Kamo High School 1995 ball clipping found in books given to Zonta

Anne Richards with the old Northern Advocate clipping found in a consignment of donated books. Photo/John Stone

Most years members of Whangarei's two Zonta clubs who collect and sort thousands of books before their huge annual sale find a personal treasure someone, sometime, meant to keep.

It's surprising what gets tucked into pages or between books on a shelf and accidentally handed over for the Great New Zealand Book Sale, says organiser Anne Richards.

This year someone might be missing their old copy of a Northern Advocate page of photos from the 1995 Kamo High School students' ball - which had a rather raunchy theme, Pillars of Love, styled on Greek and Roman classics.

According to the photos, the God and Goddess of the ball were Ben Webb and Karen Lowe.

"Somebody possibly meant to keep it," Ms Richards said.

"We can't help wondering who are these young people, where are they now, what are they doing?"

Anyone who wants the page returned can contact Ms Richards, on 09 459 7161.

Meanwhile, books continue to pour in for the annual Zonta Book Sale on July 29-30 at Forum North.

The Zonta Whangarei and Hatea clubs hope the total raised might exceed last year's $40,000.

The sorting process has stepped up, with volunteers working at a donated premises on Saturday mornings, in conveyor belt mode - as fast as books get packed into boxes, just as many new deliveries come through the door.

The books, puzzles and other material are sorted into 30 categories and eventually packed into more than 1000 banana boxes, ready for the big fundraising event.

The first Great New Zealand Book Sale held in 1993 raised about $1000.

Since then the event has put an estimated $300,000 back into the community in scholarships, donations to Women's Refuge and other support for women, education and promoting equal opportunities.

People with unwanted books can contact Ms Richards to arrange for collection or, better still, leave them at pick-up points at Cowley's Hire, the Discovery Settlers Hotel or Trimac Services.