5 May 2023 Devonport Flagstaff

Page 27

May 5, 2023

Cyclist in hospital after Vauxhall Rd crash... p3

Local teen wins national paddleboard title... p9

Interview: TGS duo co-create musical... p18-19

Wealthy family buys former council building

One of New Zealand’s richest families has bought the former Devonport Borough Council building at 3 Victoria Rd and plans to turn it into an upmarket restaurant serving wines from its Waiheke vineyard.

The Spencer family, which owns a large parcel of land at Stanley Point, has purchased

the building for $2 million, the Flagstaff understands. The offer was far in excess of others lodged of around $1million or less. Berridge Spencer, son of the late magnate John Spencer, who died in 2016, plans to establish the restaurant and have an office upstairs, the Flagstaff has been told.It is understood substantial earth-

quake-strengthening and modifications will be completed before the restaurant opens.

One of the attractions of a hospitality business is thought to be as an outlet for the Man O’ War wines produced at the Spencers’ Waiheke Island vineyard. Eke Panuku confirmed the building has sold with settlement on May 17.

Stars add sparkle to athletics prize-giving

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Old-schOOl extra-mile service and tip-tOp results, time after time Helen Michell 021 210 3228 alt OG ether B etter Licensed under the reA Act 2008
Role models... International pole-vaulters Imogen Ayris (left) and Eliza McCartney flank seven-year-old Makaia Anesi (7) of Hauraki at the Takapuna Athletics Club prize-giving on Sunday. Makaia won a trophy for a season in which she set a club shot-put record for her age group. McCartney rejoins local club, page 2.

New 31-unit development in Bayswater

Work on Bayswater church-site project expected soon

Bayswater build... An image of the town-house project planned for the former St Luke’s Church site

Courtside… an image of the new development at right with Belmont Park Racquets Club in the foreground

Thirty-one townhouses will be built on the former St Luke’s Catholic Church site in Bayswater.

The 3142sqm plot of land next to the Belmont Racquets Club on Bayswater Ave was sold by tender in April this year.

The Tucana development will include two-, three- and four-bedroom homes.

They are being sold off the plans for a 10 or 20 per cent deposit (dependent on purchaser circumstances). The build is expected to be completed by 2023.

Prices are not included in the Tucana information pack but rents have been appraised at $650 to $750 per week depending on the property size.

McCartney rejoins girlhood athletics club

Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney has rejoined the club where she started her athletics career as a Devonport schoolgirl.

The surprise guest was a popular sight at Takapuna Athletics Club’s prizegiving last weekend, joining fellow international pole-vaulter and Takapuna Grammar School old girl Imogen Ayris, who launched a fund to help families struggling with club membership fees. Both women contributed new training shoes to a silent auction.

McCartney told the Flagstaff it felt right knowing she would once again compete in the blue-and-yellow singlet. “I still feel so strongly because Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) also had the same colours,” she added.

McCartney, 26, said high jump had been her favourite event when she started competing

for the club at age 10 or 11. But she ended up shifting to the Harbour Bays Club, because it was then the only club to have vaulting poles.

McCartney’s career has been reignited by a strong summer season after a long struggle with injuries.

For Ayris, 22, who followed McCartney through TGS, her time as an all-rounder at the Takapuna club started when she was six. “It was always the highlight of the week.” Although the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist trains with McCartney at the Millenium Stadium, she is still a regular back at Onewa Domain, helping out youngsters on club nights.

Ayris and McCartney head to Europe to compete next month. McCartney has qualified for the world championships in Hungary in August, while Ayris has yet to make the cut.

“The town houses are spread over three levels, all come with one dedicated carpark or garage. Sitting on freehold titles and they also come with 10 years of Building Warranty Insurance,” the Tucana information pack says.

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An artist’s impression of what the new townhouses

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 2 May 5, 2023 09 445 9800 SIMON WATTS MP for North Shore Authorised by Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn. northshore@parliament.govt.nz simonwattsmp November 19, 2021 The DevoNporT FlagsTaFF page 9
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Bayswater landmark’s redevelopment moves closer

Boating club floats new plan for heritage building

The revitalisation of a heritage boating-club building at Bayswater is a step closer after Auckland Council last week signed off on moves towards loosening legislation gov erning its use.

The Takapuna Boating Club is looking to expand its operations back to its original site in Bayswater, in an ambitious plan to renovate a dilapidated local landmark.

The club hopes to use the lower two floors of the wooden Bayswater boathouse, and look for a commercial tenant, such as a cafe or restaurant, for the top floor.

Borough Council.

Watts is sponsoring a local bill to amend the 1923 act.

With council sign-off secured, he expects to get it on the legislative programme before this year’s general election.

Community use is also to be part of the plan, which includes decking over a silted-up saltwater pool to provide walkway access from the marina area to a waterside reserve to the north.

Its owner, the Takapuna Boating Club, wants to restore the building and lease some of it out, partly as a cafe or restaurant, making its restoration and long-term future more viable.

But to do so, conditions enshrined in a 1923 Act of Parliament restricting the building’s use to boating and community purposes need to be changed.

Club vice-commodore James Jordan told the Flagstaff the club was keen to bring sailing back to Bayswater, in addition to its existing activities off The Strand at Takapuna Beach.

“We believe it’s our responsibility to return the club to what it was,” he said. “[The building] can never be repeated.”

“This is a real step further,” club commodore James Jordan said.

Jordan said fundraising would be needed to meet an expected cost of $750,000 to get the building up to standard. Most of that would be spent on rebuilding three levels of decks and exterior repainting. Having been reroofed over a decade ago and rid of asbestos and pigeons, it was in better shape inside than outside, he said.

Renovations to the heritage-listed boathouse could cost up to $2 million and would likely be done in stages as money allowed, said Jordan. The building was structurally sound. Its exterior could not be altered, but interior alterations could be undertaken.

A community meeting in the next month or two would inform locals about plans and seek feedback. “We’ve got to get some ideas for it.”

This could include using the building’s middle level for meeting space, available for community use.

Ideas mooted several years back to sell the building were “completely off the table”, he said, with the club now keen to work with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and the community on enhancing it.

Brighter future... Auckland Council has backed a law change to allow different uses of the heritage boat-club building at Bayswater

Jordan credited both North Shore MP Simon Watts and the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board for their help in advancing the matter.

Due to the building’s complicated legal history, dating back to a 1923 Act of Parliament, the club has had its hands tied in renting out the building for gain. Use for boating and bathing rooms and as a social hub was allowed for.

But North Shore MP Simon Watts has brokered a possible solution, working with political advisers and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives to come up with a draft legislative change. If passed, this would allow the club to generate revenue to properly maintain and upgrade the building.

North Shore ward councillors Chris Darby and Richard Hills put the motion to the council governing body last month.

The council is involved because the original legislation names what were then the Auckland Harbour Board and the Takapuna

Jordan said the club was keen to bring more boating and sailing back to Bayswater, which was its original home base. Although tides were a factor limiting the scope of sailing from there, it was a good location for the growing sports of foiling and kiteboarding. A windsurfer hire company already operated from the building.

Until the 1950s, the boating club was a community hub, hosting dances, and with a now inoperative saltwater swimming pool.

Police investigate after cycle crash in Vauxhall Rd

It is believed a bill to enact the change would need to be sponsored by the body closest to the original vesting entity, which was the Takapuna Borough Council, so it may fall to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board or Auckland Council itself.

Watts last week outlined to four members of the local board and representatives of the boating

Back to the future... Takapuna Boating Club’s Baywater building as it is today (top), and an impression of how it might look after renovation (above) club that it would likely take around a year to get a bill through select-committee processes if it attracted cross-party support, as he hoped it would. He was not able to sponsor a local bill, but would do what he could to usher it through.

First, the local board or council would need to notify Parliament of the intention to put the bill forward.

Board chair Ruth Jackson urged the boating

Public Meeting on Crime

with Simon Watts MP for North Shore and guest Simeon Brown MP, Spokesperson for Police

club to let Bayswater locals know its intentions. “Nobody wants to see the building fall down,” she said.

Board members present were generally supportive of the idea of the boathouse being revitalised, but wanted advice from Auckland Council’s legal team to better understand the legislation and processes.

A cyclist left in a critical condition after a crash on Vauxhall Rd on Thursday last week remained in hospital in a stable condition early this week.

Police were unwilling to reveal any further details about the incident at 5.45am, near the intersection with Tainui Rd, which led to the road being closed for several hours.

Jordan also outlined the plan to a local-board forum last week, where he said a staged renovation over two or three years was envisaged, once the legislation was changed.

