15 November 2024, Devonport Flagstaff by Devonport Flagstaff

November 15, 2024

Bilingual class mooted for Bayswater School... p3

Fossickers blamed for park damage... p4

Interview: Engineer and piper Chris Lucas... p22-23

Vic numbers languishing but hopes held for summer lift

The Victoria Theatre is hoping for a bumper summer, having had attendance figures for the last year 22 per cent below 2019 pre-Covid figures, its annual meeting heard last week.

Victoria Theatre Trust co-chair Margot McRae said some “big films” were sched-

uled for release. “We are looking forward to this boost as it has been a hard year for the Vic and the cinema business generally.”

The slowdown was a combination of recession, post-Covid lag and the 2023 strike by Hollywood writers and actors which had downstream effects on the supply of

top-quality movies, McRae said.

“So, like businesses everywhere, the Vic is still rebuilding its audience numbers.”

Despite the difficult trading conditions, “[general manager] Philipp Jaser and his team at the Vic Ltd are in a good heart and

To page 2

Kahukiwi’s king of the castle

Slide rules... Kahukiwi Whitehead (5) shows his moves on the bouncy castle at the St Leo’s School fair last Sunday. More pictures, pages 6-7.

Big films awaited as Vic seeks to rebuild patronage

From page 1

continue to work hard to bring in audiences”.

Italian, Lithuanian and German film festivals had been held as well as a Show Me Shorts festival and single events such as a Big Bike Night.

Performing-arts and community use is averaging around 15 per cent of tickets sold, with 60 community and live events over the year, including concerts by Dave Walker and Mel Parsons and the “ever-popular” Rocky Horror show which seemed to be attracting a new younger generation, McRae (pictured right) said.

“The Vic continues to be a very popular venue for movie fund-raising nights by local community groups and schools as well as for private screenings and birthday parties.”

For the Vic’s 112th anniversary a free film – The Wizard of Oz – was booked out.

Grants had become more difficult to come by, McRae said. The Vic’s 2024 play-reading series was cancelled because grants applica-

tions were unsuccessful.

• Kelly Ann Maxwell has joined the trust following the resignation of long-term trustee Hamish Grotrian, who had moved out of the area. Mark Sigglekow and Margot McRae continue as co-chairs, David Harrop as treasurer, Libby Boyd as secretary, Irene Chapple on grants and marketing and Graham Chapman in charge of equipment and assets.

Historic film planned to showcase theatre

The Victoria Theatre Trust has begun filming a short video about the Vic, aimed at both locals and visitors.

“We are increasingly aware of the interest in the Vic from visitors to Devonport... We envisage combining [the video] with short tours of the Vic in the future,” trust co-chair

Margot McRae told its AGM last week.

This month, pupils from Bayswater School toured the Vic, and were told about the art deco transformation of the theatre, McRae said.

New roof on theatre’s agenda

The Vic spent $112,000 on its foyer extension and refurbishment project in the last year and $37,000 on projector and sound equipment.

Just over $60,000 will be spent in the next year to complete the projects. But the next big expense is a new roof, for which a grant will be sought.

Trust co-chair Mark Sigglekow said significant time and money had been spent in recent years fixing leaks. Customers experienced draughts and rain noise.

“The lack of insulation and a moisture barrier is a detriment to our customer comfort,” he said.

“Notwithstanding that, it is of note that during the Auckland heavy rainstorm two years ago the Vic was the only one of the four North Shore cinemas that continued operating without missing a beat.

“Our 95-year-old brick-lined stormwater soak pit at the north side of our building did not overflow. This building has good bones.”

Another maintenance priority was the replacement of blue seats in the main theatre. Improvements to seating in the other cinemas were also planned

Local identity inducted into rugby league hall of fame

Former international rugby league referee and long-time Devonport businessman Dennis Hale has been inducted into the Auckland Rugby League Hall of Fame.

Hale started refereeing in the early 1970s, going on to officiate at thousands of games at club, provincial and international level before he retired in 1996.

His international career spanned 15 tests, including the 1992 Ashes series between England and Australia, and the 1992 Rugby

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Tours of the theatre by school groups were likely to be a growing trend, she said. NEXT ISSUE: November 29

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League World Cup, which Hale told the Flagstaff this week was a highlight of his career.

The biggest game he refereed was the final of that tournament, at Wembley Stadium between Great Britain and eventual winners Australia, which was played before a then-record crowd for an international league game – 73,631.

In Devonport, Hale ran Fleet St Panelbeaters for decades prior to selling to son Nathan around eight years ago.

Authorised by Hon Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

Bilingual class proposed for Bayswater School

A new te reo Māori bilingual classroom is planned at Bayswater School.

The school is consulting the Bayswater community next week before it makes the final decision.

The planned class would have 20-30 students taught by one kaiako (teacher), with 30 to 50 per cent of the teaching and learning in te reo Māori.

It is the first class of its type introduced to a school on Devonport Peninsula.

Principal Marianne Coldham said the project had been in the works for two years, since consultation among the school community showed a demand for such a class.

A school survey of parents in August showed 90.2 per cent in support of the project.

Coldham said the classroom would have an “additive approach”, adding te reo rather than replacing English.

When children first learned how to read, it would likely be in English.

“When they’re learning maths, which has a lot of technical terms, and science, a lot of it may be in English, but there are times where the te reo will be introduced.”

The school is hosting a community hui on 19 November.

Coldham has heard that people outside the school community are interested in learning more about the concept.

She said the hui will be collaborative – the school will share its ideas for the classroom and also take suggestions and ideas from those attending.

After the consultation, the school’s board will decide whether to push ahead with the project. If it does, the class will be launched in 2026, with parents able to sign their children up from next year.

Coldham said initial feedback about the project had been positive.

Open to ideas... Bayswater principal Marianne Coldham says a community hui on a proposed bilingual class will share ideas and welcome suggestions from those who attend

The class would give an opportunity for students and their families to further their cultural connection, beyond what the school

already offered.

Students would not need any level of te reo speaking prior to joining the class, she said.

Bottle fossickers blamed for damage to Polly’s Park

Whoever dug up a bank in Polly’s Park last month is thought to have been on the hunt for antique glass bottles.

Department of Conservation (DOC) senior heritage advisor Brooke Jamieson said DOC “believe this site has been targeted by people wanting to retrieve old bottles for their personal collections or for trading with other bottle collectors”.

Jamieson said similar illegal digging and removal of historic material had occurred across the country, including in other public locations across Auckland, but most recently on the South Island’s West Coast.

She said the illegal fossicking in Mary Barrett Glade/Wakakura south of the Ryman retirement village had destroyed many plants and disturbed the archaeological site of an old clay-brick factory that operated from 1875 until the mid-1930s.

“DOC is working with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Auckland Council to investigate and consider options for remediation.”

Restoring Takarunga Hauraki chair Anne McMillan said the group had plans to remediate the damage but was waiting until the vandal was caught so the work wasn’t

instantly undone. “Anything we do now might get destroyed.”

