy, Healthy Artist, Mid-Life Career Rescue, How to Find Your Passion and Purpose, among others that include works of fiction and non-fiction including Where is Salvator Munti? and The Art of Deception.
Getting her Happy at Work book published was a mission filled with disappointment. The book came about because as the owner of coaching firm Worklife Solutions, she had a passion to help people make informed career choices.
"I had interest from a literary agent who flew out from New York to talk about it but ultimately, the US agent's promises evaporated."
She solved the problem by starting a publishing company, which gave her creative control.
"I taught myself InDesign, took the photos, sourced the quotes, edited, proofread, found a printer and now I am managing publishing, marketing and publicity," she said.
Then there is the life and career coaching side to her work. She says clients call her "the queen of uplifting inspiration" and she believes in the "power of love, spirituality and creativity to transform your life."
She says she has lived a chameleon life who has had horror jobs and yet some "millionaire moments".
http://www.cassandragaisford.com
Members of Far North Search and Rescue. Ian Riddell of Kerikeri is at centre.
Land Search and Rescue award
The Land Search and Rescue Plaque Award recognises volunteers who have made a significant contribution to the organisation over a period of 15 years or more.
LSAR recently awarded the Land Search and Rescue Plaque to Ian Riddell, of Kerikeri, for his efforts with Far North Search and Rescue.
His career spans at least 15 years and in that time he has been a field team member, a field team leader, a group training officer, group chairman, and he serves on the Incident Management Team (IMT) where his role is planning.
His leadership skills were recognised and his positive influence on team morale and his ability to encourage others to step forward into leadership positions.
The citation read, in part: "Ian is always thinking ahead with an aim of preparing and positioning Far North SAR to provide a professional service to our community."
Ian Riddell of Far North Search and Rescue and the recipient of the Land Search and Rescue Plaque.
He was instrumental in the development of Far North Search and Rescue's first constitution to become a registered charity, and he built the case and support for WanderSearch in the group's area.
Far North Search and Rescue is made up of volunteers. They cover the area from around Hūkerenui to Cape Reinga and will assist the Whangārei group when required. Volunteers from both groups often join together for training.
If you want to become a member of Far North Search and Rescue, go to the website: https://www.landsar.org.nz
Wharepuke Exhibition Art at Wharepuke featuring 114 prints from professional printmakers to part-time and emerging artists. Until December 12.
Postcards from North and South
Postcards from North & South is a collaborative exhibition that was established in 2013 by members of two Australian print groups – Townsville's Press North Printmakers in Queensland and Melbourne's Firestation Print Studio.
An international guest partner has been included in the exhibition and this year's exhibiting partner is the Print Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ). Exhibiting galleries include Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford, Creative Arts Napier and Art at Wharepuke, Kerikeri.
The exhibition features 114 prints from members of the three groups whose careers range from professional printmakers to part-time and emerging artists. The Print Council of Aotearoa NZ put a cap of 50 participants for its contribution. Prints are limited to postcard size (paper size 10x15 cm) to ensure an economical and manageable project that can be hosted by each group.
The Tall Ships race in Russell in January 2022 has been cancelled. Photo/Tui Allen
Tall Ships scuppered
The Russell Boating Club has decided to cancel the Tall Ships event in January because of the uncertainly caused by the Covid 19 restrictions.
In making the announcement, the committee said everyone was in agreement that it would not do the event any justice by changing or downgrading it from the way it is usually run. An alternative race is being considered and will be announced shortly.