The club, which was looking at setting up a separate trust to run the building, was happy to work with Auckland Council’s heritage team, he said.

“An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is underway. As such, we are unable to respond to your specific questions while this is ongoing,” a police spokesperson said.

The building was originally transported by barge from Panmure. Its roof was replaced in 2011.

Monday 12 July, 7pm The Rose Centre, School Rd, Belmont

Aftermath... police photographing near the accident site last Thursday

Board member Toni van Tonder said, “Everyone shares an aspiration to see this building brought back to life.”

A road bike with its rear wheel missing was propped up in front of Vauxhall Rose Salon, while police photographed the scene.

But member Aidan Bennett noted the “chicken and egg” aspect to getting the project underway. “The community, the council and the Government, all have to be lined up in a row.”

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RSA identity in good shape after health hiccup

Recently appointed Devonport RSA life member Howard Mace has fully recovered after needing medical assistance at the Anzac Day service last week.

“I played nine holes of golf yesterday,” Mace told the Flagstaff last Friday.

Ambulance and medical personnel went to a seated Mace’s aid at the Devonport Anzac service.

“I nearly fainted – my blood pressure was low,” he said.

He was given an electrocardiogram in an ambulance. “And my ticker was okay.” He hadn’t needed to go to hospital.

Later in the week, he enjoyed further Anzac events including Navy historian Michael Wynd’s talk at the RSA on the Battle of the River Plate, prior to the screening of a film at the Vic cinema about the battle.

Mace appreciated the concern of all the locals who had been in touch enquiring about his health. Helping hands… Mace receives assistance

OCR vs Inflation

The Reserve Bank mandate to tame inflation through raising the Official Cash Rate (OCR) is a very blunt instrument on its own – it requires both personal and government fiscal resstraint as well, given that half the population has no debt and in fact enjoys the higher interest rates on their deposits, so they are not easily constrained!

Many of the ‘non discretionary’ price rises, such as rents, mortgages, rates, insurance, transport, health and education etc – are outside of most people’s control/demand (they reduce disposable incomes and act like a tax hike), so it’s unfortunate to increase interest rates to manage this. And then there are ‘discretionary’ price rises such as nonessential food (eg tomatoes in winter), cigarettes, alcohol, entertainment, gadgets, holidays etc, which consumers can choose not to buy or substitute away from them, so again unfortunate for borrowers. OCR changes do have a more direct impact on credit growth (ie borrowing demand), which does help to contain spending – hopefully for borrowers the tightening cycle is coming to an end soon!

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 5
(above) at the Devonport Anzac Day service.
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Briefs

Days only at Corelli’s

One of Devonport’s most popular caferestaurants is closing at nights over winter, primarily due to staff shortages. Correilli’s Cafe will be open from 7am till 5pm, seven days a week, until daylight saving starts in September.

Hospice upgrade finished

Harbour Hospice is hoping fundraising will bring in the last $50,000 of the $20 million spent upgrading its North Shore facility. The project in Takapuna is now finished, with final planting and car-park marking completed at the Shea Tce site, after extra beds became available and facilities opened progressively over the last year.

Grammar sailing promise

The Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) sailing team came fourth at the secondary schools team nationals over the school holidays. TGS won the competition last year, but many of that team have since left school. The future looks bright, however, for a team including three Year 9 students and star prodigy Will Mason, who recently won national titles in both the Optimist and Starling classes.

Landmark takeaway changes hands

Flagstaff reporter Lochlan Lineham revists an old favourite

I’m sure hearing Cheltenham takeaway outlet Bema (pictured at right) is changing ownership will bring up many emotions and memories for plenty of locals. It did for me.

For two decades, Alex Yang has been filling the stomachs of spotty teenagers, Range Rover-driving soccer mums, ute-driving dads and hungover partygoers with food that made Bema a landmark on Vauxhall Rd.

Though the place will continue to operate as a fish-and-chips shop, I know I’ll miss ringing up and getting Yang’s no-nonsense greeting, “Hello. What do you want?”

Upon hearing the news of him selling the business, I decided it would be best to scrap whatever plans I had to cook a flat dinner and instead bring home two chicken burgers, four hash browns, two pieces of snapper and two scoops of chips to feed three hungry mouths.

Arriving to pick up my order reminded me of some of things that make Bema so special.

It’s the kind of humble fish-and-chips shop that’s getting increasingly harder to find.

The massive menu board spanning nearly the width of the premises, the poster of New Zealand fish species, the drinks fridge humming noisily, the long wooden table carrying magazines from 2012 and the Coca-Cola signage all create an atmosphere you can’t help but love.

Opening my final parcel from Yang’s Bema felt cinematic.

Squirting a big blob of tomato sauce on the side of the paper and biting into my burger, with its three perfectly crumbed chicken tenders, took me back to a simpler time, when lolly bags were a dollar and my biggest concern was not being late to football practice after school.

In a world of $20 smash burgers and $14 hazy IPAs, it’s hard to find an affordable place to eat, somewhere that isn’t trying to appeal to Gen-Xers with deep pockets.

Bema has been one of the few modest takeaways on the peninsula, where a high schooler can stop by on their way home and get a hamburger and one of the best milkshakes around for less than seven dollars.

Bema hasn’t ever tried to be anything it isn’t.

The cheap kai, classic atmosphere and amazing location make it one of the gems of Devonport. I sincerely hope it remains just that under its new ownership.

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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 8 May 5, 2023

Local teen wins NZ paddleboard title

Takapuna Grammar School student Rosara Davis was among North Shore paddleboarders who claimed national titles on their home waters at Takapuna this month.

Fourteen-year-old Rosara became the youngest boarder to win the national senior women’s stand-up paddleboard (SUP) title.

Devonport paddlers Jonno Leonard (over-50s) and Bruce Curson (over-40s) both won their age divisions, while Rosara’s younger sister, Iris, one of the youngest competitors, claimed the under-12 title.

Year 10 student Rosara, who lives in Hauraki, said she was a little bit surprised to win. For her, the appeal of the sport was “just getting out on the water and having fun”.

She has other sporting interests: After the SUP championships she headed to kayaking nationals on Lake Karapiro, before returning to take part in the TGS cycling programme.

But paddleboarding is her main sporting focus. She hopes to attend world events later this year.

A trip to Puerto Rico in 2022 gave Rosara a taste of international competition. But if she gets to the world championships in Thailand this year, her national title means she will compete for the first time in the official black singlet.

Takapuna-based paddler, Ollie Houghton, won his fourth national men’s title, days

before flying out to compete on the sport’s European tour.

Twenty-three-year-old Houghton will race in Spain, Portugal, France and Germany in the coming weeks, with expectations of being in the top 10 competitors.

The former Rosmini College student won his first national title, aged 16, in 2016, but put paddleboarding on the backburner while at university. He collected his other titles in 2019 and 2021.

Around 80 athletes from New Zealand and Australia competed over three days in the nationals. The venue was to have been Takapuna Beach, but after a blustery opening day of sprints on 14 April, with winds reaching 30 knots, the technical and long-distance events had to be moved to Lake Pupuke.

Finalists followed a 14-buoy course over 2.5km, ahead of a 12km distance race.

Many of the Takapuna-based paddlers, including Houghton and Rosara, got their start in the sport through the local Beach Series. “We’ve got a really awesome racing scene,” Rosara said.

Takapuna resident Marlene Bergh won the masters (over 50) division, before finishing second overall to Rosara, with Maddie McAsey from Northcote in third. Other winners of note included former yachting star Chris Dickson, who won the over-60 section.

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 9
On home waters... National SUP title winner Rosara Davis in action off Takapuna Beach
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harcourts.co.nz Contributor
May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 11 harcourts.co.nz Contributor to realestate.co.nz

The idea of dedicated ferries to carry Auckland cyclists across the harbour from the Devonport Peninsula is worth serious consideration.

George Bourke of commercial boating operator Hauraki Express presented the option of bike ferries to Auckland Council’s transport and infrastructure committee April meeting.

The proposed service would use existing boat ramps and jetties at Bayswater, Birkenhead, Stanley Point, Westhaven and Okahu Bay to connect commuting cyclists to cycleways.

Hauraki Express plans to use aluminium boats purpose-built in New Zealand and powered by electric outboard motors.

The ferries would have capacity for 24 cyclists and could go further afield to Waiheke Island.

Separate boat transport for bikes (and motorbikes and scooters) is nothing new and commonplace in many places overseas. I’ve personally seen them operate successfully

in Europe and Asia.

The current Fullers ferries are incapable of meeting the demand for cross-harbour bike users, with cyclists often left stranded on the Devonport side when capacity is reached.