McMillan said she believed the affected trees were large enough to survive for another few weeks as they had large root networks beneath the excavation.

She said Ryman residents had seen lights in the glade at odd hours in the night and morning over the past few weeks but that it was hard to tell if further damage had been done since the digging on 19 October.

Jamieson said DOC had taken measures to secure the site, but would not say what they were.

Inquiries continue into early-morning Lake Rd fatal

Investigations into the cause of a fatal crash in Hauraki early on Saturday, 2 November are ongoing, police say.

A car travelling north on Lake Rd was left mangled and standing vertically on its nose after hitting one property’s rock wall, a power pole and a second property’s fence, north of the Clifton Rd corner bus stop.

Emergency services, including the Devonport Volunteer Fire Brigade, attended the crash around 5.50am.

A female rear-seat passenger was taken to hospital and pronounced dead around

2pm the same day. Another female and two males in the vehicle suffered minor to moderate injuries.

The Flagstaff understands speed was involved and that signs of alcohol were found at the crash scene almost opposite Hororata Rd, where previous crashes have occurred.

The vehicle is understood to have been driven from the Bayswater area. At least some of the young people inside are believed to have come from Manurewa. Traffic diversions were in place for much

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of the day. The accident woke people in the immediate vicinity, some of whom were without power until after 7pm.

Vector staff were at the scene for around 12 hours, replacing a badly damaged power pole.

The extent of damage to the vehicle and rock wall shocked locals who witnessed the immediate aftermath.

The victim’s name has not been made available. Police said an interim name suppression had been ordered by the Coroner’s office.

Basketball and swimming aces win TGS sports prizes

Basketball star Bailey Flavell and swimmer Dima Kuzmenkov have been named Takapuna Grammar School’s sportspeople of the year.

Bailey (right, top) made her debut for the Tall Ferns at just 17 years old after impressing for the New Zealand Women’s under-17 side at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Mexico, leading the team in points, blocks, steals, three-pointers and efficiency.

She has been a key player for the TGS premier team for several years.

During the regular season this year she scored a career-high 68 points in one game.

At the national secondary schools tournament this year, she helped TGS reach fifth place and was named in the tournament team.

During 2024, she represented North Harbour in both the U20 women’s team and the Harbour Breeze, who were national champions of the new Women’s Tupu League.

Bailey earned a spot in the tournament teams in both competitions while leading the scoring at the U20 Nationals and being judged the Tupu League MVP.

This year she gained an amateur contract with the Northern Kahu basketball team, which plays in the national Tauihi league.

She has committed to play for the University of Hawaii Women’s Basketball team on a full scholarship.

Dima won gold medals in the 50m breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships this year.

At the New Zealand Short Course Championships, he set a North Shore Swimming Club record for the 50m breaststroke, competing against Australian and New Caledonian swimmers.

He won an age group national gold for the 100m breaststroke and silver for 200m breaststroke, claiming three national titles and two club records.

Regionally, Dima won gold in the 50m breaststroke at the College Sport Auckland Zones event this year and later claimed bronze in the same event at the College Sport Auckland Champion of Champions competition.

In the College Sport Auckland Individual Championships he took the silver medal for the 50m breaststroke, silver in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 200m breaststroke.

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Rosara Davis won the TGS sporting female all-rounder of the year award and Aidan Simpkins the sporting male all*T&C’s apply.

All the classic fare of the fair: candy floss, waffles

In the swing of it... Remy Partington with his father’s friend James Hudson

Salad days ahead... Harry Prinsep and Kate Alexander buying seedlings for their garden

Around $28,000 was raised at St Leo’s Catholic School’s annual fair last Sunday. The event drew an estimated 2000 people.

WILLIAM SANDERS VILLAGE

MARKET DAY

SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER, 10AM - 1PM

Our crafty residents are having a fun-filled market day at the village to help fundraise for our Ryman charity partner!

Browse crafts, cakes, sweets, preserves, plants and more. There will also be free activities for children including face painting, colouring in and candy floss!

Village tours of our wonderful amenities and apartment show homes will also be available.

We can’t wait to see you there!

WILLIAM SANDERS VILLAGE

7 Ngataringa Road, Devonport, 445 0900

Pick of the pickles... Adrienne Ranskill and Karen Rawlinson at the stall selling home-made jam, relishes and chutney stall

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Waffle crew... (from front left) Parker Weeks, Joseph Radford, Ezra George and Leo Radford, with Nicholas Busch at rear

Candy floss frenzy... Mila (left) sister Charlotte and mum Amy Rataul

Tombola time... Caleb Stewart (7) tries his luck while volunteer Ala Vatuloka looks on

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Price by Negotiation View Sun 12-12.30pm or by appointment Victoria Bidwell 021 947 080

607sqm 4 3 Price by Negotiation View Sun 12-12.30pm or by appointment Victoria Bidwell 021 947 080

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By Rob Drent

Driving to work after the last Flagstaff was published, I noticed all our distribution stands in the main street were empty. A bit strange, I thought. They don’t usually get cleaned out that quickly.

Then a security video from Whites Dairy was sent to us, revealing the reason for the stands being empty. A man in a beanie was captured around 11pm, approaching on foot. After looking around – checking for potential witnesses? – he took the pile of Flagstaffs from the stand and dumped them in a nearby rubbish bin. After seeing the footage we did a check, discovering piles of papers in other stands had suffered a similar fate.

It’s hard to fathom the motive. We have no doubt offended many people over the years, for a variety of reasons. But scouring through recent issues, nothing comes immediately to mind.

The most polarising era I’ve experienced during my 40 years in the news media was during Covid, when the vaccination-wary became antagonistic towards various sections of what they saw as the establishment,

The Flagstaff Notes

which included the media.

Even in those days, we didn’t have any cases of people going around to our stands and dumping papers.

I was initially pretty angry. But on reflection put the effect into perspective. The papers in the stands are in addition to our home deliveries and to the several hundred copies of each issue we drop to New World. We are also online.

So if it was a bid to silence us, it had little effect. We carry on.

I have forwarded the video to the police, however. They are investigating.

Walking around the village often sparks ideas for stories. The other day I noticed new solar panels being installed on the roof at a home in Victoria Rd (pictured, top right). Nothing particularly newsworthy there: solar panels are becoming de rigueur all over the city. However, I seemed to recall back in the days prior to the Super City –pre-2010 – it was difficult getting consent for solar panels on pre-1930 homes in the residential 3 heritage zone south of the golf course. It’s perhaps why panels are relatively uncommon in Cheltenham, Devonport and Stanley Bay.

I wondered if anything had changed.

Auckland Council’s consent decision for panels on the roof of the Victoria Rd house was that the proposal “would not detract from the streetscape qualities and special

character values of the environment to a more than minor extent”.

While the panels can’t be seen from the front of the house, some are clearly visible from Owens Rd.

Devonport Heritage doesn’t seem too worried about it, as council has made clear the front of the house needs to remain uncluttered to meet heritage guidelines. And many readers will be thinking the approval makes perfect sense: solar panels and the move to greener energy are the way of the future. The look of buildings – even villas – has changed with the times. We’ve had tv aerials followed by satellite dishes, and garages and carports being added and sometimes removed.

