Many motorists bypass Waipu these days, and those who don't would not expect to be accosted by a lady bearing gifts, but that's what happened to Kaikohe couple Tony and Debbie Taylor as they headed home from Auckland last week.
An employee phoned the couple to tell them that someonehad missed them in Kaikohe wanted to meet them in Waipu. 'Someone' turned out to be Elaine Goldthorpe, from the Whangarei Cake Decorators' Guild, who was keen to hand over the guild's August Good Sorts Cake Award.
She had also had a cake for Moerewa man Laurie Anderson, who gives a huge amount of time to working with youth in his community.
Tony and Debbie ("We were both nominated, but someone had to take the photo," Debbie said) made the grade by virtue of their good deeds in Kaikohe, not least launching the community watch page on Facebook, which had had a significant impact on the town's crime rate. It had also helped find lost children and pets.
He and Debbie were also keen and active supporters of the Kaikohe speedway, while the couple had operated a 24/7 vehicle recovery business for more than 15 years.
Tony was a member of the local business association and fire brigade, while Debbie's multitude of roles was recently augmented by her joining the Northland Age team.
Nominations for the monthly Good Sort Cake Award can be made to Elaine (elainegold@xtra.co.nz), with up to 300 words explaining who the person is and why they deserve to be recognised. She would also be delighted to hear from anyone in the Kaitaia area who might be interested in establishing another guild there.
