What’s new in Plimmerton?

Plimmerton Residents’ Association Newsletter

October 2009
Railway station refurbishment steams ahead!
The weekend of November 21st and 22nd will see the start of
Plimmerton Railway Station refurbishment with the replacement of old,
rusting roofing with new roof and guttering. The station will be closed
as a team of scaffolders, roofers, railway staff and Plimmerton
volunteers complete this first phase.
Volunteers will be removing the old iron from the platform to the eastern side of the
station for recycling.
If you, or hefty strong people in your family, can help please call our project managers so
they can arrange a roster for workers … and morning teas!
When the roof is replaced, and the building is water tight, we will begin the work of
stripping the inside … if you have skills to help in that area please call the dynamic duo, our
project managers Alan Dodson 233 1087 or Dave Anderson 233 1659!

Railway crossing upgrade

This has been deferred by On Track until January 2010.

Plunket helps you…now you can help Plunket!

We all know what a brilliant job Plunket does for parents and babies … now you can help
Plunket. Some of New Zealand’s best singers have made a brilliant CD called Merry
Christmas Baby and every cent from every copy sold goes to the local Plunket. Make this
top of your Christmas shopping list … the more CDs sold the more our wee people benefit.
Available locally from Scene@Plimmerton from October 5th.

Wool you help us?

That clicking you can hear is not an early cicada invasion … it’s the sound of knitting
needles at work all over Plimmerton making singlets for newborn babies. Plunket will
certainly be able to give out wonderful baby welcome parcels to parents of new
Plimmertonians. Knitters can drop off finished singlets to Cherie at Scene@Plimmerton
who will make up personalised baby parcels for the Plunket nurse to give to parents of
babies at their first check up. Our wonderful, talented knitters could use more wool (white
baby 4 ply). If you have any … or wish to join the click clack team … please email Carolyn
c_williams@xtra.co.nz

Neighbourhood Support Groups

Co ordinator Cheryl Hood, the busy co ordinator of these groups in our area, still has a few
streets without coordinators. If you can spare an hour a month please volunteer to keep an
email/phone list for about 10-12 neighbours. Police assure us that a strong network of
these groups goes a long way to keep communities safe and informed.
Contact Cheryl in the evenings on 233 9548

Plimmerton Bowling Club

A fun club offering options to suit your lifestyle … social bowls, twilight bowls, competitive
bowls or social membership. Shift your end and have a bowl this summer … find out more
on www.pbc.wellington.net.nz

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 1
Bay Gallery
The Bay Gallery at 4 School Road has reopened with an exhibition featuring new work
from artists Maureen Gibbs and Suzanne Roundhill. Photographer Fred Wotton is also
displaying some of his panoramic landscapes.
Call in or call Daphne at the gallery 233 9776

Play group in the pavilion

Every Friday during school terms 9.30-11.30 for pre-school children and parents. A wide
selection of toys and art activities for children … this is a great way to meet new people and
keep babies and toddlers entertained. $3 donation with morning tea provided. Call
Melanie on 233 1516

Plimmerton Sunday Market

There is huge excitement abroad about the planned Sunday market in Plimmerton. Moira
is half way through the process of applying for resource consent so the opening is delayed
until this is complete. She has had lots of interest from people offering a wide range of
quality services and products and is still keen to talk to musicians (acoustic) to perform on
Sundays between 12 and 2pm to create a relaxed market ambience.
To secure your place call Moira 021 119 6126

Village plan wins national award

We congratulate Porirua City Council for its prestigious win at the recent conference for
local government managers. They won the top national prize in the Community Relations
Award for the Villages Programme (which includes our promenade upgrade and other
projects) … and then at the end of the night they were announced as the supreme prize
winners in all local authority projects for the year. This is a massive achievement and we
congratulate the team, especially our own Ian Barlow. Local Government Minister Rodney
Hyde was given a whistle stop tour of highlights in the village programme including our
promenade. See more on www.pcc.govt.nz

Fire alarm!
News from our wonderful volunteer fire brigade
Many thanks to Plimmerton Takeaways for supporting the brigade’s recent recruitment
drive. Four keen trainees are now in the system!
Senior Station Officer Dave Anderson gives us a safety reminder.
“We recently attended a kitchen fire where a lot of damage was caused by a simple mistake
… do not leave any cooking unattended!
If you are planning to burn off grass clippings, garden waste or anything … please contact
the council to obtain a permit. And please let your neighbours know what you intend to do
… it’s basic consideration.”
Dave invites interested locals to visit the fire station on Saturday’s at 12 noon or at 7.20 on
Wednesday evenings.

Scene@Plimmerton
Plimmerton Gallery is now officially Scene@Plimmerton, the name chosen by competition
winner Lauren Prosser. Cherie says, “Our name change celebration and sausage sizzle was
a great success. Thanks so much to our fabulous fire brigade for their bbq expertise and
for the child-friendly fire truck. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time”.