One thing for sure: there will be a surge of solar-panel installations as the technology becomes more affordable. The look of some heritage homes will change accordingly.

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Horror hordes hit halloween trail in Hauraki

Hauraki was a hotspot for Halloween events on the Devonport peninsula this year, attracting big crowds.

With the Bayswater Halloween trail put on the backburner after funding cuts, the northern suburb was swamped with trick or treaters.

The Rose Centre in Belmont also had community activities organised for the first time.

Hauraki has a well-established Halloween tradition. As well as locals, it drew extra visitors from neighbouring Takapuna, where an event at the library for younger children was also a drawcard.

Around 100 people were expected at the “goosebumps” night at the library, but 180 turned up, with numbers inside having to be managed.

Many little ghouls in Hauraki were accompanied by parents, with some adults giving their offspring a good run for their money in the dress-up department.

Older primary and intermediate students checked out decorated homes in Norman Rd, Hart Rd, Spencer Tce, Francis St and Jutland Rd and surrounds.

Long-time Spencer Tce residents Bridget and Peter Thrussell said they typically spent up to $100 on sweet treats for callers who braved walking down their drive, past a car filled with skeletons, to find a smoke machine puffing out atmospheric clouds by the front door.

“More people are coming,” said Peter of the crowds, which he said had started arriving earlier this year, from around 4pm, rather than 5pm.

“It used to be just locals, but now we’re seeing 30 in a group,” said Bridget.

They had to turn people away when their supplies of sweets ran out. Although their own children are grown up, the couple have enjoyed treating others for around 15 years.

Sweet street... (clockwise from above) Hauraki mother Aina Ha with sons Mason (4) and Oliver (5) Kang on Jutland Rd; pumpkin pals Gia Baskerville (left) and Makaia Anesi, who are both nine-year-old students at Hauraki Primary School; and Taratoa Teariki (5), who attends St Leo’s, with little brother Watana (4)

Looking for loot... Siblings Isla (9) and Devon (6) Lambourne (above).

Right: Greta Rossetti (13), a Belmont Intermediate School student, found the ideal backdrop for her creative makeup at the Halloween-decorated Spencer Tce home of Peter and Bridget Thrussell.

Bounty hunter... Oli Mitera Poposui and Mandalorian son Darren (7). Above right: Dinosaur dudes (from left) Beau Wilkinson (8) and Eli McRae (7) teamed up with platter-head Hope Wilkinson (5), skeleton-suited Lulu Morgan (5) and camo-clad Charlie Tunstall (7) and (kneeling, from left) Lillian Morgan (8), Sienna McRae (7), Madeleine Gribble (3) and sister Sadie (5).

ALTOGETHER DEDICATED

TO OUR COMMUNITY

Homes of Devonport 2024

On Friday 1st November, a beautiful, sunny day, Bayleys Real Estate was very proud to sponsor the Devonport Rotary Homes of Devonport alongside other major sponsors including Ryman William Sanders Retirement Village and D&Co. Thank you very much to our wonderful home owners, house managers, advertisers, stylists and stagers, florists, photographers, Bayleys agents, gardeners, bakers and those who donated goods for fabulous raffles, goodie bags, Christmas items, auction items and the huge team of volunteers who worked tirelessly –you know who you are! We opened 10 homes, one garden with refreshments and Ryman Village apartments for over 750 people to come and see beyond the keyhole. Together our community raised over $100,000 for Cure Kids, Dementia Auckland, Devonport Rotary, and local schools/clubs. We are so proud to keep supporting these charities and reinvesting in our wonderful community.

Give a little joy this Christmas with Salvation Army

For the previous 17 years Glenfield Salvation Army have been supporting up to 200 local families at Christmas time over the North Shore. This year we are supporting local families - and you can to o. If you have something to spare, we are collecting donations such as: non-perishable food items, children’s toys (boys ages 3-16 and girls ages 5-12 or gender-neutral gifts for all ages), wrapped and labelled. All donations can be delivered to Bayleys Devonport, or Bayleys Takapuna by 12pm on Thursday 5th December. Let’s commit to an altogether better holiday season for everyone in our community.

Bayleys Real Estate Devonport 33 King Edward Parade, Devonport devonport@bayleys.co.nz | 09 487 0702

Pictured top to bottom: A phenomenal home on Takarunga, a special garden on Matai Road, and the Bayleys Momentum .

Crowds flock for a peek at blue-chip local homes

Villa envy was rife among the hundreds of people who enjoyed the Homes of Devonport tour at the beginning of the month.

The charity fundraising event gave 850 people a look behind the front gates of some of the suburb’s most desirable homes.

The event on 1 November raised more than $100,000, said coordinator Lynda Betts from Bayleys real estate.

Beneficiaries this year included Rotary, Dementia Auckland and Cure Kids, plus schools and groups who sold tickets.

Local schools and childcare centres would also benefit from the sales of decorated wooden Christmas trees.

These are on display at the Devonport Library until the end of November, with a silent auction for each.

Some guests lingered at one Cheltenham home to enjoy a cup of tea and listen to the Royal New Zealand Navy Band Brass

Quintet. Others bought raffle tickets and Christmas cakes and decorations.

“There is a huge contingent of people who put their energy into getting this event done,” Betts said.

“Not to mention our wonderful homeowners who so generously open their homes for us.”

Twelve homes were on this year’s tour, mostly villas, but also including a modern apartment and a colourful bungalow.

Heritage features were prominent in many properties, but supplemented with modern kitchens, luxurious bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, butler’s pantries and indoor-outdoor flow.

Design tricks to maximise space and light were evident and there was plenty of styling flair on display, including with striking wallpaper and in special Christmas table settings.

Among the homes were those of De-

vonport architect Rebecca Macfie, whose heritage property has been given a contemporary twist for family living, and stylist Kate Alexander, who showed how collectibles and colour can add character to a modest bungalow.

The tour’s largest property was a knockout villa near Maungauika, with an added rear wing seamlessly wrapping around a courtyard living area opening to a pool and gym. Other homes featured cosy nooks and garden sanctuaries.

Sales of 150 $25 Christmas puddings were brisk and all 75 donated Christmas cakes sold out by early afternoon, raising $3500.

This year was the sixth time the tour has been held. It started in 2013 and has normally taken place every two years, barring Covid interruptions.

Betts said the tours took a year to plan, with the next schdeduled for 2026.

Bombay 47 Mile Road

3.54ha

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 3pm, Thu 5 Dec 2024

8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe

Paul Voorburg 021 029 05733 paul.voorburg@bayleys.co.nz

Kristina Liu 021 195 4442 kristina.liu@bayleys.co.nz

Peter Sullivan 021 733 278 peter.sullivan@bayleys.co.nz

Stunning lifestyle block overlooking Auckland city

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Sisters’ day out... Jennifer Neads (left) and her sister Rosemary check out the wooden Christmas trees decorated by local children.

