50-year reunion for WIS students

Jo Kent

A former student of Waimea Intermediate School, teacher Liz Wilde, is arranging a 50-year reunion of the first class she ever taught back in 1973.

Di Butler was taught by Liz in 1974, which was a year after she began her teaching career, and the two have remained friends ever since.

Di is bringing together students who were in Room 5 during 1973 and Room 21 during 1974, the class she was in.

“It’s going to be such a special night as some of us haven’t seen each other since those Intermediate days, plus Liz will be reunited with pupils from the very first class she ever taught, five decades ago,” Di says.

“She was an absolute icon and still is, and has actually been my mentor and friend since then.” So far, Di has managed to track down 35 out of 66 pupils with some travelling the length of the country to make it to the reunion later this month.

“I’m finding it a bit tricky to trace some of the girls in Room 5 because they’ve since married and have changed their names, but we love this lady and I’m honoured to be bringing these class students back together for this reunion of a lifetime for Liz.”

Liz, who turns 72 this year, says she has fond memories of each and every student she taught and has a treasure box of memorabilia from her time at the school.

“I’ve kept a few bits from over the years and actually have a Christmas card signed from the class of 1974, which was Di’s class and the one which will be at the reunion.” She says it’s overwhelming to think of all the students being back together again under one roof, especially now they will all be in their 60s.

“I suppose when you get to a certain age, nostalgia kicks in which is why they probably want to reunite. The real test will be to see if I can recognise who’s who, but I’ve remembered something about each of them and can’t wait to hear about their individual life journeys.”

Being just 22 when she started teaching, Liz was only around 10 years older than the students.

“Looking back, I was still so young. Teaching was very different back then. We had blackboards and chalk and children got the strap – something I never did.

On her first day at Waimea Intermediate, she opened the desk drawer in her classroom to find an attendance book and a leather strap.

“I took it straight out and removed it from the classroom. I just didn’t see the benefit of it. For me, it was more about getting to know the students’ individual needs and building a learning community.” She says, throughout her career other teachers would often ask her why she always got “the good kids”, but she says that wasn’t the case at all.

“It was nothing to do with luck and more to do with working hard to gain a mutual respect between teacher and students. I tried so hard with that, and it paid off because they didn’t want to play up for me in the end, as we’d built up that respect.” Di says Liz always brought out the best in her students, which is why she is so fondly remembered among them.

“You can ask any of her students over many years how they liked her as a teacher and every time you hear the same thing: ‘She was the best teacher’.

“This lady deserves a medal and sacrificed a lot over the years, both personally and professionally.

“But her strength overcame everything, and we were so blessed to have her teach us. She’s going to be blown away at this party, let alone who I have found that are making great efforts to attend this event.”

“It’s going to be an emotional night, that’s for sure,” Liz says. The reunion is at 5pm on Saturday 27 May at the Arvida Waimea Plains clubhouse.

Gardening tips for May

Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback we’ve been getting about our new site at 38 Artillery Place, Richmond. We really appreciate it. If you haven’t visited us yet, we’d love to see you. Turn into Sandeman Road by Nelson Pine, right into Artillery Place and drive through the gates to the end, you can’t miss our huge white canopies.

Last month we mentioned our fish compost, garden mix and lawn mix. One of the things that makes these products unique is the fact that they are all mixed on-site. This means we have total control over their quality.

We also have a range of liquid fertilisers that Bill makes onsite – Fish, Fish & Seaweed, Omega and Barley Straw Extract. Liquid Fish is a fabulous food; Fish & Seaweed is a combined food and tonic; Omega is a general garden booster and Barley Straw Extract is perfect for preventing algae forming in small ponds. If you notice a rather pungent aroma at one end of our site, this is where the magic happens.

a spot where water runs into it. It will make a huge difference over time.

If you can’t find Bill, probably down the back making fertiliser!

Larger ponds can be susceptible to algae. If you want to clear or prevent algae, you can place an entire bale of barley straw near the inlet or in

Soil temperatures are starting to drop now and this can affect how well your vegetable seedlings grow during winter. A simple way to help ensure success is to plant seedlings on top of a mound of soil, adding a thick layer of pea, barley or red clover straw around the mounds as a root ‘duvet’. Frost season isn’t too far away so it’s time to stock up on frost cloth. We have two different types available, opaque and open weave, the latter is fabulous because you can leave it on until any chance of late frost has passed in Spring. Vaporgard is a liquid frost protector that works well – mix 15mls with warm water and spray onto foliage. It’s best to spray on a sunny day as this ensures the protective film dries more quickly. Now is the perfect time to fertilise Rhododendrons, Camellias, Azaleas and Daphne and we have the perfect dry granular fertiliser for the task. While you’re instore check out our extensive range of other dry fertilisers too – available in 1 litre containers, 10kg or 20-25kg bags.