Whether the demand – ever-increasing with the rise in electric-bike ownership – will be met with Auckland Transport’s new electric ferries (the first scheduled for introduction in 2024) remains to be seen.

The use of jetties at Stanley Bay (no longer serviced by ferries) and Bayswater (an underutilised facility) would remove any potential conflict with passenger ferries to and from Devonport Wharf.

The issue is money, of course. The Hauraki Express option would require some form of subsidy from the public coffers.

But if the well-intended, heavily subsidised but ultimately flawed AT Local ride-share service merited a prolonged trial, surely bike ferries during commuter hours are worth a go.

KFC is coming to Devonport. And Devonport singer Prema Smith is about to release a new single.

Both these things are true. But the news relates to Devonport,Tasmania.

Due to the quirks of online communications, the Flagstaff was sent press releases on both events.

Were robots at work? Automated writ-

ing-and-editing software might well have picked up the releases and run them as fact.

I’m generally supportive of the lower speed limits around Devonport. But when I did a couple of laps around the township on Sunday, checking for any flood damage, I found keeping to the limits surprisingly difficult. Along the King Edward Pde waterfront (a 30km/h area) I found myself drifting up to 40km/h without feeling I was speeding particularly.

I’m not a great fan though of Auckland Transport’s implementation of changes, typically with a myriad of signs – and in the latest iteration, swathes of blot-on-thelandscape red road paint at several intersections. I wonder if at some stage speed cameras will be brought in to help enforce the limits. That would be a very unpopular revenue gatherer.

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 12 May 5, 2023
The Flagstaff Notes
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Swap Shop

The Flagstaff asked the women behind four

Devonport local Toni Sills is looking forward to spending some “work free” time with her mother next Sunday, rather than adhering to any specific Mother’s Day tradition.

Caroline founded the family business, Sills & Co, nearly 40 years ago. Toni and sister Christina both work in it.

“We are lucky to have a close relationship which works particularly well with each of us having our own areas of responsibilities,” says Toni. She handles sales, marketing and wholesaling, with Christina being the merchandising manager responsible for six stores around New Zealand. Caroline now takes on a mentoring role, overseeing the business which operates from Clarence St, Devonport.

“We respect each other’s taste and opinions – most of the time! – which means there is good balance of ideas brought to the table, which are always bounced around.”

Outside of work, the mother and daughters like to park talking business and instead enjoy the pleasures of getting out and about on the peninsula.

“Brunch at Lily or Calliope Road Café is always a fave and walking the dogs up

Mount Vic and along Cheltenham Beach is a great way to burn off breakfast.”

Asked for a Mother’s Day gift recommendation to buy locally, Toni says a voucher for dinner at Signal Hill is always a great present, or an hour-and-a-half session at Wonder Thai Massage in The Arcade.

From the Sills’ own business, picks for a great present, depending on budget, include

cashmere socks or a Collette Dinnigan candle. A potted orchid with a gorgeous garden book also makes a lovely surprise. “Otherwise a cashmere sweater is pure luxury,” says mother-of-two Toni.

But the day’s main purpose for them is as a “time to appreciate what we have and feel gratitude.”

More on mothers, pages 15-17

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May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 13
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North Shore family businesses how they work successfuly together and for their tips to inspire readers on how they enjoy a special day celebrating loved ones
Designer trio... (from left) Christina, Caroline and Toni Sills
A TIME TO FEEL GRATITUDE
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A MOTHER’S MANTRA

Nancy Nasef says she never tells her mother Asma Shousha that she has been the biggest influence in her life, but she owes much to Asma’s never give-up philosophy.

The duo, who run Devonport 7 Day Pharmacy, say on the rare times they get out of the store together, they like to head to the park with Nancy’s son Zane, aged nine.

Nancy credits her Turkish-Egyptian mother’s determination for establishing the family mantra she aspires to uphold.

“She never gives up. When she first came here chasing the New Zealand dream she needed to overcome many hurdles in order to become established, including taking an English proficiency test which she had to take several times to pass. She never gave up and passed... eventually!”

The family moved to New Zealand from Dubai in 1999 and Asma bought the business in 2009. While she is supposed to be semi-retired, she is often at the side of Nancy who took it over in 2018.

After work on Mother’s Day, they hope to

get out for dinner somewhere locally.

Running a pharmacy often involves helping people popping in seeking last-minute gifts. A recommended easy option is a choice of readymade selections.

“We have pamper packages that include a variety of items from the shop.”

These include organic soaps, scented candles, massage oils and New Zealand-made items. With gifts on special and a giveaway offer, there are plenty of temptations in store.

For something from another local business Nancy says: “Definitely a massage. My mum has earned it!”

The pharmacists are also keen to encourage other community members, particularly mothers and daughters to consider registering with them for a Pink Ribbon fundraising breakfast they are hosting at their favourite cafe, Lily, on 25 March.

For Asma, a breast cancer survivor, the cause is personal. One of six children, three of her sisters also had the disease.

She hopes the local community will join them in gathering together and getting behind a good cause

STYLISH ROLE MODEL

Michaela Longstaff (pictured left), owner of Milford-based Mikko Shoes, credits her mother Joanne Inger’s great sense of style as an important influence on how the business operates.

“Mum has always been a part of the process, from a guiding shareholder to helping with shoe selection, feedback and brand sourcing.”

Michaela says her mother’s look is also always so well put together that “I can’t help but be influenced and guided by her”.

Mikko has grown from a local business to one having six stores throughout the country. In building it, the duo has learned

to develop ideas independently, then refine them together.

This is made easier currently with Michaela back in the family home while her own flood-damaged place is repaired. She jokes that maybe the best Mother’s Day present she can give this year, might be “to give Mum some time to herself!”

Simple pleasures rather than a spend-up are the way they like to celebrate.

“We love wandering to the park with the kids to spend time on the rope swing or get fluffies with the cousins. It’s all about the grandkids for Mum these days.”

For Mikko customers looking for something special to give, Michaela recommends com-

To page 17

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 15
Ideal outing... Nancy Nasef with son Zane, aged nine, and mother Asma Shousha enjoying a boat trip on Waitemata Harbour

Jill is a dedicated, thoughtful, passionate, intuitive Physical Therapist who has been practising in her field for 20+ years. She graduated in 2003 with a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles.

Jill has studied a variety of techniques and use of modalities over the years as a Physical Therapist, and draws on her multimodal approach in helping each client navigate through their own wellness journey.

Jill Moved to NZ in 2017 with her loving husband, who is Kiwi born, and their two young boys.

Cryo Health Solutions first came to life in early 2019, after realising that Whole Body Cryotherapy was not yet available here in NZ.

“Cryotherapy treatments nicely compliment what we do as Physical Therapists, as we guide individuals to well-being,  and I was excited to introduce it to NZ.”

Cryo Health Solutions, Located at 66 Barry’s Point Rd in Takapuna is a medical wellness center that offers cutting-edge technologies and non-invasive treatments that make your body stronger, healthier and more resilient. We are committed to helping you achieve wellness inside and out. Our services aid in injury recovery, stress management and so much more.

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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 16 May 5, 2023
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Claire Ackland has grown-up “living and breathing” the fashion business her mother Linda Savage bought in 2006.

Magazine was then based in Takapuna, but has since shifted its flagship store to Milford and opened a further 11 stores around New Zealand, along with an online business.

Claire became its marketing and online manager three years ago.

This year, the approach of Mother’s Day has a new dimension for her, as it is the first time she will celebrate it as a mother herself, of baby Mila. “It will be a very special time for the whole family,” she says.

A place they enjoy gathering is Devon on the Wharf. “It’s a beautiful location, where we often meet to celebrate occasions with our wider family.” While in Devonport they also enjoy the second-hand bookshop, Bookmark, “We are both avid readers,” says Claire.

One of the delights she finds in working with her mother is that each of them understands how the other thinks about evolving the business. A challenge is that work can become a 24/7 affair. “However this can also be seen as a positive as we are both so passionate about Magazine,” says Claire.

“I am very lucky to work alongside my mum and learn everything from her including her experience as a mother. Daily, I see the values I learnt during my childhood come

From page 15

ing in to the store for inspiration.

People who try on a pair of new season’s shoes can enter a draw for a gift pack that includes a cute and colourful leather card holder from Ecco, a pair of luxurious cashmere socks, and shoe protection items.

For those wanting to support other local businesses, she says there are many other

through into the business.

For her part, Linda says: “Spending time with my daughter is a joy. It has been so rewarding to see Claire grow into an amazing mother to Mila.”

To reward other mothers, they recommend a Magazine gift voucher as a good option or for people to check out its bags and accessories and full size range of designer fashion.

