Kamo - The Key to our Success - August 2018

KAMO

THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS AUGUST 2018

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2 Kamo has over 8,000 residents with an increasing older population, due to the development of Jane Mander Retirement Village.

“Many residents at Jane Mander are very active participants in the Kamo village area, so there’s a lot of older people enjoying the cafes and amenities in the village,” says Denby Ward Councillor Tricia Cutforth.

Cr Cutforth points out that Kamo is also suitable for younger families buying their first home because of the relatively affordable house prices, plus there are plenty of rental properties ‘so it’s actually a really nice mix of ages and types of people’.

In terms of cuisine, residents are now spoilt for choice. “Being now off the main road, Kamo is operating far more as a village and its street eateries

have developed over the last few years. Kamo is becoming known for a mix of cost-effective eateries with affordable places for families, with Indian, Thai and main stream takeaways, and a range of daytime cafes.

Kamo also attracts truckies who come off the by-pass especially to pick up lunch, plus it services people from north of the township, such as Pipiwai and Hikurangi residents.”

With the council’s three-year village plan for Kamo about to wrap up, a main focus was to enhance the village atmosphere, says Cr Cutforth who is serving her second term on council. Projects included the new public toilets, murals, streetscaping, CCTV cameras, developing the Grant St reserve into a pocket park, heritage signage and a heritage trail,

which is still being developed.

In addition, the Kamo cycleway/walkway – a shared 6.5km off-road route that will follow the existing railway corridor, running from town to the village, joining the heritage trail - is due to be complete in 2019. The route is designed to provide safer access to the centrally-located schools in Whangarei, as well as the CBD and recreational areas, such as Kensington Park, via a connection for residential areas north of the city.

Plus, adds Cr Cutforth: “Kamo is well known in the Whangarei area for its Christmas parade, something that the locals are very proud of and put a lot of effort into.”

A CHILDHOOD BEFORE TECHNOLOGY

By Maureen Halse

A

s a six-year-old, I joined the pupils on the final day as we said farewell to the old Kamo School. It was worn and tired with its rumpty shelter sheds, worn asphalt basketball court and rough footy field out the back. The hot summers were endured without too much bother; there were lots of windows and holes in the walls for air to ventilate. But the winters…we suffered from the cold and the draughts, although warmed by one standalone iron stove. Its heat helped a little, if you were the teacher and could edge your backside close enough and flick your jacket tail up!

It was still war-time and the school practised air raid drills when the sirens sounded. We primers were briskly shepherded down to the big trench by the railway bridge in the fern. The day the war ended, we all danced around the maypole, although I, as a small five-year-old, had little comprehension of the meaning of the celebration.

There were a few holes appearing in the vicinity of the school from subsidence from Kamo coal mine, and that speeded up the move, I think. We had a big one in Dad’s kumara patch two hundred yards away at number nine Station Rd. The huge Kamo tip at the south end of Hall St was formed in the same way. This was a great fossicking ground and my inventive dad retrieved the parts for my brother’s trolley, our home-made scooters and bikes from there. Some local boys, headed by one of the Crispins, had burrowed into the sides of it and created a wonderful secret gang headquarters there and tracks for trolleys.

There wasn’t a rubbish collection or a recycling plant in the 1940s and compost heaps for gardens were in everyone’s backyards.

So we moved to the new school in Three Mile Bush Rd. Cecil Tills was our headmaster, a very stern, memorable

The Halse family, 1940: Maureen, 11 months, Noel, 3 and Joceyln, 2.

man and a former Home Guard officer. Each morning when the bell rang for assembly, we lined up like a welldisciplined army, and to his call of ‘Hup! Hup!’, our knees went up to our tummies, and then, arms and legs in unison, we did vigorous starfish manoeuvres, marching and turning. To his command of ‘Halt!’ we were dismissed and briskly got on with the day. Discipline was paramount in the classrooms. Misdemeanours meant whacks on the knuckles and legs, boxed ears and well-aimed chalk pieces flying to selected targets. Ow! It hurt! The worst punishment was being exposed to the class by standing at the front, sometimes on the teacher’s desk. The greatest misdemeanours meant spending the lunchbreak under the clock in the main school corridor to be exhibited as bad. But, by golly, we paid attention and we learned from their teaching.

