FUNDRAISER FOR AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE KIT AT HAWEA FLAT SCHOOL

Scenes of the devastation

Cyclone Gabrielle has inflicted on the North Island have prompted communities around the country to consider their resilience in the face of Mother

Nature's wrath.

Submitted by: Hannah Twiss

Among them is the Hāwea Flat School community, with a guaranteed hilarious evening planned to fundraise for an emergency response kit.

The Friends of Hāwea Flat School (FOHFS) have organised a night out with Christchurch-based Bingo Babes Ethel & Bethel on Saturday, May 13.

The event will raise money for an extensive emergency response kit to be stored at Hāwea Flat School, which would be an emergency response centre for the wider Hāwea community in the aftermath of a disaster.

FOHFS spokesperson Marianna Champion said the Hāwea area could become cut off by road in a natural disaster, with the potential for bridges in all directions to be damaged.

The school could be responsible for more than 300 children until their caregivers could reach them.

In many cases, caregivers could be in Wanaka, and the school's enrolment zone also covered Luggate and Queensberry on the other side of the Clutha River. Marianna urged the entire Hāwea community to support the fundraising event. "Our community is amazing at supporting each other in times of need, which will be absolutely vital if we're hit by a natural disaster".

The FOHFS is a link between the community and the school, enabling the community to support the school and vice versa. "We also have a reputation for putting on great events!" she said.

The night out with Ethel & Bethel will take place on May 13 from 6.45 pm at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre. Tickets to the R18 event are $40 and available through tickettailor.com/events/lhcc. The ticket price includes a bingo card, nibbles and supper. The bar will be open and games, auctions and raffles will be held throughout the evening. Tickets are limited.

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