The weather has spoken – our Neighbourhood BBQ /picnic has been cancelled again!  We are glad for the fire ravaged areas of course.  Thus we will find a way to have a neighbourhood get-together sometime soon. We will keep you posted!

The arrival of rain today helps to ensure the fires are almost out.  The worst of the danger is over and the cordons are being lifted, so that is all good news.  The rain will soak into the ground and help with managing the underground burning of tree roots.  Once again our thanks go to all the people who fought so hard, supported the workers  and all round offered support.  We all pulled together to get through this nasty situation.  Kia Kaha indeed.

The only ‘downside’ to this rain, is that once again our Nieghbourhood BBQ is under threat!  We will make a decision Saturday at 1200 hours whether we will be going ahead or cancelling again.  Notices will be posted at the Cashmere View park if the BBQ is cancelled and this website will be updated as to whether it is on or not.

Fingers crossed!

The past few days have been a nightmare for our local esidents.  The uncertainty of where the fire would go and the scope of the damage was unnerving, challenging our sense of security.  Many ground fighters were working their hardest to contain the fire and the helicopters brought water to the scene, reassuring us that all things possible were being done to bring it all under control.

Our thanks go to all those involved for their committment and dedication to serve the community well.  It must have been a very hard and difficult situation for you all.  We are profoundly grateful for your efforts.  It has all come at the heavy cost of a brave man’s life and many houses lost.  Hundreds have been evacuated and many more of us wondering what would happen next.  While the reassuring noise of the Iriquois beamed out, it meant that things we very grim.

The local communication channels seemed to work well.  Updates came regularly from various sources: ‘Gets Ready’,  Facebook and Stuff, RNZ and local radio stations, CCC website, TV station websites.  Even if someone were not ‘on line’ there were plenty of sources of information available, which is very reassuring when things move fast.   Thanks go too to our locl MP – Nuk Korako who has been ‘on the ground’ and checking in on progress.  The LCRA received an update from him today including this fire map – very sobering!   See the map below:

fire-map

This situation reinforces our need to have good emergency planning.  A family plan in an emergency is vital.  Be aware also of the things you would need to grab if you had just a few minutes: medication, passports, pets, mobile charging cord, a plan of where you are going.

Please consider all of this in light of this emergency.  We know about earthquakes; fires are a different story with different requirements. Stay safe everyone and once again, our profound thanks for all of those involved in dealing with this emergency.  Kia Kaha!!

Thank you to all who attended our AGM.  It is always nice for residents to meet each other and our elected representatives.  We welcomed Nuk Korako MP, the Community Board members who were able to attend: Karolin Potter, Helene Mautner, Lee Sampson, Phil Clearwater.  Apologies were received from Ruth Dyson, MP. Certainly there was a  lot of chatting and mingling during the evening.

The meeting, chaired by Guy Field, showcased the work of the committee during 2016.  The Report from the Chair canvassed the community work of the Association during the year.  Karolin Potter, Chair of the Community Board was very complimentary about the Association and its contribution to the area.  please read the report below:

report-from-the-chair-to-the-lcra-re-2016-agm

We elected our 2017 committee.  Several members were hapy to stand again and we also welcome Bruce Grimwood to the new committee. The committee had no elected Chair so will continue with a rotating Chair for the meetings. The  Committee is as follows:

• Sue Bye (Secretary), Lyn Coulbeck (Treasurer), Julie Davis, Guy Field, Noel Collins, Bruce Grimwood.

Our Guest speaker was Mark Wilson, Principal of Cashmere High School.  Ho reviewed the developemnts at Cashmere HS, with the replacement of older buildings and the development of the HS campus to meet the needs of the future. As an example, the performing arts facilities will be improved and enlarged to accomodate increased numbers of students.  The Gym facilities are top knotch and older classrooms are being replaced.  We found Mark’s presentation very interesting and enjooyed being able to peruse the plans.

Thanks go to Hohepa for the use of their facilities.

2107 is well underway and although we have had varied weather, we have had some sunny days and enough heat to have the feeling of summer in Canterbury.

LCRA AGM

This month we have our AGM on Feb 13th at Hohepa in Barrington St.

The meeting starts at 7-30, all are welcome to attend.

Our local MPs and Community Board members are attending so it is a good chance for us all to have quality input into caring for our jewel of a community.