There was still plenty of mischief to get up to. Do you remember the saw mill on the other side of the Station Rd railway bridge - a huge, noisy industry that was closed and dismantled? The huge dunes of sawdust, the only landmark remaining, was a magnet. Forgetting parents’ warning, the three of us were absorbed in tunnelling under the heaps so that we could feel the warmth emanating from the combustion. This day, so absorbed in the fun of it, we didn’t notice dusk falling. Panic! We nervously scuttled home, crept around the house and lined up at the back door. My chicken-hearted brother and sister pushed me to the front. Dad opened the door, detected the sawdust all over us, and I, first in line, was the first one to get the razor strop. I yelled pretty loudly as Dad hung onto my hand and ran round and round trying to catch me. The razor strop made more noise than I did as the two straps clapped against one another before landing on me.

As a railway man, Dad had access to a jigger once in a while on a weekend and, in the summer when the wild fruit trees beside the northern railway line on the curve around Danny’s mountain (Parakiore) were ripe, our little family would take buckets and billies and the three of us worked the handles, helping to push our way on the upward gradient. It was fun climbing the trees. When the fruit was loaded onto the jigger, we flew downhill with Mum and Dad on the handle for control and we shouted and whooped till we got back to the station.

Mum took us to Auckland on school holidays to visit cousins, aunts and great aunts. Naturally we went by train.

Dad would arrange for the train to slow down to a near stop on the platform at the tiny Kamo station. Mum would jump aboard and Dad would quickly throw us up to her on the rear carriage platform, and the train would move on giving Dad a good toot as we gathered speed.

During one school holidays, I once slept in the sack

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3 hammock at the Ruatangata station, where Dad was taking his turn on night shift. I was woken around three in the morning as the northern goods train pulled in. I shimmied up the ladder to the top of the big water tank.

Then when the big leather funnel from the tank was attached to the tank engines of the shuddering, smokebelching dragon of the night, I pulled the lever that sent a huge waterfall into its engines. Then I scampered down to Dad to watch it continue on the line, slowly gathering traction, continuing its labouring journey northwards. I listened in the still night as it developed speed, whistled and chuggity-chugged and puffety-puffed faster and faster looping round the base under Danny’s mountain.

Another wonderful, long, musical whistle echoed from the mountain over our quiet sleeping town till we could hear it no more. In the morning we crossed to Nanna’s small farmlet at the intersection of Kamo and Ruatangata Rds. The cow was milked, the billy filled, and I would sit sideways on the bar of Dad’s big old bike and we would soon be home for breakfast.

The brickworks opposite the station were huge. We spent a lot of time exploring it. The enormous kilns being fed by the men were like hell itself, a spectacle we were mesmerised by. We could also run up and down the stairs connecting the two floors, playing hiding-go-seek in between the huge stacks of raw clay bricks and those drying, ready for sale.

At home there was an old henhouse behind the bean vine and beside the woodpile. Mum and Dad nailed old wallpaper up and laid clean old linoleum on the floor. Mum helped us set it up with all our dolls, their cots, prams and baby high chairs, and a methylated spirits stove. We became little mothers and home-makers. Our dollies

The Ruatangata railway station with the Brickworks behind. Greenfingers now occupy the Brickworks site.

Photo: KiwiNorth.

were smothered with love, were taught good manners, did homework and listened to bedtime stories. Behind the wood heap, past the dog kennels and through the back gate we had a rope swing from the large puriri tree.

There was a little jail in the fern-covered grass there too.

There were big locks on the doors and iron grills from a mysterious past.

Our neighbours lived in the big house next door. Mrs Carter, whose husband had been a ship’s captain, lived with her daughter Esme. They were kind people and Dad looked after the land between us, growing vegetables and keeping them well supplied too. Jocelyn and I were invited to afternoon tea sometimes, in the maid’s quarters, which were much cosier than the rest of this magnificent home.

We were dressed up in beautiful lace curtains like brides and princesses. Mrs Carter made us crispy chunks of honeycomb and we played the pianola. Eventually when the old lady died, a huge auction was held of all its furnishings.

I still have a tiny glass beer mug with ‘Esme’ engraved on it, and another delicate crystal that my mother had, which

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Captain Carter had acquired across the seas.

Dad’s recreation, apart from rugby, was shooting pheasants during the shooting season. He would bring home a brace of these beautiful birds and pluck them in the washhouse. Mum would fill them with herbs and other magical stuffing and roast them slowly, and we dined on just the best game birds and roast veges ever eaten. Mum surpassed everybody we knew as a cook. Dad traded his pheasants for onion plants with Mr Howard, who lived in a tiny cottage in Station Rd by the railway bridge. We’d receive a kerosene tin of honey from the apiarist, Mr White, at Ngararatunua.