Total Raised So Far

Dancing for a Cause is a major fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice. It sees 10 locals, with varying degrees of dancing experience, team-up with trained dancers and hit the dance floor on Saturday 27 May at the Trafalgar Centre. This week, Sara Hollyman talks to contestants Ben Douglas, Kat Campbell and Angela Miller about preparing and their hopes for the event.

What first drew you to Dancing for a Cause?

Ben: An email out of the blue from Sarah. I was familiar with the event having supported Hamish Fletcher last time round but never thought it was something I would be involved in.

Kat: For the 2021 Dancing for a Cause, KC&CO. Real Estate sponsored Clint the MC, we love being involved in anything that assists and supports Nelson Hospice.

Angela: After attending the previous two shows I’ve always thought what a great event it was and an amazing thing to do to raise money for Hospice.

Tell me about your previous dancing experience (or lack of).

Kat: Zero! Unless you count the dance floor clearing moves I use to bust out with friends on Friday nights.

Angela: Zero - none. I’ve been a marching girl my entire life, but I quickly learned that that is more of a hindrance than help for dancing purposes.

Ben: Picture arms and legs going everywhere and that’s about it.

What’s been the hardest part of the process?

Angela: The ‘dancing’! I didn’t for a minute realise how hard it was going to be.

Ben: The trainings are super hard, so much to take in and remember, but at the same time very enjoyable.

Kat: Learning to do spins – oh my golly, they look easy as, but nope.

How much money are you hoping to raise?

Ben: Millions. Anyone out there that has millions and wants to share them with an amazing cause….?

Kat: As much as I am able!

Angela: We all had a target of $5000, so something above that.

Why is the Nelson Tasman Hospice important to you?

Kat: Hospice is an awesome facility that we are fortunate to have; the staff, the buildings and grounds, the care experience and expertise.

Angela: I’ve had friends having to use hospice services and the wonderful care they and the families receive during what is an extremely difficult time is amazing.

Ben: Endless stories I hear around the community about the support offered by the Hospice team and facilities.

What can people expect from your performance?

Angela: Well, hopefully a good one… it’ll be great to show everyone what we’ve been working so hard on.

Ben: Expect arms and legs going everywhere…. No, I think anyone that knows me will have low expectations so I aim to mesmerize all concerned.

Kat: Hopefully a lively and dramatic performance.

What are you most nervous about?

Ben: Losing to Ryan Edwards

Update from Rachel Boyack MP

As I write this column on Monday morning there is light rain outside and our Civil Defence, First Responders and Council teams are preparing for potential heavy rain on Tuesday We were very lucky over the weekend that the rain event was nowhere near as severe as the August 2022 floods, but some of our infrastructure was damaged and a small number of people were temporarily evacuated from their homes My thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure we were well prepared as a region

The rain events are a reminder of our need to be prepared for weather events at both an individual and community level Check your drains and gutters and clear any debris, make sure you have a ‘grab bag’ packed, and check on your neighbours to see if they need any help or support

The Government’s investment into the Saxton Creek upgrade is a good example of how local and central government are working together to upgrade critical infrastructure in our region The Saxton Creek upgrade was brought forward thanks to a $7 5 million grant from the Government and will be completed later this year The upgrade will mean the area can cope with a large flood event, and the likelihood of the road closing during a heavy rain is significantly reduced

Over the weekend, like many Nelsonians I tuned into the Coronation coverage on Saturday night

As New Zealanders we hold a range of views regarding the role of the Monarchy, and I acknowledge the service the Royal Family have provided to New Zealand and many communities across the world It was lovely to attend a special Coronation service at Nelson Cathedral on Sunday night As a former Chorister at Nelson Cathedral I very much enjoyed the Coronation music and the singing on Sunday night at the Cathedral

Kat: I’m not yet, ask me on the night.

Angela: Probably the obvious…. Completely stuffing up the dance on the night!

Is this the craziest thing you’ve ever done? If not, what was?

Kat: I don’t tend to do crazy things – so I guess this is it

Angela: Yes… I think learning something I have no clue about ready to perform it in front of thousands of people has to be right up there.

Ben: By far the craziest thing I have ever done.

Has anything surprised you?

Ben: The skill and patience involved to perform these dances, huge respect for all you dancers out there! So much harder than Scrums and Lineouts.

Kat: It’s certainly been an interesting time, I think I’ve surprised myself at some of the things I’ve learnt along the way!

Angela: I was surprised how hard it was. It’s sooooooo hard and no one would have any idea until they go through the process.

What sort of practice or preparation and how much of it have you been doing?

Angela: For a few months we have only had one lesson a week with our dance teacher. Now that the event is closer, Anthony and I have added another two practices each week.

Kat: Every time I walk up the hallway, I have to practice something. Head, chin, chest up –step 1,2,3…..

Ben: One hour per week since February, along with honing my skills any chance I get – beer seems to help with this oddly enough.