Festive-season treat... Rotarian John O’Toole offered samples of the Rotary Christmas puddings on sale during the Homes of Devonport tour

Home and Legal Minor Dwelling

Auction Thursday 21st November at 12.00pm In Rooms (Unless Sold Prior)

View As advertised or by appointment cooperandco.co.nz/L31356446

This home and minor dwelling property in the heart of Belmont is a smart buying decision. With two homes on the same title there are lots of options for this large freehold site. The front house, featuring 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and open-plan living and kitchen, was built just 8 years ago. The back house has been very well looked after and maintained but has the opportunity to update or renovate. Featuring 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and ensuite plus good-sized lounge, dining and kitchen with a lovely sunny north-facing backyard shaded by mature trees. A large insulated garage separates the two homes. There is also plenty of off-street parking on the property. The current owners have had almost 40 years enjoying this lovely property and now pass it on to the lucky new owners to add value or reap the benefits of all that is on offer here.

Jemma Glancy 021 246 5300 jemma.glancy@harcourts.co.nz

Auction Thursday 28th November at 12.00pm In Rooms (Unless Sold Prior)

View Saturday/Sunday 12.00pm - 12.30pm cooperandco.co.nz/L31291336

Shhh! Devonport's Best Kept Secret

• Residents stay on average 17.8 years

• Prime location in the heart of central Devonport

• Nestled on a friendly street with a strong community vibe

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• Cafes and restaurants right on your doorstep

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• Beach at the end of your street

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• A hidden gem - once you experience this location, you won't want to leave.

Jane Hastings 021 735 263

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Jackie Mark 021 458 797 jackie.mark@harcourts.co.nz

Redevelopment planned for Takarunga tennis courts

The run-down Takarunga tennis courts are in for a makeover aimed at creating a multi-use community recreation space.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) last week approved a design that includes one combined tennis and basketball court, an informal children’s play area, a games wall, and accessible wharepaku (toilets).

It incorporates cultural elements and new picnic tables, seating and planting. A budget for the work was not immediately available.

The design for the courts, uphill from Devonport Primary School and across the road from the Michael King Writers’ Centre, requires Auckland Council resource consent.

When the consenting process is completed, likely in the New Year, the plan is for construction in 2025.

“What is currently a poorly utilised tennis offer will become a very beautiful whānau space,” said TMA deputy chair Toni van Tonder.

The project is one of the biggest the TMA, which manages maunga across the city, has planned next year.

A nature-play balancing trail will be part of the design.

Multi-use... Graphic impressions of the new facilities planned for the site of two run-down tennis courts on the slopes of Takarunga, including a combined tennis and basketball court, a games wall and toilets

A large sculpture, pou and coloured and patterned whāriki (welcome mat) surfaces will enhance the area.

The art elements have been designed in conjunction with mana whenua artist Arapeta Hākura to reflect the Tainui waka landing in Devonport, and broader narratives of migration and exploration.

Van Tonder, who is also the DevonportTakapuna Local Board chair, said preparatory

work for the project had included seeking input from Devonport woman Kimberly Graham, who campaigns for disability access.

Graham, who has a son in a wheelchair, had previously criticised the installation of steps up the maunga.

The design also includes a bus drop-off area, replacing three existing car parks down the hill from the courts, near the access barrier arm.

New lease of life coming for former bowling club

Initial sketches are being prepared for a women’s cricket and rugby changing facility at the former Devonport Bowling Club.

North Shore Rugby Club and North Shore Cricket Club officials have formed a working party to coordinate the project now that the council lease for the building has been signed.

It is hoped final designs, building consents and then construction will be

completed by the start of the 2025 rugby season, but this depends on how quickly the process moves through the Auckland Council bureaucracy, costings and the availability of funding.

The project has already taken years to get off the ground, with the sports clubs expressing an interest in taking over the bowling club prior to Covid.

North Shore Cricket Club chair Mark

Davies said both clubs had experienced a surge in female membership at senior and junior level and were “totally committed” to providing the changing rooms.

Architecture firm Jasmax had done sketches on a pro-bono basis, with the next step to develop full concept plans, Davies said.

A public meeting was likely in early 2025 to unveil the plans to the community.

Devonport 09 445 2010

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After a life of engineering and adventure, Chris Lucas these days keeps busy with a local environmental group – while still leaving time for bagpiping and more. He talks to Helen Vause.

Chris Lucas is a man of many parts. There’s the international engineering consultant, the maker and innovator, the passionate climate-change activist, the musician and the guy with a wacky sense of adventure.

And the adventures aren’t over yet. From a home office almost in the heart of Devonport Village, the 69-year-old looks back on his endeavours, large and small, across different fields, and says there are plenty of working years ahead. “Retirement isn’t relevant to me.”

Lucas came from Hamilton to join the Navy in 1973, doing engineering-related work and graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1976.

He pretty quickly realised that although the Navy had given him a great start, he wanted to move on and do design work: large-scale stuff in hydropower.

“I like hydro because it’s working with a renewable resource and that aligns with a big part of who I am,” he says, in reference to his environmental advocacy. “I was drawn to heavy equipment and large-scale projects because I like the potential and power of it all.”

That meant getting into the generation industry and working for leading engineering consultancies. He’s since had four decades working on hydropower projects, providing design and feasibility advice for new dams and the maintenance of existing plants.

Part of his expertise is in the design and workings of hydraulic gates. His work has often taken him overseas, mostly into Asia.

As a young man on his earliest forays into exotic and third-world places far from home, the young Kiwi was struck by the notion that

Pipe dream... More used to large-scale engineering projects, Lucas successfully crafted his own set of bagpipes

‘do’ life was shaped by these travels. There would be balance and exploration and he would not be chained to chasing a dollar.

Fortunately, the well-qualified Lucas could generate the means to create the life he wanted, and having followed the plan he chuckles and says: “ I’m very well paid by the hour, but I do not work a lot of hours. There are so many other things I wanted to do in life but you have to make a plan to actually get out and live life as you want to.”

He worked on projects in Laos and Vietnam, where he says there is massive hydro resource. Lucas was in at “ground zero” on big state-of-the-art hydropower developments, in

a tight team of international consultants. One of those projects spanned 11 years, right up to 2019, calling for countless site trips for Lucas.

Often, when his role in project stages had been fulfilled, he would be joined by his wife Marilee, so the couple could spend weeks living local-style, exploring at a slow pace.

Seeing the world, learning about other cultures and immersing themselves in other ways of living has been a recurring theme for the Lucas family. With their now-adult children, Alan and Jennifer, the family spent big chunks of the early childhood and primary school years on the road, far away from Devonport. They believed their children were learning

Saturday 7th December 10am - 2pm $5 per person

lots and enriching their lives on family travels far away from their classrooms. Like their parents, they’d learn to see the world through other people’s eyes.

Those trips invariably brought a period of adjustment back in Devonport, recalls Lucas. “ Sometimes we felt like foreigners back here.”