Arazzo in Milford is a “must visit” for homewares and gifts, they say.

special and unique shops in the area with items mums would love.

“It might be cliché, but flowers absolutely make my day and Lee at The Flower Place in Milford makes the most incredible bouquets so that would always be my go-to for gifts.”

Spending time with her mother is, she says “special, irreplacable and always filled with shoe chat”.

Our latest collection by ERIBÉ of Scotland also features stunning mitts, scarves, vests and jumpers.

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May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 17
Day
Happy Mother’s
from the staff at the Devonport Flagstaff. Please support our advertisers and local hospo businesses.
Next gen... Linda Savage (left) and Claire Ackland with Mila
LEGACY OF STYLE

Creative duo make early musical-theatre debut

Takapuna Grammar students Aedan Ward and Tom Talbot have embraced the challenge of creating a musical, which is to be staged at the Rose Centre. They tell Helen Vause about the project that drew them together and what it took to make their show a reality.

Aedan Ward remembers standing by the water cooler at Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) when one of his teachers mentioned talk of students writing their own musical, and wondered whether Aeden might be the just the guy to do it.

That was the day the idea took hold for the now Year 13 student.

Next thing, he heard that another student at the school was a very competent composer who would be more than capable of putting together the score for a musical production.

Could the pair of them do it?

Aeden barely knew Tom Talbot, who is a year behind him, but 12 months on, the pair are overseeing rehearsals for Golden Screens, the musical they’ve co-created, which is to be staged at the Rose Centre this winter.

For both the writer and producer, collaborating on a musical as a pair of schoolboys was an unexpected opportunity, and they’re delighted with the results so far.

Aedan had already made his mark in drama at school and Tom had been turning heads with his musical-composition skills and in performance, notably on the clarinet.

Aedan has often appeared in TGS productions, and outside school as a young stand-up comedian, which was when Tom first admired his talent.

He’d also taken singing lessons.

Aedan took up the challenge of writing a musical in early 2022, when it occurred to him that a new path could lie ahead, leading to options he’d never thought of before.

“I realised I didn’t want to just be in things. I could be making them and I could be creating the roles and stories that I want to be in. It was pretty exciting.”

Once the notion of writing a musical was planted, and after some intensive thinking, Aedan pretty quickly formed the idea for Golden Screens.

He began writing, which he recalls as a

painstaking, solitary process.

He reckons that every minute of the 90 minutes of musical theatre took a couple of hours of creative effort on the script.

Early in the process, he brought Tom into the project. The pair began to work together on how the music and words could work together.

“I went first,” Aedan says, “but then he was right into it with ideas about what was working and what wasn’t, and we were in it together. I am the writer, but it is a collaboration.”

So what is Golden Screens all about?

The story is based around a cast of 16 television characters, all starring in their own different shows. Away from their day jobs on camera, the colourful bunch all live

in a made-up ‘TV land’ world.

Far from the glitz and glamour, they are all living under the threat of being cut from their shows.

The boys describe Golden Screens as both comedic and tragic.

For the music, Tom has put together a four-piece group of drums, clarinet, cello and piano.

He says this mix of instruments gives him a good variety of options, providing the range of pitch and style he wanted.

Having their musical-theatre debut at the Rose Centre is in part due to Aedan’s serendipitous choice of Northcote-based Patrick Kelly as a singing teacher, long before he contemplated writing a musical.

Kelly is internationally known in musi-

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Starting young... Aedan Ward (left) and Tom Talbot have collaborated on a musical, Golden Screens

cal-theatre performance and teaching.

He’s been on stages from Broadway to Japan, and mentored many in the field.

Writing and producing youth theatre has also been part of his career. Once Kelly knew his young singing student had bigger things on his mind, he stepped into a mentoring role with the writing of the show, ultimately taking a proposition to the Rose Centre to stage four performances of Golden Screens

He says what he saw developing with the talented pair of students reminded him of something similar he’d tried 30 years ago. He knew he wanted to back them.

“Writing a piece of work like this at their stage of life is as rare as hen’s teeth. It’s just not the sort of endeavour you would usually expect,” Kelly says.

“Together they have made a legitimate piece of theatre. Aedan is a very solid writer with a strong bent towards good comedic writing. Tom is a clever musician and his music for this is a solidly crafted piece of work. It is a very interesting score for such a young chap to do, I think. He has all the hallmarks of someone wanting to become a composer.”

He believes the pair could be part of the “next generation” in the musical-theatre business.

“And I’m fully committed to supporting them. They have all the hallmarks going on to their chosen fields.”

Looking back over the hectic and demanding months of combining study and school performances with their writing endeavours, they wonder how they got to the brink of staging their musical.

When it’s all over, they’re not planning another combined project, in the short term anyway.

They intend to take different directions after school.

“But yeah,” quips Tom, “when I’ve made it big on Broadway one day, I can see myself calling Aedan to say how about we do it again.”

From school, Tom plans to join family in the UK for a tertiary education in music and composition at an institution yet to be determined.

Aedan has dreams of pursuing a future in stand-up comedy, and taking a tertiary-education path in keeping with his success to date in drama at school.

Both had lead roles in the school production of Mamma Mia last year and, like many of the cast, both crashed with Covid shortly after the final curtain.

Aedan is also onstage this month in Company Theatre’s production of The History Boys at the Rose Centre (story, pages 38-39).

When the curtain goes up on the first of the four scheduled performances of Golden Screens, the cast will be largely drawn from the ranks of TGS drama students.

With rehearsals in full swing, alongside their school studies, both its creators have high workloads to deal with.

Tom has also had to manage an injury sustained as the result of a recent tangle with

Both say they’ve learned a lot from the reality of creating Golden Screens, including the power of collaboration.

“Before we started creating Golden Screens, we didn’t have much of a clue how to write such a large-scale musical and we both learned so much during the process,” says Tom.

“I think that the only real barrier to entry is the huge amount of time and dedication needed to be put into making something. Really, anyone with the motivation to create a musical and who has had some experience in the field can do it.”

The pair say their target audience for Golden Screens is everyone who wants to come and see it – parents, students and the wider community. They promise a brand-

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 19 Interview
t.gregory@barfoot.co.nz Sue Harrison 021 909 549 s.harrison@barfoot.co.nz Sat/Sun 1:00-1:30pm barfoot.co.nz/847293 12:00pm 10 May 2023 at 39 Victoria Road, Devonport (unless sold prior) NEW LISTING
“Writing a piece of work like this at their stage of life is as rare as hen’s teeth.”
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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 20 May 5, 2023
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May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 21
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Stars in their eyes: local schools combine

what they’re carving is their favourite part of the experience

Bayswater School has started a peninsula initiative to create a multi-piece artwork to be displayed at its Matariki Festival in June.

Seven local schools have been tasked with carving either one or two panels, which will make up a 10-piece artwork telling the story of Matariki.

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The panels will be displayed under classroom awnings, so festival goers can walk through the story from Te Kore/the void to the separation of Papatūānuku and Ranginui and on to what Matariki means today.

Once carved, the polystyrene panels will be painted with UV paints and covered in a protective coat of resin to stand the test of time.

UV paints were chosen so the panels glow like stars. The polystyrene is easier for children to work with than wood.

Master carver Natanahira Pona designed the panels and toured local schools last term teaching students how to carve.

But he told the Flagstaff the credit should go to the students.

“It’s not about me, it’s about them, the students; they’re the artists.”

The other schools working on the artworks are Belmont Intermediate School, Belmont Primary School, Devonport Primary School, Hauraki School, St Leo’s Catholic School and Stanley Bay School.

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 22 May 5, 2023
On the tools... Belmont Intermediate students (from left) George Renall, Lily Hall and Silvi Coxhead (all aged 11) say learning the story of
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to create multi-panel Matariki artwork

The sections of the artwork were carved during a holiday programme organised by Pona, and will be finished off during the term.

Pona said it was important to get the kids as involved as possible. They took more interest in what they were learning if they felt a part of it.

“They’re learning the story by carving it.”

The students who didn’t have the opportunity to carve will be able to paint, which makes everyone feel involved, said project organiser and Bayswater parent volunteer Natalie Bell.

Pona hopes to expand future projects beyond the peninsula to include more North Shore schools.

After the panels are displayed at the festival on 24 June, they will be returned to the schools that carved them.

Expert tuition...Master carver Natanahira Pona guiding Bayswater School students

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 23
Corina Chew (left, 9) and Mia Gao (10) Team effort... Holiday-programme students posing with a semi-completed panel

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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 24 May 5, 2023

Matt and Trev’s Fishy Tails for May.

