Whatever your passion is, getting together with others who share it is like having a shot of adrenaline. That’s how it was for us this past weekend at the Community Newspaper Association (NZCNA) Conference in Christchurch. We were invigorated to be with a group of people who are so professional and passionate about their independent papers serving their local community.

We soaked in all we could at this, our second NZCNA conference, and after networking with our peers we returned home with plenty of exciting tricks up our sleeves.
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It was interesting to have Kris Faafoi, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media give the opening address, and the audience asked him some perceptive questions; the consensus from the room was that if the government is serious about democracy and community building, then they must consider how they support community papers who play a major role in this. A serious problem for papers nationwide has been the reduction in government and local council advertising. These bodies have an army of PR staff and prefer to communicate only positive, good news stories about themselves via their own publications.

Print worldwide has faced many challenges with a lot of advertising revenue moving to online platforms. The daily papers that were so dominant a couple of decades ago are fighting a rear-guard action against falling subscriber numbers. We have decided to do our bit and subscribe to the NZ Herald online. We appreciate their service and it takes money to provide that. What would Auckland be like without the Herald?

Flowing between New Lynn and the Te Atatu peninsular, the Whau River with a short overland connection, provides a portage across the Auckland isthmus. For iwi, this route traditionally provided a natural infrastructure of food, connection and economic production.

In the colonial economy the river and portage played a crucial role in the urbanisation of Auckland, as both a transport route for food grown in the fertile land to the south, and as a source of clay. Along the riverbanks numerous brick and pipeworks produced an astonishing array of goods, all shipped along the waterway to the building sites of the inner city.
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Unfortunately, in the latter decades it was also used to drain away by-product materials from factories situated on the riverbanks resulting in heavy pollution. But thanks to the efforts of various groups like the Scouts, the Watercare Harbour Clean Up and Whau Catchment Trusts, the river is now regaining its health and becoming a more enjoyable place to play.

Norma was well known in Green Bay where she was a long-time resident before shifting to Blockhouse Bay in the early 1990s.
 
She was a very active foundation of St Dominic’s Parish, often holding group meetings in her home in Green Bay. She was a foundation member of the Blockhouse Bay Catholic Women’s League when it started in 1969 and served as secretary to this organisation at branch, diocesan and national level.
 
Norma was also a foundation member of Blockhouse Bay Ladies Probus, serving on the committee for many years, including two terms as president.
 
A very community-oriented lady, Norma spent many years serving Meals on Wheels and working in the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. She could always be relied upon to help those in need.
 
Norma’s relaxation came in the form of lawn bowls and she spent many a happy hour at the Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club.

Krav Maga, which translates literally as ‘contact combat’ from Hebrew, strictly speaking is not a martial art such as karate, jiu jitsu or kung fu. Rather, it is a system developed in Israel out of need to train its military personnel quickly to be proficient in hand to hand combat in the early days of the fledgling state’s formation.
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Using the 20/80 rule Krav Maga extracted the essence of many fighting methods, taking only what was needed to create an original method of combat and self-defence that was easy to learn and apply, even under the most challenging situations.

The Krav Maga practiced world-wide is a product of knowledge leaked from the military to civilian market as former soldiers of the Israeli Defence Force developed civilian assimilation of the things that they have been exposed to after military service. Paradoxically, in Israel military service actually adds on average more than three years to the life expectancy of men and women.

Moshe Katz, an Israeli Krav Maga grand master, will be making a brief first visit to New Zealand to run a half day seminar at the Blockhouse Bay Krav Maga school. Although this is a Krav Maga seminar it is open to anybody that is interested.

Of course, you do not need to be Israeli or Jewish to practice Krav Maga. Because sanctity of life is central to the Jewish faith the method is open to anybody wanting to learn self-defence, and there is a club right here in Blockhouse Bay. The club teaches Krav Maga survival tactics and self-defence involving cold weapons, firearms and hand to hand combat.

Students from Blockhouse Bay Intermediate’s Room 9, together with EcoMatters and local residents and businesses, are working to reduce pests along the Waitahurangi Stream.
 
Their collaboration is supported with funding from the Whāu Local Board, and was officially launched in late May, with a special celebration at the school, attended by students, neighbours and representatives from the organisations involved.
 
“The Waitahurangi Wildlink project is all about bringing the community together, to create a better green space for the neighbourhood,” says Melissa Ward, Nature Team Assistant from EcoMatters.
 
It aims to create a native wildlife corridor along the Waitahurangi Stream between Blockhouse Bay Intermediate School and Olympic Park in New Lynn, to provide a habitat where native birds, flora and fauna can flourish.

Some people thrive on challenge. Even so, it takes a clear vision and plenty of courage to leave a secure job to go out on your own. Despite the pressures facing Blockhouse Bay local Prateek Malhotra the year he launched his business, he knew that the only way was forward.

Prateek and wife Sheetal had a young son. They had just bought their first home in June, and he was a month away from launching his business in August when they found out they were expecting again.

“I don’t know what I was thinking!” he laughs as he recalls those months in 2012. “18 months on one income!”

“Are you sure you don’t want another month?” says his boss at the ANZ, handing him a lifeline.

But there was never going to be a ‘perfect time’ and his mind was made up, so with the enthusiasm born of a long-held dream of being in business and several years of planning, Prateek began Everest Financial Services in August 2012. He chose the name because of the aspirational image Mt Everest conjures. It’s the epitome of challenge, aligning with his own determination to keep pushing to the next level.