After extensive travel in Asia, including India, with their children, they looked further afield. They bought a campervan and over 20 weeks travelled slowly from Europe through Turkey to the Middle East.

In 2009, leaving their grown children at home, Chris and Marilee headed off on a fivemonth journey around China. “We were short on money, and long on time. Which is how we like to do things when we are travelling local-style on the local transport.”

They enjoyed that trip so much they went back to China in 2010, travelling around parts of the vast country they’d missed on the first trip.

“I think we’ve seen much more of the country than many Chinese people would have. I find it a fascinating place and the human geography there is very interesting to me.”

True to his philosophy of life balance and learning, Lucas had stepped away from his desk in 1996 to return to university to do a BA in history, political science and religions.

He resisted a pull to do further post graduate studies.

Also in the 1990s, he began taking a “serious interest” in climate change.

“Scientists were clearly saying that climate change and the threats and issues associated with it were very seriously understated.”

After a time of feeling personally downcast about the issue, Lucas decided to become more active in the conversation around climate-change policy.

“Surely the thought of a billion people being relocated by climate change is something that will change the world.”

The Lucas family, he says, have been mind-

ful about living on a carbon budget. Where possible, he says, they used public transport. They now have an electric camper, but when they had a fossil-fuel camper they limited the kilometres they travelled.

In more recent years, Lucas has been mentoring in his professional field. He says he’s found sharing his knowledge and skills this way has to be one of his most satisfying professional experiences.

He’s also taken the opportunity to use his skills closer to home after joining the Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH) environmental team in recent years.

When he is in action at the RTH nursery project and talking about its importance, it’s easy to see he’s in one of his happy places.

Lucas, who is an RTH board member, is also project manager at the recently established nursery site and proud of the watering system he has designed and installed.

Volunteers meet regularly at the fastexpanding nursery to raise and tend native plants for the extensive restoration plantings they carry out across the peninsula. “It’s

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fantastic to be part of this,” Lucas says.

Then there’s the musical side of his life: Lucas has played bagpipes in bands for many years.

His parents played them and the pipes, he says, are a great party instrument.

Making his own pipes was an irresistible temptation for the engineer-come-tinkerer, and with the help of friends from the Celtic summer school he attends, he crafted a oneoff set.

Familiar though he was with ambitious and complex projects, he says making pipes was far too much work for him to ever contemplate doing again.

In his workshop at home, Lucas’ old Indian motor cycle with sidecar is testimony to his fun side.

It’s a 1941 model and runs, mostly, as reliably as any engineer would want.

But when Lucas and Marilee were riding recently to join their kapa haka group, the old machine faltered on the uphill start at a major

Tanks for that... Lucas designed the watering system at the Restoring Takarunga nursery

Big Spray Out works up an appetite at Allenby

Soapsuds and a slope added up to serious fun at the 1st Devonport Scout Group’s recent annual Mudslide Day. The Devonport Volunteer Fire Brigade brought their water power to the event (above), held in sunny spring conditions near the scout hall at Allenby Reserve.

Left: Orletta Rowe and James Hilditch donned aprons to help keep the sausages coming for hungry participants.

THE NAVY COMMUNITY

AOTEAROA COMPLETES INDO-PACIFIC MISSION

From Hawaii to the South China Sea, HMNZS Aotearoa’s 2024 Operation Crucible deployment has been a successful reaffirmation of New Zealand’s partnerships on the water.

Aotearoa returned to Devonport last month after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home. Navy colleagues greeted the ship’s company with a haka, who returned the honour with their own.

For Commanding Officer Commander Rob Welford, his return to Devonport was exactly one year and one day since he took command of Aotearoa, and the second time he has brought Aotearoa home from South East Asia. He took command of Aotearoa in Singapore towards the end of the ship’s 2023 deployment.

CDR Welford says he could not be prouder of his ship’s company.

“Our many successes with multiple countries, including some ‘firsts’ for the ship like an eight-hour refuelling of USS Boxer, shows how Aotearoa continues to be the ‘tanker of choice’ in delivering an operational effect for our Defence partners.

“In all our engagements and taskings, Aotearoa’s sailors have had a smile on their face and put 100 percent effort into everything they have done. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Devonport Naval Base security reminder – for the safety of the community, please take care and remain outside the 60-metre perimeter of the Naval Base at all times. This includes when swimming, diving, kayaking, fishing and sailing.

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HMNZS Aotearoa (centre) conducts a Dual Replenishment at Sea with destroyers HMAS Sydney and USS Howard during a Maritime Cooperative Activity in the South China Sea.

PHOTO: ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

33 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna

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IB Prizegiving Award Winners

The International Baccalaureate prizegiving for Year 13 students was held in the school library and was well attended by the senior leadership team, students, parents and staff. Awards were presented by Principal Mary Nixon and the winners were congratulated for their diligence and efforts over the last two years.

The Jackie Rodgers Cup for Dux of IB was awarded to deserving student Sam Moffitt for his outstanding academic effort and Proxime Accessit in IB was awarded

to Daniel (Changning) Li. Summa Cum Laude was presented to Judy (Zihui) Xu and the CAS Cup for Creativity, Activity & Service went to Sascha Letica. We are exceptionally proud of our IB2 cohort who have shown resilience and perseverance. We wish them the best of luck in their IB exams and are confident that they will achieve great success in all their future endeavours.

IB Award Winners

Sascha Letica First in IB English Language & Literature

Hannah Naidoo

Excellence in IB Language Acquisition Spanish Ab Initio

Danny Byrne First in IB Economics

Jodie Nash First in IB Sport, Exercise & Health Science

Yolanda Chai Distinction in IB English Language & Literature

Monique Jermy Distinction in IB Biology

Molly Turner Distinction in IB Mathematics Applications & Interpretation

Judy (Zihui) Xu First in IB Chinese Language & Literature

Excellence in IB Language Acquisition Higher Level

Daniel (Changning) Li First in IB Physics

Distinction in IB Chemistry

Distinction in IB Mathematics Analysis & Approaches

Emma Lenz First in IB Geography

First in IB Mathematics Applications & Interpretation

First in IB Arts

Distinction in IB Theory of Knowledge

Sam Moffitt Excellence in IB Language Acquisition Standard Level

First in IB History

First in IB Chemistry

First in IB Biology

First in IB Mathematics Analysis & Approaches

First in IB Theory of Knowledge

Special Awards

Sascha Letica Creativity, Activity & Service Cup

Judy (Zihui) Xu Summa cum Laude

Daniel (Changning) Li Proxime Accessit

Sam Moffitt IB Dux

Mary Nixon with IB Dux of 2024 Sam Moffitt

Sascha Letica CAS Cup winner

Class of 2024

Clarifying plans for skatepark at new location

Thank you for your detailed, balanced coverage of the new skatepark project (Flagstaff, 1 November).

The most challenging part of advocating for a wheeled sports facility is translating the needs of many niche groups for wider consumption. Please allow me to clarify some common misconceptions.

The first is regarding broken glass, which makes skating impossible. In my experience at Woodall Park, broken glass results solely from stray basketballs hitting bottles standing courtside.