Blowing, blowing….it’s always blowing! Apart from a couple of nice days, it’s been an average weather pattern lately. We’re both getting a bit grumpy in the office and need to get some time out on the water.

Reports of good fish are coming in very close to home. We ran a competition recently for the biggest snapper and a very keen young man named Sam Frazerhurst pulled in a 10-plus pound snapper just out from Narrow Neck on his kayak. He snuck out before school and used a soft bait to hook the winning fish… What a great way to start the day!

Another customer tells us he has been catching reasonable snapper from the main wharf in town, just on slack tide, using mullet bait and a large sinker. And another tells us he has been pulling in some snappers from off the rocks below Takapuna Grammar.

Traditionally, it is a great time of the year for bait and burley fishing, either from a boat or the shore. You can have a lot of success fishing in the shallows from about 2m of water and up. You’ll be surprised where the fish are holding, so don’t be shy to fish your feet first.

Make sure you get the tide and wind flowing the same way, drop over some salmon berley and float lightly weighted baits back down the berley trail. Try areas like the north side of Rangitoto, all around the the Noises, Rakino and Motutapu Islands.

Stray-lining is the perfect technique from a boat. Check out the link from Black Magic on our Facebook page for some tips.

Next time you breadcrumb your fillets, try adding in some crushed up cheeseballs. It sounds weird but it is very tasty!

As always, we love talking about fishing, so come on in and share some stories with us...

Phone 445 2356

15 Clarence Street, Devonport

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 25 Glass & Glazing Specialists For Residential, Commercial & Custom Projects Mirrors Showers Obscure Glass Reputty Double Glazing Lead Lite Repairs Low E Thermal Safety Glass Glass & Glazing Specialists For Residential, Commercial & Custom Mirrors Showers Obscure Glass Reputty Broken Glass Double Lead Low Safety Hush devonportglass.co.nz . 021 Glass & Glazing Specialists For Residential, Commercial & Custom Projects Mirrors Showers Obscure Glass Reputty Broken Glass Double Glazing Lead Lite Repairs Low E Thermal Safety Glass Hush Glass devonportglass.co.nz . 021 148 1804 Glass & Glazing Specialists For Residential, Commercial & Custom Projects Mirrors Showers Obscure Glass Reputty Broken Glass Double Glazing Lead Lite Repairs Low E Thermal Safety Glass Hush Glass devonportglass.co.nz . 021 148 1804 Glass & Glazing Specialists For Residential, Commercial & Custom Projects Ready to slice for the table… Matt Senior with his favourite fish for sashimi, John Dory. Caught using a micro soft bait in 20 metres of water

Returning Thompson notches 100 for North Shore

It’s been “a long time coming” for North Shore Rugby Club loose forward, Leigh Thompson, to reach his 100th match. But he did so in style on 22 April, when Shore toppled Silverdale 37-16.

Two tries in quick succession gave Shore a14-6 lead at half-time. In the second half, it scored three tries to Silverdale’s one.

The 33-year-old said he was glad the landmark match ended in victory.“You never want to lose on milestone games.”

Thompson started his North Shore career as a seven-year-old. He was a member of the Takapuna Grammar First XV, which shared the North Harbour secondary schools championship in 2007. He made his premiers debut in 2008 and won North Harbour premier titles with Shore in 2011 and 2014. He played eight games for Harbour in 2013/14, and reached 98 caps for Shore premiers, before heading overseas in 2016.

Thompson initially left for Spain, playing for a club in Valladolid, two hours north of Madrid. Although he loved the lifestyle, the rugby wasn’t at a very high standard. After a season there, he set his sights on the United Kingdom, playing for Nuneaton RFC in the Midlands, then for semi-professional side Old Elthamians in Southeast London.

Thompson found the rugby in England to be “very different” but still high quality. The forwards were bigger but slower, with less open play and expression than in the New Zealand game.

Life in the Midlands was a “bit slow” for Thompson but he thrived in London, wrapping himself in woollies to work as a builder, enjoying the city and meeting his partner who later came to New Zealand with him.

After returning to New Zealand in 2019 and reestablishing his life in Auckland, reaching 100 matches for North Shore started to play on Thompson’s mind.

He told the Flagstaff “the burden of getting to 100 caps” and wanting to end his career with Shore was what brought him back this season. “You play hard and have a drink with some of your best mates after; those are memories I’ll cherish for life.”

Nor is he planning on stopping anytime soon: he intends to play next season and potentially make 150 caps.

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 26 May 5, 2023
Ton up… Leigh Thompson in his100-games blazer
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‘Teddy Bear Lady’ wove life of craft and connection

June Clark – sticking to her knitting and spinning

June Clark, who will turn 87 in a month, has been a charitable spinner and knitter for more than seven decades.

Devonport identity June Clark, well known for knitting for charitable causes, was farewelled this week.

“I have been spinning and knitting for others since the Second World War, when it was mostly scarves and socks for the Navy boys. I was still at Sacred Heart Boarding School in Wellington then, where the older girls taught me how to do it,” she says. Once she was married, a friend gave her a spinning wheel and there has been no stopping her since.

A familiar face around the village for three decades, Clark died peacefully at 93, some five months after the death of her husband of 72 years, Paul.

Known as the Teddy Bear Lady for the toys she crafted, she was also a skilled spinner and weaver.

The couple, who had six children, moved from their home in Flagstaff Tce into care at Lady Allum in Milford in November last year.

Daughter Penny Clark said her community-minded mother had been chatty and busy until the end.

“She was out for lunch at the garden centre last Friday,” she told the Flagstaff last week.

The couple retired to Devonport in 1991, having previously farmed sheep in Argyll East in Hawke’s Bay.

“She loved being part of the community,” her daughter recalled.

For the last 20 years of her life, Clark enjoyed going out for a daily coffee, meeting up with other locals each morning in an informal group.

She was a parishioner at St Francis de Sales and All Souls Church.

A long-time participant in the Devonport

Spinners and Weavers group, Clark took up spinning soon after marriage, when a friend gave her a spinning wheel.

In 2016, she told the Flagstaff she was soon hooked and liked to spin wool daily. She also encouraged group members in

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the art of weaving.

“She was very inspirational,” said group member Sue Ellen.

Some of her work was exhibited. The group continues today, having moved from meeting at former church St Augustine’s when Clark joined it, to the Lions Club den on Empire Rd.

Ellen said the loss of older members was a challenge, and the group wanted to keep their legacy alive by passing on skills to new generations.

Clark was also a prolific knitter, from when she sent off socks and scarves for servicemen in World War II, to making warm clothes for her family, and later teddy bears for children’s causes using the wool she spun at home.

Groups she gave to included Plunket, St John, Mission without Borders and Middlemore Children’s Hospital. She could make a teddy bear in a day.

Born Thyra (June) Band on the 23 May 1929, Clark loved conversation and meeting people.

She also had a playful side. When quizzed about wearing a brace on her ankle, she would joke she got an injury playing soccer.

Clark is survived by her children: Robyn, Andrew, Jo, Kim, Kirsty and Penny, along with 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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This is a very flexible position with hours to suit your lifestyle and needs. There is an opportunity to have one-on-one mentoring, but you would need to be comfortable working on your own at times. The position is available now. Performance-based bonus and ownership share arrangement can be considered.

prevention/performance enhancement consultations, specialised exercise prescription for home and gym as well as rehabilitation services and hands-on musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

This is a boutique practice with two physiotherapists, massage therapist, administration and personal trainer. There are two clinic rooms and waiting area and large gym. The principal has over 20 years experience, postgraduate qualification and has just completed the seven modules to be one of the first to obtain a Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy New Zealand Certificate. To be considered for this position, you must be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand.

Assessment, diagnosis, injury prevention and performance enhancement are at the core of what we do in this clinic. We offer balance classes and injury

An interest in osteoarthritis management would be a bonus.

healthy mouth = healthy life

May 5, 2023 FlagsTaFF page 27 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 30
healthy mouth = healthy life Dr. Andrew Steele BDS (Otago)
445 0097
Dr. Andrew Steele BDS Otago Alzena Ali, Dental Hygienist/Therapist, BOH Otago
Obituary
Please
to
further in confidence or email multisportphysio@gmail.com
call or message 021 701 799 Sarah Meale
discuss

Playground noise marred Anzac service

Is there any reason why, out of respect, the playground at Windsor Reserve cannot be closed during the 11am Anzac Day service?

This Anzac Day, the playground was busier than ever and the squealing and shrieking spoiled any solemnity during the service. On the Windsor Reserve side of the war memorial, it was impossible to hear the music, let alone the speaker. This completely took away the atmosphere of respect and contemplation.