My brother and I would take a sugar bag to the back door of Wilkinson’s bakery and have it filled with fresh crusts from the uneven slicing of sandwich loaves. Topped with Mr White’s honey and dollops of fresh cream, they were delicious.

Far from my favourite job was to collect beer and soft drink bottles around the district and take them around to the back door of the pub. The barman would count them all and give us tuppence for soft drink and a penny for beer bottles. This, with our pocket money, was our Christmas present buying fund. I loved to count it all in little piles and go and buy the gifts from Woolworths or McKenzies in Cameron St down town.

Another venture was to collect fungus off damp fallen trees in the bush. When it was dried in the sun over a few weeks or months, we took a big bag-full to the Chinese green grocer on the corner of Bank and Cameron Sts in Whangarei. These lovely people were thankful and the fungus was used in their cooking. # Preview taken from More True Tales of Kamo and Whau Valley, which is due to launch mid-November.

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4

SMILE

you’re on candid camera … well not quite!

By Christmas, Kamo will have a new state-of-the-art CCTV security system. This project has taken two and a half years to achieve and without the help and guidance from Kamo businesses and community members, it would not have been possible, says Kamo Community Inc chairman Lindsay Caley.

“After several knock-backs, we approached the Lion Foundation for funding and, with wonderful support received from Coalies Bar & Grill, achieved the impossible: a successful grant application which has enabled us to proceed.”

The security system will see around nine cameras monitoring the roadway from the bottom end of Kamo up to the village shopping centre and linked to the local police station. These will replace the current outdated system and have the ability to read number plates. The contract is with Kamo local security firm ARC Security, with the first stage to be in operation by late November. The main focus for installing the system is to reduce crime and disorder allowing members of the community to feel safe when visiting public areas covered by the cameras.

Kamo Community Inc is a group of volunteers bringing together the business community, residents and local authority. Their goal is to create public spaces and improvements while having a town centre focus and celebrating heritage.

KAMO MILK AND HONEY New to the scene last year was Milk and Honey which still has a constant swarm of customers through its doors a year on.

T

he large glass expanse-fronted café has smoke-free alfresco dining outside its prime location in the hub of the village on Kamo Rd. Inside it’s a cheerful and spacious atmosphere, despite its continual hum of punters. A common sight is customers through the doors raising a hand in greeting to acquaintances. Perhaps it’s this social interaction that draws people back. Then again, it could be the regular enticing social media posts of the scrumptious cuisine on offer or the quality of the food itself. Maybe it’s all of the above.

As well as an all-day breakfast menu and lunch menu beginning at 11, kids can choose from names such as ‘Take that Mac’s combo’, ‘Hot Diggity Dog’ and ‘Lieutenant Scrambled and his Soldiers’.

To entice the adults, social media posts boast both their blackboard menu and cabinet variety with images of mouth-watering Cherry Ripe slices, Jaffa Truffles, Ginger Honeycakes, free range eggs and bacon, hand-made pies, Eggs Bene, Pulled Pork Hash-Smash, French Delux and with catchy captions such as ‘Brioche Bomb for brunch’.

With honeycomb embellishments as part of its attractive decor, the café offers a range of various sized tables, suitable for small groups to large or a road-facing bench expanding the length of the window for those wanting to quietly work away on laptops. There’s also the ‘Beehive’ for those needing a large meeting space/board room. Milk and Honey is all about the community and give weekly ‘Shout-outs’ to local suppliers and the like.

To top it off, the food is beautifully-presented and always served with a smile.

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5

LIFELONG LEARNING

KAMO PET & AQUATIC

By Jodi Bryant

I

t’s hard to walk past the Kamo Pet & Aquatic Centre on Kamo Rd without stopping in. The colourful and bustling shop has been part of the Kamo hub for around 17 years with the mass of tiny fluffy yellow chicks, one of the main drawcards.

John and Tracey Drummond took over the store four years ago. Both passionate about animals and with John’s parents owning their own pet store back home in South Africa, when the opportunity arose to purchase the popular business, they leapt at it.

“I was brought up working in my parent’s store, breeding all types of tropical fish, including small birds and parrots,” says John. “Tracey also assisted in the aquatic side of breeding.”

As well, John worked for a large aquaculture farm, breeding and raising tropical and cold-water fish for exporting. They both hold a certificate in Fin Fish Culture and Companion Animal Services.