The second is distance: the toilets and playground are close when you have wheeled transport to get there. Line-of-sight enables kids to move safely between these three facilities. Importantly, the golf club is keen to partner with the council in the future to install a new toilet by the courts for those caught short on the back nine.

I agree that calling Woodall “close to Ngataringa Park” is clumsy

wording. To clarify: as it is funded from the renewal budget for that facility, the new one must serve the same catchment area, therefore must be close by.

Finally, regarding noise and light pollution. No lighting is being considered at night, and dew delays skating in the morning, so there will be no activity at all hours as feared. Usage before 3pm will be mostly preschoolers building confidence on quiet (soft-wheeled) equipment.

If council are not responsive to concerns following the open day (on 3 November), I invite residents to reach out to Devonport Rotary.

We have an overview of both the community needs, the detailed history of the project and the site itself and we’re dedicated to achieving a positive outcome for all.

Dave Casey, Devonport Rotary

NORTH SHORE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB AGM

Notice is hereby given that the 151st Annual General Meeting of the North Shore Rugby Football Club Inc. will be held in the Clubrooms, Cambridge Tce, Devonport on Tuesday 26th November 2024 at 7pm.

Agenda:

1. Apologies

2. Obituaries

3. Confirmation of 150th AGM minutes

4. 2024 Annual reports

5. 2024 Financial report

6. Appointment of auditors

7. Subscriptions for 2025

8. Election of Officers and Committee

9. Service Awards

10. North Harbour Rugby Union

11. General Business Callum McNair, Club Manager

The Bunker must be maintained

Thank you to the Flagstaff, Geoff Chapple and Margot McRae of Devonport Heritage for highlighting the need to maintain the Bunker, our much-loved, internationally-known music venue on Mt Victoria.

The ratepayers of Auckland fund the Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) around $9.5 million a year to manage Auckland’s volcanic cones on behalf of “mana whenua and the other people of Auckland”.To date, the TMA’s record has been patchy.

Prioritising maintenance of the Bunker would be a win for all parties.

Cam Calder

$200,000 playground makeover for

The Achilles Crescent Reserve playground will be upgraded early next year following approval of a design.

A budget of $203,673 has been allocated to the project by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, with construction thought likely to begin in February.

Project manager Kylie Hewitt told the board at a recent meeting the project might cost more than expected, but there were ways to mitigate that risk, such as by using different materials.

The playground design features a see-

saw, swing set with a bucket swing, a boatshaped tower, spinning climbing obstacle and a rope-wall area. “Wet-pour” rubber flooring will cover much of the playground.

The board approved the design and asked Auckland Council staff to progress the project.

When council consulted the public on two options for the renewal in April and May, 66 out of 98 people preferred the option that is now going ahead.

Community feedback in 2023 also informed six concept designs which were

Achilles Reserve

presented to the board in March, when it chose the two options that were put to the community.

Local board chair Toni van Tonder said the design was far more accessible than the current playground.

The wet-pour flooring allowed for the use of scooters and skateboards.

For the final design, the board recommended that Auckland Council investigate including one or two picnic tables, retaining existing rubbish bins and installing a drinking fountain and shade sail.

Leftover rubble leaves ratepayers with a headache

Rubble left on a former bowling green at Achilles Crescent Reserve will have to be taken away – likely at ratepayers’ expense.

The rubble has been there for months, after it was left by a contractor helping Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH) break up the disused green’s hard surface to allow for planting by community volunteers. One nearby resident complained to the Flagstaff about the mess in July, and RTH responded that it understood it had permission to work in the area.

Auckland Council confirmed approval to use the area was given in late 2023, but said it had asked RTH to stop removing the surface in June, to allow the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board to give direction on what it wanted to happen in that corner of the reserve.

Members at a board workshop in September said they wanted the hard surface removed to help lessen run-off.

They told staff to stick to a $100,000 budget set aside for the bowling green work, rather than looking at more expensive options, such as developing the 1500sqm space into a picnic area, pump track or basketball half-court.

After a recent site tour highlighted drainage and flood-prone issues, board members

agreed that planting would be the best use for the area.

Deputy chair Terence Harpur described the digger work as “a mess”.

“The piles of rubble – council has to pay to remove it.”

Council project manager Chris Noventius said a misunderstanding had occurred

with RTH. Council would now have a contractor take away the rubble and RTH would be asked to refrain from more work until final decisions were made.

A report will come back to the board in February after geotechnical assessments.

If asbestos was found in the surface, it could add to the cost.

Noventius told board members that what RTH had done so far was “experimental”, to see if plants would survive in the unremediated area.

But council arborists disagreed with this approach, wanting the surface addressed first, and more topsoil for new planting. Some of the plants put in by RTH might have to be moved.

Harpur suggested planting on one side and a hot-mix pour for the rest of the green, to provide an area for children to learn to ride bikes.

Other board members thought planting the whole area would be best.

Board chair Toni van Tonder said the bowling green was sometimes covered in broken bottles and the scene of antisocial gatherings.

“I don’t think we need another community facility we have to upkeep. There’s plenty [for youth] at Woodall Park.”

Garden Design Devonport

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Mid-Century Modern

One of the key measures of success for any new kitchen is how well it meets the client’s brief in design, aesthetics and quality. The quest for a beautifully designed and well-manufactured kitchen was important to the client so they sought a custom design solution from Kitchens by Design.

The brief for this kitchen was to deliver an inviting environment that maximized the compact area with clean lines, a thoughtful floorplan, smart storage solutions, and a cohesive colour palette of warm earth tones. This kitchen, for a young family, is located on the second storey of their home and positioned to take full advantage of extensive sea views, says designer Karen Brown from Kitchens By Design.

“There was an extensive amount of collaboration and trust with this client to deliver a custom-built kitchen, with the perfect blend of style and functionality, and one that they now absolutely love.”

By combining stained American oak doors, and fine framed profiles, we were able to give the design a classic element, delivering a stylish and functional space inspired by mid-century modern aesthetics. The stained American oak paired with a softly patterned stone bench top creates a beautiful and harmonious design that balances warmth with elegance.

Small metal finger pull handles, discreet and functional, are integrated seamlessly, adding a modern touch while ensuring ease of use without detracting from the overall look. Both materials are durable, with the stone

resistant to scratches and stains, with gorgeously finished oak able to withstand daily use.

“The rich, warm tones of the stained oak provide a cozy feel, while the stone adds a touch of sophistication,” says Karen. The contrast between the organic grain of the wood and the subtle patterns in the stone create visual interest and the tactile experience is further enriched by the smooth surface of the stone in contrast to the textured finish of the oak.

The space is now so functional, creating the perfect balance between aesthetics and curated design. Karen says the homeowners are so grateful for the meticulous attention to detail, spanning the design, the build and seamless installation, delivering a gorgeous Kitchen from the team at Kitchens by Design.