On the other side, the speaker could be heard through the loudspeakers, but the noise from the

playground could still be heard.

At a dawn service, it is the absolute silence in the darkness that stirs emotions. While the 11am service is in daylight and there may be a different crowd, it is still a service of respect and honour.

Due to the proximity of the war memorial to the playground, this will be an annual problem unless the playground is closed just for those few hours. Surely that is not such a great sacrifice?

Thanks to NSRC for spread on Jimmy Owen

I would like to thank the North Shore Rugby Club for giving my father, Jimmy Owen, a two-page spread in their fine 150th anniversary publication.

Although he died many years ago, my father loved the club and his beloved De-

vonport. I knew Jim Eagles had contacted my son Matthew for some information, but didn’t know if it would be included.

So a heartfelt thank you. You warmed the heart of a lifetime Devonport resident.

Where is the case for raised crossings?

I read in the Flagstaff that Auckland Transport, as part of its unwanted further upgrade to Devonport’s roads, is now going to install further raised pedestrian crossings – including outside the Vic.

One wonders about the intelligence of these people.

The streets of Devonport have already

been ‘traffic calmed’ with a speed limit of 30km/h. So where is the justification of spending the better part of a quarter of a million dollars of ratepayers’ money on these crossings, with the devastation this is going to cause to the already struggling Devonport businesses?

Median strip will rain on village parades

Quite apart from anything else, the idea of a raised centre strip down Victoria Rd in Devonport’s town centre will completely ruin longstanding events such as the Christmas

Parade and the annual Anzac Parade, both well attended, much loved and important events.

Flagstaff slip inspires Vlad jokes

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban today expressed his dismay at the news – recently revealed exclusively in The Devonport Flagstaff – that the 2023 World Athletics Champs was moving from Budapest to Bucharest, capital of neighbouring country Romania.

“While I appreciate these things sometimes happen, I would have preferred officials to have informed me directly, rather than releasing this story to the Devonport Flagstaff,” Orban said. “It’s taken quite a bit of organising, so we are a bit disappointed.”

However, the Prime Minister of Romania, Vlad The Impaler, was delighted at the news, stating, “This is a big win for Romania. We are particularly looking forward to having Devonport favourites Jacko Gill and Eliza McCartney to stay in our beautiful capital city, Bucharest.”

Mr Impaler went on to say, “I’m personally looking forward to the field events, and I have a special place in my heart for the javelin.”

Mr Impaler is several hundred years old.

Editor’s reply: Yes, the heading on our 21 April issue did mistakenly refer to Bucharest instead of Budapest as the host for the World Athletics Championships. The error is regretted.

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 28 May 5, 2023
Letters ©Copyright OceanFun Publishing Ltd www.ofu.co.nz Harcourts of Devonport Property Management Put the management of your rental property in safe hands Hannah Tillman PORTFOLIO MANAGER P 09 446 2108 M 021 960 313 E hannah.tillman@harcourts.co.nz am pm 369 369 noon May 11 Thu am pm 369 369 noon May 10 Wed am pm 369 369 noon May 9 Tue am pm 369 36 9 noon May 8 Mon am pm 369 36 9 noon May 7 Sun am pm 369 369 noon May 6 Sat am pm 369 369 noon May 5 Fri m 0 1 2 3 4 H L 6:52am 7:28pm 12:37am 1:00pm H L 7:36am 8:11pm 1:20am 1:43pm H L 8:21am 8:54pm 2:03am 2:27pm H L 9:08am 9:40pm 2:48am 3:11pm H L 9:57am 10:27pm 3:36am 3:57pm H L 10:47am 11:19pm 4:26am 4:45pm H L 11:39am 5:20am 5:37pm am pm 369 369 noon May 18 Thu am pm 369 369 noon May 17 Wed am pm 369 369 noon May 16 Tue am pm 369 36 9 noon May 15 Mon am pm 369 36 9 noon May 14 Sun am pm 369 369 noon May 13 Sat am pm 369 369 noon May 12 Fri m 0 1 2 3 4 H L 12:14am 12:35pm 6:18am 6:35pm H L 1:12am 1:34pm 7:19am 7:38pm H L 2:13am 2:36pm 8:20am 8:44pm H L 3:14am 3:41pm 9:21am 9:49pm H L 4:12am 4:43pm 10:19am 10:48pm H L 5:07am 5:41pm 11:14am 11:43pm H L 6:00am 6:34pm 12:06pm

Football & Rugby Pre-season Tour to Australia

Takapuna Grammar sent three teams overseas during the recent holidays, a return to travel for the first time since 2019. The 1st XV rugby squad and 1st XI boys and girls football squads each spent over a week on the Gold Coast, staying in some of the premier sporting facilities available while playing local opposition.

The boys 1st XI football competed in the Southport School’s Easter tournament, coming up against some of the powerhouse schools in Australia, including Melbourne and Brisbane Grammar schools. The boys held their own in every game, coming away with a few wins, narrowly missing out on a finals spot and eventually finishing in fifth place.

TGS Anzac Day Commemorations

After two years of Covid interruptions, the school was pleased that the traditional Takapuna Grammar Anzac Dusk Service could go ahead this year.

At 5.30pm on Tuesday 25 April, staff, students (past and present), members of the Royal New Zealand Navy and members of the extended school community gathered in the Ex-Pupils’ Library to remember all servicemen and servicewomen who fought to defend our freedoms and uphold our values. The ceremony places a particular emphasis on the 84 ex-Takapuna Grammar students who paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives while serving the country. We heard stories about two of these men; Gunner Ian MacKechnie and Captain Bob Horrocks. This gave the ceremony a personal touch and many attendees had connections with these men and their families as well as others who are listed on the school’s roll of honour.

The school was also represented at the local Devonport and Takapuna services by our prefects, including our RSA Ambassador Natasha Nowaczek, who delivered the Anzac Dedication in front of a large crowd gathered for the Devonport parade.

The immersion in a sports environment provided great opportunities for the players to connect and develop their technical and tactical understanding, as well as the personal development that touring provides. The teams also got to experience local wildlife, visiting a koala sanctuary, and activities, including attending an NRL match at Suncorp Stadium. The tour was a great pre-season experience and prepares students well as they head into their winter season.

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 29 Homestay families wanted for 2023 For more information please contact Carla Hemopo in the International Department at homestay.coordinator@tgs.school.nz or by phone on 09 489 4167 ext 9226
SCHOOL NEWS MAY 5, 2023
Takapuna Grammar
The girls 1st XI football played four fixtures against local schools, including Robina State School and St Paul’s College. The team finished with two wins, one draw and one loss. The 1st XV rugby side played three matches against King’s Christian College, St Pauls College and Toowoomba Grammar, winning all three. PHOTOS TAKEN BY ALUMNUS TREVOR HARDY
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ACCOMMODATION

I’m looking for a mature woman to share my home in Ascot avenue. It offers a double size bed with linen. It’s about a ten minute walk to Devonport and the supermarket. There is also another single room for use as a study if needed. Wifi and Netflix are included but I do ask for a half share of the winter heating utility bill. $225p/w. Call Fay on 445-3256 and please leave a message if no answer.

June Clark

June Clark, a longtime resident of Devonport, passed away on Wednesday 26 April. Paul, her husband of 72 years, died in December last year. June and Paul farmed in Hawke’s Bay, where June began to spin and knit her own wool. This led to her interest in weaving and she became an extremely accomplished weaver, involved in local and national spinning and weaving groups. To many, she was the “Teddy Bear Lady”, knitting hundreds of colourful little bears for charity. The funeral service was held on Monday 1 May at Rowley Funerals in Anne Street and attended by close family and friends.

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Need someone to feed your cat and other pets at your home while you’re away? I love animals and would love to help you! I am 11 years old and live in Devonport. I charge $5 per visit. Each visit I feed your pet and can play with them for about 10-15 minutes each visit if they are comfortable with me. I also send you pics of them so you don’t miss them too much! I always visit with one of my parents. Devonport only please! Text/call: 021-270-7677.

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WANT TO

A new website for the Trust - go to www.dpt.nz This has been possible due to the wonderful help we have had from Bays resident and supporter, Urs Steck, and the ongoing support we have had from Alex, at EasyPC.

Please send me any further suggestions you have for the website - address below.

You will see the ‘Emergency’ Guidelines on the sitedownload these, go through them, and have your plans ready for the next emergency. If need be, seek help from friends, family, neighbours, in order to be prepared.

Bayswater-Belmont Emergency Support – a willing group of residents met at the Rose Centre last week, and agreed that they would like to see the BayswaterBelmont area included in one Emergency Support Plan for the whole peninsula, and added to the Devonport plan that has already been completed. We will proceed on that basis, and thank all attendees for their support.

