October 4, 2018
School Fair Update
Tuesday October 16: the school will be holding a craft night on in the school library from 6.30 pm, if anyone is keen to come along and help make some handicrafts for the fair.
Friday October 19: from 7.30 pm the school will be displaying and selling the better quality clothing donated for the fair. This will be held at the community hall. Koha donation for refreshments and browsing the clothes.
Both events should be lots of fun and a good way to meet some local people.
Saturday October 27: the fair is on 10 am – 2 pm, rain or shine. Donations of clothes, toys, books, crafts, preserves, plants or silent auction items still gratefully accepted.
More Events at the Hall
Koha Coffee Saturday October 6: this is the first Saturday of the month again for our usual community coffee, tea and munchies in the community hall from 10.30 am – 12.30 pm. Come and share your news and ideas with other locals, or have a game of table tennis.
Houghton Valley Progressive Association Meeting Sunday 14 October: HVPA will be having their next meeting on Sunday 14 October at the hall at 4 pm. If you have any ideas or anything to report, come along and share them. You can also sit on the new cushions made by Jess, the first HVPA sponsored project for revitalising or using our hall.
E-bikes in Houghton Bay
Local Dave McArthur is interviewing families around Houghton Bay who have embraced using electric bikes rather than cars as a mode of transport. Dave reports in the first of an occasional series:
This past decade we have seen a new electrical phenomenon in Houghton Valley. Suddenly local people are biking up our steep hills and into our high winds with the speed and ease of a top athlete. And, unlike our streamlined, lycra-clad athletes, they often are transporting their children and luggage with them.
The new electrical phenomenon is battery-boosted bicycles or “electrical bikes”. These come in a range of shapes and an early adopter was Andrew Williams. Over the past few years he and his daughter, Meredith, have become a familiar sight as they whizz down the valley to work in the Houghton Valley Community Garden by the school. From an early age, Meredith could be seen relaxing back in her buggy engrossed in a book or nonchalantly chewing a treat, such as a fresh carrot from the garden.
When asked what two words he most associates with “e-bikes”, Andrew says with relish, “Freedom…! Freedom…!”
Recently Meredith has outgrown her buggy a bit and can now contribute more to propulsion using an ingenious extension to the bike.
When asked what two words she most associates with “e-bikes”, Meredith says with great enthusiasm, “ Always exciting! Always!”
Little Sprouts Charity Art Auction
Three Houghton Valley artists, Grant Corbishley, Miranda Munro and Andrea Selwood have donated artworks to an art auction and sale to raise funds for the Little Sprouts Charity.
An exhibition will be held from October 12 to 28 at Bottle Creek Gallery at Pātaka, with the auction taking place on October 27. During the exhibition you can view all of the pieces that will be auctioned AND you can also explore, and buy, artwork from over 50 other amazing artists from across Wellington.
The Exhibition is free and open daily – see littlesproutscharityartevent.com/exhibition/ (link not current)
Grand Auction Evening – Enjoy a fantastic evening of food, drink and art at the Little Sprouts Grand Auction Evening. This event is being held in The Spine of Pātaka Art and Museum at 6.30 pm on Saturday, 27th October 2018. Tickets are $40 and are strictly limited – they will sell out fast. The ticket price includes canapes and drinks plus the unique opportunity to bid on 15 special pieces of art. Artists whose works will be for sale at the auction event include Heimler & Proc, Rohan Wealleans, and Micheline Robinson, plus an artwork created by Jacinda Ardern. Bidding reserves range from $250 to $2,000.
All proceeds from ticket sales and artworks sold will go to the Little Sprouts Charitable Trust to help change babies’ lives.
(123 recipients, 79 opens)