Pourewa Valley Clean Up 2016

27 September 2016

The annual Pourewa Valley Clean Up in Selwyn Bush took place again on Sunday 18th September.

There was almost panic at the disco at organiser Carmel Claridge’s house when the morning’s weather brought high winds and lashing rain – definitely not ideal conditions for clearing rubbish from difficult and exposed terrain. The cooler head of Meadowbank St Johns Residents’ Association Chair Tim Duguid prevailed, and after a check on the weather forecast, the decision to go ahead with the event was made.

Almost miraculously, half an hour before kick-off the skies cleared and out came the sun. Troops assembled at the carpark behind the ASB Stadium, gumboots on and spades at the ready.

We had 32 volunteers turn up to lend a helping hand. We were delighted to see some new faces turning up for this event. Special mention to Piri Enua – decked out in the best ‘work safe’ gear for the day and an absolute godsend when it came to the heavy lifting.

Over three hours our volunteers manhandled sheets of roofing iron, old mattresses, 2 rusty fridges, car wheel axels, and much much more. Two skips were provided for the event courtesy of Waste Management. One was filled with a load of scrap iron which we hope will be usefully recycled. The other took general rubbish, including over 50 sacks of waste.

Unusual items extracted from the bush included an old pedal car and a bike rack.

The event was run as part of Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean up week and gloves, rubbish sacks and promotional material were provided to assist.

Meadowbank St Johns Residents’ Association provided tea, coffee, and some of the best home baking in town (bakers Julie Robson, Linda McCarthny, and Amanda Nicholas we salute you!)

It was great to see some of our local politicians in attendance helping to do their bit to look after our treasured green spaces. Desley Simpson, our Local Board Chair and aspiring Council candidate, put in a sterling effort as did Local Board candidates David Wong and Dorthe Siggaard.

Friends of Pourewa Chair Carmel Claridge says. “The implementation of the Unitary Plan will increase demands on our recreational facilities – now more than ever, it is really important we reach out to the community to encourage them to get involved in caring for our precious parks. The Pourewa Valley and the regenerating areas of native bush it emcompasses are vital for our well-being. We must never take it for granted.”

We’d like to thank everyone who did their bit to contribute to the success of this event. Please join us again next year and bring your friends & whanau!

Volunteers Craig Reynolds, Bruce Barnett, Piri Enua with Friends of Pourewa Valley committee member Martin Heffer – Filling the 9m3 Waste Managment skip with scrap metal. Well done boys!

Julie Robson, a committee member of Friends of Pourewa Valley, with her daughter Isla enjoying the Clean Up day in Selwyn Bush

We made it into the Milestones page of the East and Bays Courier!