MIDWINTER DIP

Is scheduled for June 25th at 11:30 am. We had approximately 280 dippers last year. Can we make it 300 this year? 400?

Tell friends and family to lock the date in.

Do you see yourself in this photo?

You will see Devonport’s very own Druid, centre left, about to take the plunge!!

TAMARIKI WINTER PLAY

Starts Tuesday 6 June at Bayswater School Hall – sessions running from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. There is no charge, and there is coffee, tea available. These are great sessions for little ones and not so little ones alike. In the past, some coffee groups have used this as their meeting point. Our thanks to the Bayswater School team for making us welcome again this year.

DEVONPORT SENIOR FORUM

Another great meeting on Thursday 27th - with a very interesting talk by Professor Vanessa Burholt, – speaking about the University of Auckland’s ‘CCreate-Age’ – Centre for Co-created Ageing Research’ – aimed at involving the senior community itself in establishing research needs and opportunities. Two questions we would ask: Is there a need for support for those who care for elderly members of this community? What might that support look like?

Email: nigelbioletti@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

shorejobs

shorejobs

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Bioletti
Find us at shorejobs.co.nz Shore Jobs is the new site for all your job needs on the North Shore. We might be new, but all the jobs that are currently available are here. We have employers from North Head to North Albany and everywhere in between! Looking for a new opportunity? Need to advertise a position? Look no further – ShoreJobs for all your job needs. The sure choice for all Shore jobs!
Sponsor this widely read community events column email: sales@devonportflagstaff.co.nz With special thanks to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board for funding the Devonport Peninsula Trust.
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20 years ago from the Flagstaff files

• A pet shooter is on the loose in Stanley Point. Burmese cat Bubble was shot seven times with a slug gun.

• The new Navy Museum project at Torpedo Bay is put on hold while the Defence Force reviews its musuem policy.

• Devonport artist Robert Stewart exhibits his reproductions of the works of great artists Van Gogh, Gauguin and Modigliani at the Palette Gallery in Belmont.

• The 100-year old Esplanade Hotel plans a series of events to mark the milestone.

• Discussions continue over the future of Navy housing in Devonport.

• The Navy chops down 20 karo and pohutukawa on the Calliope Rd clifftop. It says the trees – many 50 years old – were unsafe. North Shore councillor Joel Cayford, Devonport Community Board member Roger Brittenden and

local lobbyist Chris Darby all opposed the felling. Community Board member John Duder was concerned about what would happen if the trees were left “and then we get a cyclone and the trees fall down and kill someone”.

• Devonport New World wins top grocery department and best produce department in Foodstuffs’ 2002/03 awards.

• An application to erect a 16.5m cellphone tower at 165 Bayswater Ave should be declined, North Shore City Council says.

• Ten years of bound Devonport Flagstaff editions are now available for perusing at Devonport Library.

• Kelvin and Val Grant launch a People of Devonport project, designed to honour deceased residents.

• Mike Cohen and John Duder share the

chair role for the Devonport Community Board.

• Michael Olsen is named the most valuable year-seven player in the North Shore Cricket Club junior prizegiving. (Update from 2023: Olsen recently retired after 12 years in Shore’s premier cricket side.)

• Cricketer Richard Jones is called up to the New Zealand test squad bound for Sri Lanka.

• The North Harbour Rugby Union is mediating a dispute between the Navy and North Shore clubs over player-poaching allegations.

• H.Morris Ltd Funeral service marks 70 years as undertakers, having been established in Devonport in 1933.

• A three-bedroom brick-and-tile Belmont unit is on the market for $299,000.

Council refuses to remove trees it lists as ‘pest’ species

Auckland Council is continuing to block the removal of two trees found to be causing flooding issues on Anne St, despite the council itself listing the tree species as a pest.

Resident Peter McNab began campaigning for the removal of the Brisbane umbrella trees in May last year. Their leaves were blocking drains, causing flooding on his property.

Different arms of council considered the issue, coming to conflicting conclusions about what action should be taken. The Healthy Waters department said removing the trees and kerbing a planted area would “reduce the flooding frequency significantly”. But council arborist Steve Kerbs

recommended the trees remain, arguing the stormwater layout on the street was responsible for the flooding.

After meetings, it was agreed Auckland Council would clear the drains regularly and before any major weather event.

The issue resurfaced at a Devonport-Takapuna Local Board meeting when member George Wood asked why a tree that was listed in the Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) was being retained. The RPMP is a guide to how Auckland Council identifies and controls targeted pest species.

McNab presented his case to the local board at a meeting on 21 March.

But Auckland Council has maintained

its stance on the issue, and says the listing of the species in the RPMP does not mean they have to be removed.

Council regional arborists and ecological manager, David Stejskal, said arborists inspected the trees and found nothing of concern that would warrant removal.

“The trees are healthy, structurally sound and provide canopy cover in a street that has no other public street trees present,” he said.

McNab said the response to his request for action showed that the different arms of council work to their own goals rather than working together to make cohesive decisions. “It’s causing all this damage and still being ignored.”

Heritage tug’s future still in question

Devonport may lose the heritage steam tug, William C Daldy, as an attraction at her mooring at Victoria Wharf.

And Auckland stands to lose a key part of its maritime heritage unless a million-dollar rescue plan for the vessel can be formulated. Despite efforts to come up with a plan to keep the vessel viable, enthusiasts have struggled to find solutions.

Deferred maintenance due to Covid disruption means that urgent work is needed before September to maintain the tug’s insurance and survey standards. Without these, it will have to relinquish its Victoria Wharf berth.

The William C Daldy Preservation Society does not have the $1million this is expected to cost.

The pandemic prevented a series of public sailings, cutting into earnings. The cost of coal for fuel has risen and decreased operation has also affected the ability to attract volunteers.

Advisers have been working since last year on options to secure the tug’s future, and still seek sponsorship and offers of volunteer help. But the best option may be for it to become a static museum or be sold as a commercial entity. Otherwise, the final solution may be to sink the boat or sell it for scrap.

• Anyone with ideas to help ensure the Daldy stays afloat for her centenary in 2035, is asked to contact John Pratt 027 7071136 or john@ trmnz.com.

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 33
DEVONPORT COMMUNITY RECYCLING CENTRE DevonportRecycle.co.nz OPEN 6 DAYS | 27 Lake Rd 09 445 3830 DevonportRecycle.co.nz 09 445 3830 devonportrecycle.co.nz

Anzac traditions return to Devonport

Youth honouring the fallen… (clockwise from above) Belmont Primary choir the Bellbirds; Takapuna Grammar deputy head boy Hugo Sweetman (left) and head boy Liam Arthur-Hunt placed a wreath; Ida McAlpine (left) and Rhiannon McAnally from Bayswater School; and eight-year-old Celine Wu, who played the Last Post.

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 34 May 5, 2023

Several hundred people lined Victoria Rd to commemorate Anzac Day, in a return to a “normal service” after Covid-related disruptions for the last few years.

MC Chris Mullane said the community was “privileged to gather together” following the curtailment of ceremonies due to Covid.

Young people played a major part in proceedings, as has been a trend over recent years, with Belmont Primary School choir the Bellbirds leading the singing, and readings by Devonport Primary pupils Daniella Ramos and Noah Telara and Takapuna Grammar prefect Natasha Nowaczek. The Last Post was performed by eight-year-old Celine Wu.

Navy commander Richard Walker gave an address, Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett read the Ode, and Navy Chaplain Glen Popata performed opening prayers, a karakia and the benediction.

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 35
Wreath-laying… (clockwise from above) Bayswater School students; Peter Allen from the DevonportTakapuna Local Board; Julie Simpkins, Commanding Officer of Devonport Naval Base; and Ava Robinson (4) was moved to fall in with the parade On parade… a piper leads the march to the Devonport war memorial, accompanied by Māori warriors

William Sanders village opening finally marked

Nearly four years after its first residents moved in, a big opening event was held at Ryman Healthcare’s William Sanders Retirement Village in Devonport.

Having navigated years of Covid closures and cautions, it was high time for a party, Ryman New Zealand chief executive Cheyne Chalmers told hundreds of residents and family members who gathered last month.

“We’re here to hand over the village to all of you, the residents,” she said.

Among them is the great-niece of Sanders, Glenny Adams, who, with husband Grant, lives in a village apartment.

Seeing the World War I naval hero’s portrait in the village foyer “gives me goosebumps”, she told the Flagstaff.

Representatives from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the Royal New Zealand Navy joined the celebrations, recognising mana whenua and the site’s use as housing for service personnel before it was returned to the iwi in a Treaty settlement.