Prateek was no stranger to challenge. He left his home in Delhi as a 21-year-old with a BSc in Maths (Hons). His idea was to finish his MBA and go back to India, but the market was a bit slow. He worked in the BNZ for eight years, then the ANZ for another four, meanwhile studying part time at AUT.

In January 2005 he went back to India for a visit and came back married. Fortunately, he was given a couple of extra weeks off work for the occasion.

Their son was born in August 2009. Prateek finished his MBA in October and they took the baby to his graduation in December in a baby capsule.

The decision in 2012 to launch his business was a good one. Prateek worked from home for two years then as his business grew, he moved into premises in the Blockhouse Bay village. “I went in to get some business cards printed and Brom [Breetvelt] had a spare office going at the back of his premises, so I took it.” Five years later he now occupies a large office with its own street frontage, and is planning to take on a couple more brokers, preferably local people.

No-one from Prateek’s family had been in business or self-employed, and they couldn’t understand why he would want to do that. But he had always wanted to be in business on his own terms, and he’s happy with his decision which has provided him with freedom, choices, flexibility and time. He understands his customers’ needs, and gets tremendous satisfaction helping clients into their first home.

“Of course, there have been ups and downs; some years good and some not so much”, he says. “A lot depends on the economy, and banks changing lending policies and LVRs (loan to value ratios) affects business. But you just hang in there”.

“When I started out, my biggest fear was ‘how do I survive?’ My next was ‘how do I grow?’ But my biggest challenge is getting too comfortable”, he muses. “I constantly have to stay focused and remind myself what is important, especially my family – you don’t get the time back that you spend”.

Lynfield College is leaping for joy as students’ silent film, Overexposed, takes 1st place at the International Youth Silent Film Festival held in Portland, Oregon last week.

Directed by Harry Ashley (Lynfield College class of 2019), shot by cinematographer Raymond Feng (current Lynfield student) and starring Shamir Sarif (class of 2019), the film (Noir genre) beat out 24 other finalists from around the globe, including America, Australia, Canada, The United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand. Having won 2nd place at the IYSFF NZ regional awards last October in Tauranga, the film qualified for the Global Awards alongside another Lynfield College-produced film - and 1st place winner ATTACK! Of the Death Robot - which was directed by current Lynfield College student Joseph Hisayasu.

27th July marks the 60th anniversary of Iona Scouts, which they will celebrate by hosting an open day at their den. They have been busy digging through old photos and memorabilia from storage, finding the process fascinating as they learn about their history – such things as how Iona Scouts started, where the group’s name came from, what activities were done in years gone by and a particular highlight was finding out about past fundraisers.
 
The Scout group, led by their founders the late Shirley and Bob Goddard, were passionate about raising funds to build the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre. In honour of the work of they did, the Iona Scouts Den located in the basement of the Community Centre is named The Shirley and Bob Goddard Scout Hall.
 
The group have had some interesting fundraisers over the years, such as the “Chooky-Poo” fundraiser. According to Allan Goddard, Shirley and Bob’s son, this was a real winner for the group and ran for 18 years. It began in 1966, originally buying in and re-bagging bulk manufactured fertiliser into smaller 10lb bags to sell. They switched to selling fowl manure in the mid ‘70s when the manufactured fertiliser became uneconomic.

​In 1919 several famous people were born. Some of these included crooner Nat King Cole, the flamboyant Liberace, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, actor and rodeo star Slim Pickens, ballerina Margo Fonteyn, Argentina’s First Lady Evita Peron, and our own Edmund Hillary. All of these celebrities are now long gone.

However, Lynfield resident Mrs Martha Vir who was also born that year is very much looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday on July 10th, and most particularly receiving a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.

In honour of her friend‘s impending birthday, Mrs Pratima Nand put together a brief biography:

Martha was born into a farming family in Ba, Fiji Islands, and grew up in Rakiraki. At the age of 16, she married Samuel Vir and moved to her marital home in Navua, subsequently relocating to Tavua.

In 1944 they moved to Suva, eventually migrating to Auckland in 2001 to be with her children. Sadly, Martha lost her husband six months after moving to NZ. She has six surviving children (four daughters and two sons), 17 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Converting to Christianity in 1947 having been raised in a staunch Hindu background, Martha is well-versed in the Hindu and biblical scriptures. She has a strong faith and frequently is called upon by her family to pray for them when sitting for exams, going for job interviews or for anything else of significance. She starts each day by lighting a candle and uplifting her entire family in prayer.

In Fiji Martha was a dedicated member of the Methodist church in Toorak, Suva, assisting in many ways behind the scenes without seeking recognition. She used to gather all her children once a month to clean the church inside and out. Likewise, in Auckland she took pride in sweeping the outside of the Lynfield Community Church on late Saturday afternoon in preparation for the Sunday morning service.

Her compassion led her to open her doors to deserted children, single mothers, and victims of domestic violence. She also acted as a mediator to couples undergoing marital crisis.

Do you love nature and the outdoors? Enjoy the camaraderie of teamwork? Want to make a real difference in your local environment by planting out native trees, weeding, and picking up litter around the Whau River catchment.

The Whau River Catchment Trust (WRCT) is the principle environmental umbrella organisation for our area. Currently their main focus is ecological restoration work on the Rosebank Peninsula, although they cover the whole of the Whau River area with a range of different projects. Operating in the Whau River area since 2000, successful examples their efforts can be seen many areas, such as the start of the Kurt Brehmer Walkway in Charann Place, Avondale.