Fiery feast out east

By Leon Gray-Lockhart
WHANGAMOMONA put on a hugely successful Republic Day celebration last weekend, drawing a crowd of over 5000 to the typically hushed hamlet.
Although scheduled to kick off at 10am on Saturday, January 24, the crowds began gathering in earnest much earlier than that, keeping local officials busy and setting an upbeat tone for the day to come.
In only a short time, the East Road entrance to Whangamomona was lined with around 2km worth of vehicles on both sides, meaning latecomers had a fairly substantial walk before hitting the festivities. However, a courtesy van was in place around a kilometre from the border, allowing those in need of a little assistance to arrive in comfort.
The main street was once again mobbed with a throng of eager republic supporters, some of which were dressed in 'garden party' themed clothing, including elegant and large hats, the occasional tuxedo combination and frocks ranging from neat and prim, to flowing and fabulous most of them accessorised with a bottle of ice-cold ale or a small glass of white wine.
Exciting events were set in motion from the beginning, all guided by the inviting and gregarious banter of master of ceremonies, Mark Coplestone, who, after declaring the event open, rounded up competitors for the infamous 'gutbuster' run featuring a wide variety of athletes from semi-professionals to small, determined children eager to prove themselves.
After the 'gutbuster', the gathered crowds were treated to a wide array of entertainments, including belly dancing, sheep shearing, whip cracking, a waterslide, wood cutting and farm machinery demonstrations and rides for the children.
However, for many the greatest entertainments seen by the crowd were the arrival of the heavily laden trains from Palmerston North and Auckland, brimming with excited visitors and swelling the gathered crowd numbers by hundreds. The excitement was no doubt reminiscent of when the first trains arrived around a century ago.
After the arrival of the first train from the south, excitement once more prevailed as the main street was roped off in preparation for the first sheep race of the day. With people in the crowd jockeying for prime viewing space, a buzz sizzled through the crowd yet, almost before it was even detected, it was over.
Once again, Murt Kennard was elected republic president, fighting off pointed challenges from two local ladies called Shirley and Joyce and a garden gnome called Bert.
As a celebration of 20 years as a republic, this Republic Day had an extra special glow for locals and once more, proved to be a fun and safe day for the entire family.
"We dealt with mainly headaches, and minor skin injuries," said spokesperson for St John Ambulance, Doug Ashby, "and we felt the event was generally very well-run."
Although four St John volunteers were on duty on the day, Doug was pleased to report there were very few injuries and nothing directly related to alcohol or alcohol-related disorder.
"We did have to fly two people out by chopper, but that was more to do with where the town is situated, not the seriousness of their injuries."
"We also had problems with our communication equipment. Our ambulance network doesn't cover this area, but we were fortunate to be able to co-ordinate with the fire service - their equipment has a better range. It was good to work in partnership with them," said Doug.
The day slowly wound down in the afternoon and the organisers once again looked back on what had been a glorious celebration of the unique experience of life in Whangamomona.