Johanna Lees holds granddaughter Georgia Cording, a best dressed tartan in the park winner. Photos/Julie Paton
Highland Games in Waipu
Once again, the crowds flocked to Waipu's Caledonian Park for the annual Highland Games, this year the 148th year of celebrating the town's Scottish heritage.
The games were opened by Patrick Hellier, eight-time winner of the Waipu heavyweight competition, and the rain stayed away all day, letting the thousands of visitors enjoy the food and entertainment on offer.
Canadian visitor Susie Lajoie, the sole woman heavyweight competitor, was a hit with the crowd as she threw hammers and tossed sheafs alongside the male competitors. The heavyweight novice section competitors proved their strength in the tug of war competition, bringing down a "best of the rest" team which had fought its way through to the final.
Best dressed Tartan in the Park girls' winner was one of the youngest people visiting the park – 9-week-old Georgia Cording, from Auckland. Grandma Johanna Lees stayed up all night to create the tartan dress for her first granddaughter, using Royal Stewart tartan as she couldn't find any of their family clan Fraser tartan. Boys winner was Faelan Smith, Ted Tebrake won the men's section and Fay Cameron the women's.
In piping, the Helen McGregor Memorial Trophy (held on New Year's Eve) was won by Adam Michie, pipe major of the New Zealand Police Band. Campbell Wilson won both the U21 2/4 march and piobaireachd, qualifying events for the William Boyle Memorial Scholarship. Greg Wilson won the Cock O' the North trophy for the strathspey and reel, and Liam Kernaghan won the Angus McDonald trophy for the 2/4 march.
In Highland Dancing, some North Island championship competitions were held at the games – the NIC Highland Fling Open (winner Angus Hendry); the NIC Highland Reel U18 (Imogen Grayson); the NIC Sailors Hornpipe U16 (Georgia Smith).
Bream Bay Sports Awards
Nominations for the 2019 Bream Bay Sports Awards are now open. The awards, which began in 1990, were revived last year after a hiatus of more than a decade. Nominations close 20 January, so make sure that people in your sports club or team get the recognition they deserve. Visit the awards website: breambaysportsawards.co.nz for all the details on the awards and the official nomination form
The qualifying period for awards is January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018.
Categories are: junior sportsperson, junior team, masters' sportsperson, senior team, sportsman of the year, sportswoman of the year, coach of the year, referee of the year, service to sport, leadership in sport and community impact. The Supreme award is decided by judges from among the winners of all award categories. This year there is a new category, the Firth People's Choice award, chosen by public vote through the Bream Bay sports awards website from the nominees in all categories. Awards will be presented at a gala dinner in Waipu's Celtic Barn on March 1 – dinner tickets can also be purchased through the website.
Scavengers closed for holidays
Yvonne Judge of Scavengers, Ruakākā second-hand and recycling shop, wishes her customers a happy new year and reminds them that Scavengers is closed until January 8. She asks that people do not drop any goods off while the shop is closed but says if people are really desperate to either buy or donate items, they can contact her on 4327051 and she will arrange something for them. From January 8, Scavengers will once again be open each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30am to 1pm.
Racing on Saturday
It's the biggest day of the year this Saturday at the Ruakākā Races. Gates open for the Interislander Summer Festival at 11am with racing under way at 12.30pm. For details on bus services to the races, check out the Ruakākā Races facebook page. Entry to the races is free for under 18s, $10 for adults.
There is plenty of fun family entertainment on offer – the kids' zone offers RockUp rockwall climbing, vertical bungy, Caro's Crazy Critters petting zoo and a bouncy castle. During the afternoon there will be a tug of war between the lifesavers and all the children at the track – it has become a tradition at the racecourse that after manning the beach for most of the afternoon, the lifesavers come on to the track and take on the kids in a best of three tug of war match. There is also sack racing and the Skinnies race to find the fastest kid on the track.
Email Julie Paton at moojoy@xtra.co.nz if you've got Bream Bay news to share with Advocate readers.