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 2
Have a go at croquet sets record
The most successful open day ever saw 30 potential members turn up to have a go
welcomed by an equal number of club members ready to share their knowledge and skills.
At the end of a brilliantly sunny day on the lawns 23 of those people signed up for six
weeks coaching. The club welcomes new members to enjoy morning and afternoon play on
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with croquet golf available on Wednesday evenings and
Sunday mornings. Visitors are welcome to call in during these sessions. Sounds like fun?
Call Tony Watts 233 1920, Carolyn Rait 234 7422 or Ken Rae 233 9614.
Congratulations to the club on the opening of its 83rd season!

Plimmerton Red Cross 70th celebrations

Congratulations! Seven decades of community service were celebrated and members
presented with certificates of appreciation at the recent Red Cross birthday party. Our
Mayor Jenny Brash thanked the Red Cross for its outstanding service to the community
and told members they should be very proud of their many innovations and
accomplishments.

Baby vintage
Grand opening on Saturday 3rd October
Remax building 15c Steyne Ave
Designer baby clothing and gifts as well as preloved baby and maternity wear, furniture
and toys. Open Tues-Sat 10am -4pm
Welcome to another new and interesting business in the village. Meet Kim and Kelly at the
opening … and get 10 percent off everything in store on the day.

Theatrical triumphs!
Mana Little Theatre thespians took centre stage at Wellington District Theatre
Federation’s festival. The adjudicator and awarded prizes for her favourite special
moments. MLT members won the following:
• Katherine Reed … best monologue … in Lettice and Lovage
• Colin Bleasdale … best corpse … in Julius and Cleopatra
• Peter Drew … new director … in A Number
• Pat Knight … creative light and sound … in Play on
The main awards, the Antoinettes, included three excellent wins by MLT.
New members, young and not-so-young, are welcome to tread the boards with our star
studded local line up. Contact Sue Miller kotukumedia@xtra.co.nz

Police Museum
Porirua Police College
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm family friendly and free!
The revamped museum exposes the realities of policing today and through history … ideal
place to take the family in the holidays and visitors will love it. Unique, scary, interactive,
and fun. And lots of the staff are Plimmertonians.

Doggy doo doos …

Despite the free doo doo bag dispensers and plenty of bins some dirty dog owners mostly
people arriving to exercise (empty?) their dogs in the mornings from other areas, are not
cleaning up after their pets. Steyne Ave has been described by one resident as looking
medieval with heaps of unpicked up poos plastered along the pavement. From next week
council patrols will be out and fines will be slapped on dog owners caught letting their dogs
foul our footpaths. If you see these lazy people letting their dogs do doo doo then tell them
to pick it up and report them to the council, 2375089.
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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 3
Boating club bonanza
Michael is back cooking at The Plimmerton Boating Club! Superb new menu, open to all
diners, you don’t have to belong to the club. Open for dining Fridays 6-9pm, Saturday
6pm - 9pm and Sunday12-2.30pm and 5.30pm - 9pm. Great value, family friendly … for
your next whanau gathering call Sandra to book 2331592

Massey University School of Industrial Design and Plimmerton community

promenade seating project
The design ideas stage of the project is over and we will formally be thanking the students
and academic staff for their efforts on Thursday 29th October at an afternoon tea at
Plimmerton Boating Club. Massey University’s Vice Chancellor Steve Maharey will present
certificates of achievement to the students including the winning group whose work was
recognised by the faculty and voted for by our community. These students will share a
$1000 scholarship. The next phase of the project is a technical review and evaluation of
designs with manufacturing options and costings. Then will follow a process of matching
of selected seats to specific locations around the promenade. The project manager will be
in touch with all seat sponsors in the next few weeks about design and site selection.
Any queries to plimmertonra@gmail.com

Big Spring Clean

Thanks to everyone who contributed time and effort to make our Big Spring Clean a
roaring success. Special thanks to organiser Sally Macklin starring in her first Plimmerton
project management role … brilliant job.
Thanks too to the lads from Porirua City Council and Keep Porirua Beautiful for their
help. And special thanks to all the 80 residents of every age and stage who helped with
litter pick up and gardening. Thanks too to our generous sponsors who donated spot
prizes for the workers lucky draw … Plimmerton Palmers Garden World, Big Mac Slabs,
Café Mondo, Café Vella, Topor Bar and Bistro, Plimmerton Gallery, Colours Hair Design,
The Glamour Room, and Phejoa Design. Biggest thankyous of all to the amazing
Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade, and Steph and her team from Big Mac Slabs, and
Palmers who kept workers sustained with a brilliant sausage sizzle and drinks. You are all
heroes … thanks so much for supporting Plimmerton.

You can help

The PRA welcomes new members, just $15 a year for family membership. Forgotten how
to pay? Direct credit through plimmertonra@gmail.com

Getting two newsletters?

Again we apologise for this … we do not have the technology to avoid double ups with
email and printed copies. Give your letterbox copy to a friend who is not lucky enough to
live in Plimmerton!

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Support your community – it’s the best!

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Plimmerton Residents Association, P O Box 57027, Mana, Porirua City 5247, New Zealand 4