Ngati Whatua leased the 4ha Wakakura block on Ngataringa Rd to Ryman.

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board was represented by elected member Gavin Busch at the evening event.

A piece of pounamu, blessed by Ngāti Whātua, will soon join the Sanders portrait on display in the foyer of the main village block. Its mauri/life force would bring shared energy to the space, the gathering was told.

“Welcome to your marae, to your place, said

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 36 May 5, 2023
Family connection... Ryman resident Glenny Adams and husband Grant with the portrait of Glenny’s great-uncle, William Sanders, which hangs in the village foyer

with the participation of iwi and the Navy

Matua Matt Maihi.

The Deputy Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Commander Andrew Brown, addressed the residents as Devonport neighbours of the service.

He also acknowledged both Ngāti Whātua, for letting the Navy caretake its whenua – on which “many Navy families lived and thrived” – and Ryman, for investing in the community and honouring a naval hero in the village’s name.

The village, which welcomed its first residents in May 2019, is now home to 370 seniors, many drawn from the peninsula. It has 209 people living independently, 49 in serviced apartments and 112 in the care centre.

More apartments being built at the Lake Rd edge of the Ngataringa site will be completed after the middle of this year.

The Adamses arrived in April 2021, via Waiheke, although they spent many years before that on the North Shore.

Living in Devonport was a lure for Glennys, even before Ryman chose to call the village after her great-uncle. After the name was settled: “I just couldn’t resist”.

She was brought up by her grandmother, Emily Keith, who was Sanders’ sister and helped fill in gaps in his history after he died at sea in 1917, aged 34, having already won a Victoria Cross. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Ryman has a tradition of naming its villages in Australia and New Zealand after people who are important to the area they are located in. Chalmers said in this case, the name was particularly apt given “‘Gunner Billy’ was a New Zealand hero from just down the road” and that the village was sited on former Navy land.

Commander Brown outlined the Takapuna lad’s story of service and sacrifice. He signed up to go to sea as a cabin boy on a coastal steamer at age 16, then, after being rebuffed once, he enlisted for the Navy in 1916, rising in 15 months from sub-lieutenant to lieutenant

Rock solid... Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei elders blessing pounamu brought from the West Coast to be displayed in the main village block. Below: Navy singer Rebecca Nelson, who performed; and Ryman’s New Zealand chief executive Cheyne Chalmers and the Deputy Chief of Navy, Commander Andrew Brown, unveiling a plaque. Photos by Chris Weissenborn

commander, taking on U-boats in the North Sea with “matchless courage” until his HMS Prize was sunk.

Glennys said having the story told and being acknowledged before fellow residents -- some of whom had not previously realised her family connection -- was special. “It was lovely tonight, I was thinking about my grandmother,” she told the Flagstaff afterwards.

Another nostalgic touch came in a performance by Navy singer, Rebecca Nelson, who has represented New Zealand at a number of military commemorations overseas.

The former Bayswater resident, who now lives back in her hometown of Christchurch, tugged on the heart strings with the Vera Lynn classic We’ll Meet Again.

It took 2.1 million hours of work to build the

village, which contains 528,000 bricks, including some original Duder bricks made nearby, said Chalmers. At the height of construction, more than 500 workers were on-site.

Ryman inherited what was the “forest” of Mary Barrett Glade (aka Polly’s Park) below the village, she said. It had also planted 20,000 perennials, trees and shrubs.

Commander Brown said: “A few of us old matelots may end up living here ourselves.”

Nelson said she had two lucky breaks in her transition from busking to professional singing: being spotted by the All Blacks while in Ireland, leading to her singing the anthem at a test for the first of 18 times; and catching the attention of the musical director of the Navy Band while she was busking on Victoria Rd, leading to her nine years in service.

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 37

DEPOT Artspace

Contemporary artist Weilun Ha returns to our central gallery in May after first exhibiting at DEPOT ten years ago.

This exhibition - Full Circle - features the high caliber works of Ha’s students, who were encouraged to embrace traditional painting techniques alongside modern materials and pop cultural references.

We’re also delighted to welcome Max Thomson into the streetfront gallery this month. A local resident for the last decade, Thomson’s moody, painterly landscapes depict Te Hau Kapua - Devonport scenery using heavily applied textural brush marks and rich finishes.

DEPOT Sound

The DEPOT Sound team is excited to run our third North Shore Schools Songwriting Competition as part of NZ Music Month 2023. We invite all intermediate and secondary school musicians and bands from the North Shore to enter.

Winners will have their song professionally recorded by our talented team at DEPOT Sound with mentoring from industry professionals.

Head to depot.org.nz/sound for more info!

Mā te wā, Amy Saunders General Manager, DEPOT amy.saunders@depot.org.nz

Takapuna Grammar crew help

Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) has supplied four current students and one alumnus to a line-up of seven young actors cast as The History Boys for Company Theatre’s upcoming production of the award-winning play.

The plot centres around tensions at an English grammar school as its top students cram for examinations, with places at Oxford and Cambridge universities at stake.

Along with actors, TGS offered the traditional look to serve as a backdrop for publicity photography.

Members of the cast say the exploration of how teacher-student interactions impact on learning and life are relatable, even if some of the cultural references of its 1980s setting were initially 40 years foreign to them.

“Accepting oneself” is one of the story’s takeaways, says former Westlake Boys High School student Nicholas Curry, who, at 24, is the oldest actor playing one of the ‘boys’.

Alan Bennett’s play, which debuted in London in 2004 and went on to win Olivier and Tony awards and be made into a film, also deals with sexuality, featuring two conflicted masters.

The school’s headmaster and a female teacher round out the line-up.

Director Suzy Sampson hopes the talented young cast she has assembled will open up new audiences for the established company, based at the Rose Centre in Belmont.

Actor Chloe Smith, whose day job is teaching performing arts at Northcross Intermediate, Browns Bay, says the regimented approach her character favours is very different from the teaching in modern-day

classrooms.

“It’s a lot more student-driven these days, and inquiry-focused,” the 36-year-old tells the Flagstaff.

The young actors, who have all been in school productions, say relationships are at the heart of well-functioning classrooms and of the play.

The cast’s TGS contingent comprises Year 12 students Raine Gilchrist from Hauraki and Lucus Laurent from Milford, and Year 13s Aedan Ward from Narrow Neck and Emre Logan-Erdi from Hauraki; along with former student Aidan Allen, a 20-year-old who lives in Northcote. The final ‘history boy’ is Jesse Park, a Year 13 at Auckland Grammar School.

Some of the actors auditioned after hearing about the production from Rose Centre manager and acting tutor Geoff Allen; others because they knew TGS student Freya Said, who is the play’s stage manager.

Freya also stage-managed the TGS production of Mamma Mia and recent Company Theatre show The Thrill of Love.

“It’s good fun,” said the Year 12 student of her backstage job – even if the boys sometimes need a bit of wrangling.

The play has been in rehearsals for two months. Lucus will be “sad” when it ends. Aedan says the group has become “one big community” and that the shared experience had been a drawcard.

Lucus says classroom experiences are similarly formative. “The relationship you have with a teacher will impact how much you take in.”

Devonport Flagstaff Walkers Wanted!

• Mailers/newspapers into household letterboxes

• Reliable walkers wanted for part-time work - delivering mailers/newspapers into household letterboxes.

• No experience necessary

• Materials delivered right to your door

• Regular work - community newspaper and mailers

• We would prefer if you hada smartphone Scan

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 38 Arts / Entertainment Pages
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make History for Company Theatre

Schooldays on stage... actors

(left to right) Emre Logan-Erdi, Aedan Ward, Nicholas Curry, Jesse Park, Raine Gilchrist, Lucus Laurent and Aidan Allen

Curry, who has gone on from Westlake to a conjoint law-and-music degree from the University of Auckland, says having good teachers “almost sets you up for life”.

Later this year, he will head to the UK for masters studies in musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting.

Aedan is also keen on musical theatre and has a production he has penned in the pipeline (see interview, pages 18-19). “I hope to be a writer in future,” he says.

Emre and Jesse are both keen on acting. Emre says that after Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School or university he wants to head overseas to act in movies or on the stage.

As a teacher, Smith hopes to have a lasting impact on her students, rather than being seen as someone going through the motions.

The play touches on how this can happen. Director Sampson, who was once a teacher herself, is proof this is possible. “I’ve had a former pupil get in touch and suggest a coffee 30 years later,” she says.

• The History Boys, by Company Theatre, 6-20 May, at the Rose Centre. Tickets through iticket.co.nz

May 5, 2023 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 39 Arts / Entertainment Pages
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