John says the small animals are the most popular attraction. In residence are rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, birds and often kittens. Then there’s their one-day-old chicks who playfully go about their business oblivious to their ‘fishbowl’ enclosure, and delighting onlookers.

“The children absolutely adore them,” says John, who collects the pre-ordered chicks from the airport every month or so.

Another popular attraction are the tropical and coldwater fish in the aquarium room at the back.

To get there, one must walk past the entertaining resident green Ringneck parrot Frodo who likes to make his presence known with a loud squawk, before continuing to talk to his reflection in the mirror and

Frodo the talking parrot

John with Gus

getting up to his mischievous antics. He has quite the vocab derived from his former owner and John and Tracey are still trying to decipher some of it.

Since the Drummond’s arrival, a homing pigeon by the name of Gus has joined the crew.

“Gus visits us on a daily basis and has taken a liking to our customers. He just loves all the attention he gets from everyone who visits.”

They have no idea where he goes when he is not in the shop but Gus is always welcome back for his daily naps and cuddles.

Kamo Pet and Aquatic Centre also stock pet food, toys, bowls, beds and fashion – for animals that is – and all the paraphernalia required for pets and fish. They also sell vegetable punnets and flowers.

In keeping with the name of the business, the Drummonds removed the garden centre and increased the aquatic side. They also increased their dog food range and added two extra groomers to the dog grooming service.

In addition, they recently paired with Whangarei Cat Rescue and became a drop-off location for donations, such as cat or kitten food, litter, toys, cages and worm treatment.

John says the animal-loving gene has been passed down to their three children ‘big time’ with the eldest daughter joining the team when she leaves school at the end of the year, while undergoing relevant courses.

“It’s quite a good little family business, which we’re really proud of and one of the best parts has been getting to know the locals. I didn’t know too many people before but now I think I know more people than I ever knew in South Africa. I love having chats to people, even it’s got nothing to do with the shop,” says John.

The Kamo community is fortunate to have an adult community education programme right on its doorstep.

Community Education Whangarei (CEW) is based at Kamo High School and offers both evening classes and weekend workshops. If you want to upskill for work, learn how to cook, discover your inner artist, learn te reo or a foreign language, then CEW has a course for you. Maybe you are new to the area; attending a class is a great way to meet people with similar interests.

A study conducted of active adult learners to determine what impact, if any, learning had on their health, found that the greatest benefits experienced from learning were confidence, new friends and contact with other people, direct health benefits, and new employment or volunteer work. Unexpected benefits included self-confidence, personal discoveries, insights into relationships with other people and improvements at work.

To view the range of courses available visit www.cew.ac.nz or phone Shona on 435 0889.

If you are passionate about learning and value new ideas and new experiences, then join a class today!

6

CONFIDENT, INVOLVED, I NSPIR ED to succeed

K

amo Intermediate school is an integral part of the Kamo community. Our students are actively involved in a wide range of activities and challenge themselves to be ‘the best that you can be - one of our school mantras.

Being one of only two schools in Whangarei catering solely for the emerging adolescent allows us to focus on providing resources that enhance their development.

Our staff have a passion for this age group and are highly trained and experienced in working alongside our students through this exciting developmental stage.

Opportunities are provided for students to follow areas of interest and passion and learn through contexts that enhance achievement.

In addition to the core curriculum areas, students are encouraged to extend their talents through involvement in areas such as: the performing arts, photography, kapa haka, learning a musical instrument, the visual

arts, coding and robotics, master chef classes, textiles, biotechnology, boat building, running a radio station, numerous sporting opportunities such as the national NZ AIMS Games - the largest sporting competition in the Southern Hemisphere, environmental projects, Agrikids, Lit Quiz and our very popular annual Pacific Island cultural trips.

2018 saw the introduction of a Boys Only Class, formed due to our higher number of boys in the school.

Next year we are thrilled to be offering two bilingual

classes and two ‘thinkers plus’ classes - classes catering for our divergent, lateral and creative thinkers who like to be continually challenged and extended.

Kamo Intermediate School is also well known for supporting students who require that extra bit of support.

Our highly trained and experienced ‘E’ (enrichment) team works alongside students needing additional assistance, be it academically, emotionally or socially.

Digital technology is used widely to support learning and while we encourage students to have their own digital device, the school is well resourced to provide for those unable to do so.