The experienced team at Kitchens By Design offers an integrated design-to-completion service. If you’re looking for a new kitchen, please call (09) 379 3084 to make an appointment with one of their designers. Kitchens By Design’s showroom is located at 9 Melrose Street, Newmarket. For inspiration, take a look at some fabulous projects at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz

WHAT’S ON @ Devonport Library

Maria Teape Community Coordinator 445 9533 | maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

Tēnā Koutou Katoa Tamariki creativity is to the fore this month with three initiatives.

CHRISTMAS TREES - SILENT AUCTION

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER. We are thrilled to be hosting this Homes of Devonport auction. Come and view 17 wooden trees beautifully decorated by local children and bid generously to take one home. All funds raised go back to the schools and pre-schools for their outstanding creativity.

A NEW MINECRAFT CLUB

Ferry terminal parking cuts delayed

Promised cuts to the cost of parking at the ferry terminal in Devonport have been delayed by Auckland Transport (AT).

AT told Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members in September that within two or three weeks it would reduce hourly charges from $1.50 to $1 to encourage ferry commuters to use the park off Queens Pde. It said it was “listening to the community” on its parking review submissions.

AT then advised board members it could not complete the necessary procedural changes in time to make good on the pledge. A resolution report needed to be approved by its Traffic Control Committee and this

Fridays at 3:30pm - 4:30pm

Just launched for children and teens. Bring your own device (laptop, tablet, or gaming console) and Minecraft logins to join in on the fun!

VOX BOOKS IN TE REO MĀORI

had encountered delays with drawing up.. After approval, AT policies then required signs to be displayed and its website updated at least seven days before the new charges were implemented. This meant the changes were now expected to be on 25 November.

Other parking changes in Devonport, including residential zones, are yet to be finalised and will be phased in over the coming months. They will require sign-off by Auckland councillors.

Ferry-terminal parking will be monitored. Pre-Covid, it cost 50c an hour, and spaces were generally full, but at $1.50 usage had slipped to around 60 per cent occupancy.

Vox children’s books that speak, now have 5 new te reo titles. Tino pai.

HEALTH IN NEW ZEALAND

Sunday 17th November 11am-12 noon

TANI - The Asian Network Inc – is giving a talk in Mandarin and English on the New Zealand health system for newcomers. For example, how to access GP services, child health and screening programmes. All welcome.

DEVONPORT LIBRARY ASSOCIATES

Join this organisation for $10 per annum and get emailed about their monthly events such as the excellent “Where is the News” evening in October. We are so grateful for these special literary events which are open to all.

CURRENT CONSULTATIONS

Auckland Council is updating the plan to protect our natural environment from the negative impacts of introduced species. Auckland Transport has one on a new Vehicle Use and Parking Bylaw. Forms for each available in the library.

Mā te Wā

Recycled play gear provides fun for kids in Vanuatu

Children in Vanuatu are enjoying the former Windsor Reserve playground supplied to them by Devonport Rotary.

Gavin Busch, the club member who organised the recycling of replaced play equipment after an upgrade, said the Rotary district governor Jenn Wong had seen the gear in use last month during a visit to Luganville, the main town on the island of Santo.

“It is well used and loved by the community,” Busch said.

The initial relocation was supported by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Devonport Rotary is looking at giving $1000 to the Rotary Club of Santo for playground maintenance and painting.

Rotary was one of the charity partners of the Homes of Devonport tour, held on 1 November. “This is one of the club’s projects fundraising goes towards,” Busch said.

Wong, who lives in Takapuna, took photographs of the playground two Sundays ago.

It is set up in the centre of Luganville, on Unity Park, a place where many people gather to sit under shady trees or swim or paddle in the water.

Signs recognise the Rotary gift, made in 2020. The playground – the only one on Santo – was transported to Vanuatu with the help of Takapuna-based Oceanbridge.

Recycling in action… The playground equipment from Windsor Reserve is still being enjoyed in its new home. Left: As it was in Devonport in years gone by.

St Leo’s School choir lines up first ticketed show

St Leo’s Catholic School’s choir is presenting its inaugural ticketed concert this month, with a diverse song list featuring numbers old and new.

Choir teacher Dominic Blaazer said the group performed regularly through the year, but decided to do a ticketed show to reach a wider audience.

“We do perform at Christmas shows, but nothing that’s a big celebration within the community.

“I just really wanted to invite members

of the community whose families have been part of the school, and teenagers now who are at their next schools and were in the choir when they were this age, who will remember some of the songs.”

He said the song list for the concert features modern chart-toppers along with folk, Americana and gospel songs.

“We aim to give our audiences a bit of everything: something reflective maybe, something dancy, old or new, something they know the words to, some surprises

here and there, too.”

Blaazer started the choir 11 years ago and has watched many students come and go over the years.

The concert is at the school’s hall on Saturday 30 November. Tickets can be purchased by contacting St Leo’s at 09 445 9339 or office@stleos.school.nz – $5 for school-aged children and $10 for adults.

The St Francis de Sales Parish Choir will open the concert with a selection of songs.

On song…St Leo’s choir teacher Dominic Blaazer leads pupils in rehearsal

Musical medic performs in support of hall fund

Doctor Robin Kelly is a firm believer in the health-enhancing benefits of music. The practised singer-songwriter has found a happy home enjoying his long-time passion with like-minded musicians at Harmony Hall’s regular Friday evening sessions in Devonport.

“I see this place as community-sustaining,” he says.

That’s why he is supporting the hall’s re-roofing fundraising campaign with a concert this Saturday, 16 November. The proceeds from $20 ticket sales will go towards the much-needed new roof.

Kelly (pictured) and a few friends will perform, drawing on the contemporary acoustic folk genre, with a bit of blues and country in the mix of originals and covers. Kelly told the Flagstaff he hoped locals who may not be familiar with the Wynyard St venue with “great acoustics and a dance floor” will venture along.

They will find a friendly bunch of regulars, as he did when he first came along to join in several years ago. “It’s a very warm and welcoming community atmosphere,” says the doctor of 50 years, who has practised on the Shore for more than 40 years.

Kelly has recorded six original albums over about 25 years, the most recent of them two years ago. He had a spot at the Auckland Fringe Festival in 2020.

Also an author and a poet, he these days practises medicine with a holistic focus from his Albany home, but says he has plenty of patients from closer to Devonport, having previously practised in Takapuna and Milford. Through Harmony Hall, he has made more friends in Devonport.

A fellow North Shore doctor first told him

about the Friday sessions and in recent times Kelly has been going along most weeks. The sessions had already been going for several years when he joined and he has seen them grow in popularity.

Typically between 30 to 60 people show up to either play or support the performances of others. He puts his name on the blackboard and does one original and one cover each week. Sometimes he joins in with others, playing guitar or harmonica.

“Music is a lovely release and a joyful part of your life,” he says. “It totally sustains me.”

The Harmony Hall audience is quiet and appreciative, he says, allowing experienced musicians like himself to perform, but also providing an opportunity for hobbyists to give it a go. Being able to bring your own refreshments and nibbles along each week is a boon that adds to the relaxed occasion.

“I’d love for others to see what we’re up to and see the community we have.”