Our Guest Speaker is Mr Mark Wilson, Principal of Cashmere High School, giving us an update of the school in 2017 and beyond.

Neighbourhood Picnic

Very wet weather forced the postponement of the Neighbourhood Picnic in late October.   We are now holding it on Sunday 18th February, from 4pm – 6pm in the Cashmere View Park.  There will be free BBQ sausages, treats to purchase (for fundraising) and wonderful music from the Silverbacks, who have entertained us for the last three picnics.

ALSO, we are having a wonderful clown to entertain us all – kids as well.

Bring your picnic rugs and snacks and relax for a couple of hours in our beautiful park.  You are all very welcome.

Christmas has passed and we are coming to the close of another year.  We wish everyone the best in 2017.  Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season from us on the LCRA committee. Happy New Year!

The year is fast drawing to a close. right now the gardens are full of colour as the rain has kept things growing nicely. Soon, the Holiday Season will be with us and the LCRA committee wishes you all the very best for the holiday season.

Our Neighbourhood Week Picnic has been rescheduled for Feb 18th from 4pm – 6pm.  We have booked Adam Allsorts the clown to entertain us, with other entertainment as can be arranged.  There will be a BBQ with sausages available free but you are wecome to bring your picnic rugs and other food to enjoy our neighbours and our wonderful area.

The LCRA AGM will be held on Feb 13th from 7-30pm at Hohepa in Barrington St.  This is your chance to participate in local grass roots activity, meet our elected officials and hear the Principal of Cashmere High School, Mr Mark Wilson update us on the redevelopment of the school.  It will be a very interesting and informative evening.  You are also very welcome to join our committee as all members are up for re-election.

This year has been a year of consolidation for LCRA.We initiated community projects and we were mostly successful.  Rose St now has its yellow lines and further improvements are under consideration.  The Cashmere View Playground received upgraded planting but we are not finished with the things we would like to see there: bench seats by the play area and a picnic table.  We can use our community links to help build and install these. We would like to increase some of the plantings and have already planted six kowhai seedlings.

We have forged links with other local residents’ groups and have worked with them in improving matters in our area eg: Opawaho/Heathcote river cleanup; SCERT emergency planning for Somerfield & Lower Cashmere; traffic issues as well as Rose St including Cashmere Road & Barrington St turn from the Mall as well as the Quarrymans’ Cycle Trail..

Check our newsletters for further details.  Feel free to leave a message on this site.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer holiday and all the best to everyone for 2107.

Rain, rain – go away . . .

That was the theme last Saturday when we saw the downpours in the morning. The decision was made to cancel our neighbourhood picnic and hold it later in summer when the weather will hopefully be more settled. We will keep you posted on another date.

In the northern hemisphere they say that ‘April showers bring May flowers’ – we are certainly very green with plants growing as we watch, especially the lawns.  It’s a wonderful time of the year so enjoy it before the demands of the end of year festivities take over.

The local body election results were relaeased on October 8th.  We welcome the new Community Board and look forward to continued close links.  Our Community Board members for the next three years are:

City councillors: Phil Clearwater & Tim Scandrett

Community Board members: Karolin Potter, Helene Mautner, Melanie Coker & Leigh Sansom

The Community Board is a very important link for residents’ access to the City Council.  The LCRA has been well supported by the previous Community Board.  As an example, the City Council pays for the printing of our newsletter; a very important communication link for our area.  The Community Board gave a grant ot us for our park planting this year.  Their role is to be supportive of local community issues and we appreciate their work.

On Tuesday 20th September, the local Residents’ Associations group held a candidates’ meeting for the Spreydon / Cashmere Ward and Regional Council (E-Can) local body elections.  The meeting was well attended with people listening attentively to the presentations by the candidates. There was time for questions and then over light refreshments, conversations continued.

The meeting highlighted the importance of all of us making informed decisions about the future of our communities and the shape of our city in the years ahead. As well as the day to day running of the city, we also have the challenges faced by the Regional Council.  Clean water is obvious but we also need action on public transport, air quality & pest destruction. We have a lot to consider in our voting.  Meeting the candidates in person gave us the opportunity to inform our votes.

Our thanks to all the people who attended.  We also thank the candidates for their attendance.  Seeing you all in person helped to ’round you out’ from the information in the voting booklet. Your presence was greatly appreciated. Good luck with your campaigns!