Each year our students achieve local, regional and national recognition. Examples of this include: • Y7 and Y8 Mathex competition winners • Science Fair winners • Regional winners in the Agrikids competition - going on to compete at the national competition in Invercargill • Regional winners for the Literature Quiz (Lit Quiz) competition - also competing in the national competition, held in Wellington • Medal winners in ICAS • An outstanding and very hard working Kapa Haka Roopu • Art and textile work displayed in prominent areas around Whangarei • Numerous representations in regional and national sporting codes Kamo Intermediate School is widely recognised as a learning environment that strongly focuses on relationships. We value the connections we have with our local schools and are proud to part of a supportive community.

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Book by David Simpatico Based on a Disney Channel Original Movie Written by Peter Barsocchini Original Songs by Matthew Gerrard & Robbie Nevil; Ray Cham, Greg Cham & Andrew Seeley; Randy Petersen & Kevin Quinn; Andy Dodd & Adam Watts; Bryan Louiselle; David N. Lawrence & Faye Greenberg; Jamie Houston

Music Adapted, Arranged and Produced by Bryan Louiselle

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TWO NIGHTS ONLY! GET IN QUICK!

Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd August 2018 • 7pm • Kamo Intermediate Hall $10 Adults • $8 Children & School Students Tickets Available from the School Office PH: 435 0343 • Email: office@kamoint.school.nz

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7

Kamo High School Cast of the Grease Production

L3 Excellence Darrelle Ryan Meagan Burton Zane Williams

K

amo High School was established in 1960 and serves the Whau Valley – Kamo area, as well as the rural districts to the north, west and north east.

Principal As a large, co-ed school with a Joanne Hutt current roll of 820 students, a broad curriculum is offered in a supportive, well-resourced learning environment with modern specialist facilities.

The wireless network provides internet access for digital fluency classes and allows all teachers to utilise technology to aid learning. Pastoral care and student support systems are strong, and based on the core values of Respect, Pride, Participation, Self-Management and Perseverance - Tū Pono, Aroha Atu, Tū Tonu, Ōna Tū and Urunga (TATOU). Students achieve highly and the school has gained excellent academic results over recent years.

Kamo High School has an essential goal of educating resilient, happy individuals who are well-grounded and well-rounded. To help its young people gain the sense of belonging to the school and area, on offer are a range of experiences, such as: Health Education, including mindfulness and self-reflection, Outdoor Education, Gateway and Employment Studies, Project-Based Learning within the school and community, participation in local area arts, sports and culture, comprehensive guidance, careers and Deaning to guide and monitor

ACADEMIC BLUES- NCEA 2017

pastoral and academic progress and well-being. These are provided in a small, whanau atmosphere where caring, consideration and kindness are strived for daily.

2018 has already proven a successful year with the junior rugby team winning their competition, the completion of the Grease production, a student selected as a reserve in the New Zealand secondary schools squash team, a golfing scholarship to the USA, a finalist in the NGA Manu Korero, participation in the Tai Tokerau Festival and the school band ‘A08’ winning the Northland Smokefreerockquest final.

Kamo High School’s vision statement is “A centre of excellence and equity for the changing and varying needs of every student”. They pursue both excellence and equity in this bi-cultural kura.

L2 Excellence Belinda May Nathan Mitchell Joshua Burns Andrew Wech Jane Thorp Shona Thorp Olivia Sutherland Maea Shepherd L1 Excellence Billy Alexander-Crawford Jordan Dwight Emily Jones L3 Merit Piri Tohu-Hapati Petra Shaw-Williams Daniel Dwight L2 Merit Yean Fong Cody Frost

Shayla Thomas Eli Murfitt Christine Davies Josie Murphy Grace Young Cameron Guy Sabrina Robertson Kate Woffindin Riorden Labedzki Brooklyn Power Jamie Lang Savannah Sullivan Jared Frost L1 Merit Maycee Vercoe Tegan Verevis Hinerua Tipene Anita Rademacher Mikaela Price Samantha Hayes Shay Ladd Estella Patu Maria Young Davi-Ann Venables Jay Parkin-Gibbs Katelyn Stewart Emily Jones

He aha te mea nui o te ao He tangata, he tangata, he tangata What is the most important thing in the world?

It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.

KAMO HIGH SCHOOL Enrolling for 2019

Project Based Learning | ProgressTracking | Leadership Opportunities

www.kamohigh.school.nz Phone 09-4351688 | admin@kamohigh.school.nz

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