Newsletter

Issue 12 October 2008

Greetings to everyone.

2008 has already been a productive year – by the end of the planting season, volunteers will have planted over 1000 plants, adding to the health and diversity of our riverside vegetation.

After three most productive years, Beryl George has retired from Chairperson, but continues to serve on our Management Team. Beryl’s contribution has been invaluable and assisted Waihi Walkways to new levels of professional functioning. Thank You.

Carol Speir takes on the role of Chairperson. She has already been contributing on the Management Team for some months, and she and husband Dennis are two of our stalwart volunteers on the ground. Welcome and thank you Carol.

Waihi Walkways volunteering has become regular and remarkably productive. In the last 18 months we logged over 1200 hours of voluntary work. These hours have contributed to planting, mulching, weeding, and a variety of walkway maintenance – also liaising, planning, research and consulting.

Regular working bees have resulted in substantial progress for many of our walks. Environmental restoration is ongoing and we were delighted to receive First Equal award for "Weed Busting on Public Land" at the Bay of Plenty regional awards recently. We are committed to reducing invasive weed species and have made some good progress, particularly with the Mill Stream Walkway.

If you would like to contribute your energies or skills to the walkways initiatives, we can offer a range of jobs, opportunity to work outside in a delightful environment, excellent company, and a good deal of job satisfaction!

Ring Ruth or Carol for more details.

The new Charities Act requires us to register as a charitable organisation. We made application in February, and have recently been advised by the Charities Commission to include a couple of changes to our Rules. We are proposing a few further refinements of clauses.

If you are a member of Waihi Walkways you will receive in the mail a copy of our Rules with the proposed changes (in bold). The Committee has reviewed these changes and encourages you to attend a Special General Meeting to vote on the proposed changes.

Date, time and venue will be advised with your mailout of the proposed changes. If you have changed your postal address lately, please update us.

We have increased our range of hand tools and various machinery to facilitate our range of voluntary activities. Our new Greenfield ride-on mower has proved invaluable in managing the grassed areas of our walkways and is helping with weed control, particularly the convolvulus, periwinkle, honeysuckle and blackberry. Mowing strips and/or open areas prevents the spread of these invasive weeds and, of course, a mown track makes a walk more enjoyable! We deliberately leave uncut grass in selected areas to provide habitat for creatures such as skinks, grasshoppers, etc.

VALUES WORKSHOP

In May members of the Committee gathered for a facilitated workshop to re-visit our Vision and Mission Statement and to take a fresh look at our Values.

The workshop produced a refined vision and set of values, all of which were a reconfirmation of the vision and intent of the original group which formed Waihi Walkways nearly 10 years ago.

We value:

Mill Stream Walkway continues to be a most popular place to walk and enjoy the environment.

Eric Lens has been researching and interpreting the various historic features found in the vicinity of our Mill Stream Walkway. He has assembled a range of old maps and photos and written up a fascinating summary of the activities and features.

We plan to install labelled markers at each site which will be explained in a brochure (you will be able to pick one up from the Information Office, Museum, Waihi Stationery). More details will be posted on our website, heritage page – www.waihiwalkways.org.nz

This project has been kindly sponsored by PowerCo and Valder Ohinemuri Charitable Trust.

We are hoping to establish entrance way signage for our walks soon.

Once again, thanks to our volunteers, walkway neighbours, contractors and Walkways members who make donations, offer encouragement, and express enthusiasm for the walkways and the environmental and heritage initiatives.

And to our Funders:

* Valder Ohinemuri Charitable Trust

* Trust Waikato

* Jim Say Foundation

* Lion Foundation

* Lottery Grants Board – Environment & Heritage

* BOC Gases, Where There's Water Community Initiative Fund

* PowerCo

* Creation Spirituality Group

Chairperson: Carol Speir, Ph: 863 3279

Coordinator: Ruth Ordish, Ph: 863 8600

Address for correspondence: Waihi Walkways PO Box 241 Waihi

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Waihi District Walkways Inc. PO Box 241 Waihi New Zealand

Send e- mail to: Waihi Walkways