Kelly says he has been impressed by those running the venue and wanted to give back. His concert would also be something of a personal celebration of his long career and 50 years of marriage to Trish, who works as his receptionist.

• Robin Kelly... & Friends, Saturday, 16 November from 5pm-7.30pm at Harmony Hall, 4 Wynyard St. Door sales $20 cash for the roof. (BYO food and drink).

Students’ work shown at main-street gallery

An exhibition in Devonport has showcased the creativity of students in the specialeducation unit at Takapuna Grammar School.

Featuring work produced in art classes taken twice a week this year by unit teacher aide and local Natasha Somervell, the week-long show at Satellite2 gallery in Victoria Road closes on Sunday 17 November.

“I was so excited about the work,” Somervell told the Flagstaff.

“They’ve done really well and caught on to the themes.”

Satellite2 co-founder Linda Blincko agrees, pointing out how the students have referenced well-known artists including Warhol, Matisse and New Zealand’s Don Binney.

Fourteen-year-old student Jessie Moffatt, who has a cat painting and a surrealistinspired collage in the exhibition, helped Somervell set up the show.

Although too shy to describe her work for the Flagstaff, she was surprised and pleased to think it might be in the paper.

A gap in the Victoria Rd gallery’s schedule allowed for the exhibition, the second involving TGS students, after a showing of fairy houses by textile students last term proved extremely popular.

Talent on show... Jessie Moffatt is among TGS students whose work has been exhibited at Satellite2 gallery. Her collage is at top right

Somervell showed her own bird paintings at the gallery at the beginning of the year.

The Devonport resident is a trained teacher, whose teacher-aide work at the unit assists

head of department Michele Brook and teacher Michelle Brewer.

The unit has two classes of students aged 13 to 21.

Director finds happy place at Rose Centre theatre

Kathy Gent is helming her 17th play for Company Theatre. She spoke to Janetta Mackay. Take four male middle managers on a team-building course and strand them in the unknown outdoors, then switch them out with women and what do you get?

A remake of comedy Neville’s Island called Sheila’s Island, with added emotional nuance.

“The characters are an absolute hoot, but they’re deeper than that,” says Kathy Gent, director of the gender-switch version of a play she first tackled for Company Theatre in 2021.

She and playwright Tim Firth – the Englishman behind hugely successful shows Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots –both held some misgivings about doing a remake of Neville’s Island, which Firth penned in 1992.

For Gent, the sense of unfinished business won out over any fears of staging a remake, especially given it came with a fresh female-centric take.

Her August 2021 season of Neville’s Island was cut short by a Covid outbreak, after just three nights.

“We were all awfully upset.” Three months later, as the company was preparing for another crack at a season at the Rose Centre in Belmont, she recalls “sitting at the dress rehearsal and our phones started going and we were [again] in lockdown”.

A third try was out of the question. The cast had moved on and some of the props, made with help from the Claystore community workshop, were scrapped because they were too big to keep in storage.

But when Gent later read that Firth had been prevailed upon to create a Sheila’s Island by a theatre manager in Guildford in 2022, her enthusiasm reignited.

“I love the style of his writing,” says Gent, who directed Calendar Girls for Company in 2013.

Initially, Firth apparently doubted women might behave as outrageously as Neville’s crew did, but he put his preconceptions aside. So, 30 years after the male version came female office mates and rivals again jockeying Survivor-style to get through a boat capsize and being stranded in the cold, fog and dark in the Lake District.

“In 1992, Tim Firth didn’t think you’d have four middle managers heading out that were women,” Gent says.

She herself had no trouble envisaging the infighting and emotional baggage of a female group. But she was less sure if a scene where the men stripped down would translate as well with women. Her doubts soon subsided.

Gent says one-liners abound in the show and so too a sense of impending doom.

“They’re all feeling lost emotionally and

also on this island.” As well as the lousy weather, it’s bonfire night, setting up feelings of panic in the group. “They’re terrified by every noise that they hear.”

The four leads include Devonport actor Marissa Willson, whose role as Fay, a timid birdwatching Christian who has had a breakdown, proves decisive in later action.

Willson was in Company’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time earlier in the year, as was Trudy Price who plays Julie, a character burdened with a huge backpack.

Northcote actor Katie Fullard is back, after being in Ladies Day in 2017. She plays lonely soul Denise, a “catalyst for what happens in the play,” Gent says.

Then there’s Lauren McLay, who as Sheila of the play’s title is the somewhat hapless leader of the group.

To recreate the set from Neville’s Island, Gent revisited a model design made by then-student now-architect Victoria Gencheva. Set construction manager Sherry Berg worked with the Claystore’s Brett Marshall and volunteers to make papier mache rocks and trees. Tree trunks were fashioned around carpet-roll tubes.

“The Claystore have been amazing,” says Gent.

Sheila’s Island is her 17th play for Company Theatre. She arrived in New Zealand from the UK in 1995 for an 18-month job swap through her then-employer KPMG

consultants. She extended her stay, did some travelling and returned, later switching back to teaching to better fit round bringing up her now-adult son.

Gent initially rented in Mission Bay, but a visit to Devonport soon saw her move across the harbour.

She soon got involved in Company Theatre, having had experience directing revues at university and then time in amateur theatre, including London’s Putney Players. Along the way she was a history teacher and spent five years as an officer in the women’s branch of the Royal Navy, where she also put on productions that won awards.

In New Zealand she tried golf, yachting and tramping – “because that’s what Kiwis do” – but the first two activities didn’t stick.

“I found I was chipping away at turf, not the ball, and when I went to a Penny Whiting sailing course I was screaming to get off the boat.”

Having learned about Company Theatre from the local library, she was soon back on more familiar ground and making friends.

“I just love getting a script and trying to imagine it on stage and who could play the characters and then following this journey through.”

The intimate Rose Centre theatre, which seats 110 people, has become something of a second home. “It feels very connected,” she says.

Gent aims to do a play every year or two. The 40-year-old Company Theatre brings three productions to Belmont each year. However, the shows are getting more expensive, with increasing rights payments and advertising and rental costs. “It’s 10k before you get started,” she says.

Support backstage is also important. “We’re always looking for more people, particularly to help with props and costumes.”

Gent says auditions draw locals and actors from across the city.

She is already looking ahead to her next directorial stint, about a year away, with another comedy called The Cemetery Club by Ivan Menchell, about three Jewish widows who meet at their husbands’ graves.

“I hope I can just carry on doing it,” says Gent.

Company is focusing on comedy next year, with Out of Order by Ray Cooney in March-April and then Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em in August.

• Sheila’s Island by Company Theatre has a gala opening at the Rose Centre tonight, with the public season running from Saturday, 16 to 30 November. Tickets at companytheatre.co.nz.

Track record... Kathy Gent with a poster for her latest show. Mementos of previous productions hang on the wall behind her.

character... The

local. Work local.

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cast of Company Theatre’s production of Sheila’s Island (from left) Marissa Willson, Trudy Price, Lauren McLay and Katie Fullard

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