February 2, 2022
(2/2/22 hee hee)
Concert at Houghton Valley Community Hall
Sunday February 13, 7 – 9 pm
Janine Mitchell is a Houghton Valley resident and a Wellington South Coast gal. A folkie songster from “ back then”, in recent times she has been getting into songwriting with her acoustic folk guitar. This has seen her compose her own original songs in a 60s – 70s folk style, as well as regenerating many of that era’s classics such as Joan Biaz, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkle.
Janine loves the platform made available through her songwriting to speak / korero a message that is close to her heart, singing about the environment, social issues and relationships – but mostly she just loves sharing music – food for the soul.
During 2021, two wonderful musicians joined Janine to support in recording her first studio album of original songs, called “Etched in My Soul”. Janine has been thrilled to share her passion for folk music, with the fantastic lead guitar and vocals of Jack Binding, and the beautiful mandolin of Kevin Ikin.
The album, “Etched in My Soul” has just been released – you can hear a snippet through https://janinemitchell.hearnow.com with links to Bandcamp and Spotify. Also additional information is on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Janine-Mitchell-Music-100897535706400
With the initial goal of recording Janine’s original songs now complete, the three musicians are looking to a horizon brimming with possibilities and sharing with other musicians. They love playing together and are continuing to pursue their shared music, collaborating on writing new songs, and performing live together … including here in Houghton Valley.
New WREMO contact
Katie Sharp is the new Community Resilience Advisor for WREMO (Wellington Region Emergency Management Office) and is in charge of the areas of the Southern and Eastern Suburbs, which includes Houghton Bay. Living in rural Canterbury for most of her life, Katie has seen the power of connected communities, especially following the Christchurch Earthquake. This has grown into a passion for people and communities, so Katie will take every opportunity to connect with whānau, community groups and organisations around the South East. If you have a community group that may be interested in holding a preparedness workshop (for you, your household or your business) please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Katie may come to the next HVPA Zoom meeting, provisionally planned for February 13.
Koha Coffee
Koha Coffee is unlikely to happen this month as our host Andrew has broken his leg and is unable to be there, and we don’t have a substitute host. Best wishes for a sound recovery Andrew! Next month it is scheduled for Sunday 6 March, but that is also the date for our Seeds-to-Feeds meal, so there might be a bit of negotiating happening. Plans will be posted on our local Facebook Group.
Seeds-to-Feeds
Sunday March 6, 2 pm – 6 pm
We are still hoping to have our Seeds-to-Feeds afternoon meal on Sunday March 6. We are planning a relaxed family style event at the school, maybe a picnic in the grounds, maybe in the hall if the weather is not so good. The time is earlier than before so that you can bring your children and still have an early night.
Planning is still provisional due to the uncertainty around overall Covid case numbers. Although there is nothing to prevent us going ahead, it will depend on how comfortable people feel about it, and how many people might be needing to self-isolate. But be sure that the vegetables are growing well and the menu is delicious!
So please save the date and plan to support this event. This year we would like the funds raised to go to the school, as they didn’t have such a good opportunity last year to raise money through the usual school fair. We will have more details soon.
This newsletter
The way this year is heading for me has left me with a need to take a break from doing this Community Newsletter. If anyone else would like to have a go, I would be happy to show them the MailChimp ropes. Please contact me (Jenny) via the email address below. Otherwise perhaps we will need to wait until we have a community co-ordinator to take up this aspect of community co-ordination. In the meantime we have a thriving community Facebook Group that you can sign up to. That way everyone can post their own news at the appropriate time. I will do one more edition to promote the details of the Seeds-to-Feeds dinner in March.
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