8 April 2016 Devonport Flagstaff

8 April, 2016

Interview: Soprano Mary O’Brien-Specht… p18

New CBD heritage threat … p5

Great Devonport dog parade… p6

Unwelcome visitors… the stolen car crashed into a tree, which prevented it from smashing into a house

Juvenile car thieves rampage through streetsTwo Takapuna Grammar School students,

believed to be 14 or 15 years old, were arrested by police after a car chase that saw the stolen vehicle crash in a front yard and the occupants trying to escape through nearby mangroves.

The boys were spotted doing doughnuts in a silver Subaru Impreza across Ngataringa Park on the evening of March 29 (a school holiday), for about an hour before the crash took place. The car was stolen earlier in the day from the Bayswater area, police said.

Police responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle and arrived on Lake Road outside the

park at around 6.20 pm. A standard police stop was attempted at the intersection of Lake and Ngataringa Rds, but the Subaru headed west on Ngataringa Rd at a speed of 90 km/h, with police in pursuit.

At the dead end on Ngataringa Rd, the Sub-aru made a U-turn and headed back at around 70-80 km/h, police said. The driver lost control as he tried to turn left into Regent St. A police helicopter was also involved in the chase and briefly landed on Ngataringa Park.

The driver and passenger ran off, one through the mangroves of Ngataringa Bay and the other

across nearby properties. Both were apprehend-ed, arrested and have been charged (as youth) with unlawfully taking a vehicle. Other charges may also be laid.

The boys have been referred to Police Youth Aid, who will decide whether the incident will go to court.

Takapuna Grammar School principal Simon Lamb said: “The alleged events, being completely outside the jurisdiction and responsibility of the school, are a matter between the police and the families involved.”• Lucky escape for family, page 3

Phil ClarkP 09 446 2125M 021 940 041E [email protected]

Peter AytonP 09 446 2109 M 021 336 300E [email protected]

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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 2 April 8, 2016

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Vehicle access to Mt Victoria was blocked for several hours last Thursday after a tour bus got stuck at the foot of the road.

Its drivers ignored the warning sign that said

the road was ‘unsuitable for long vehicles.’ The bus got jammed on Kerr St at the entrance

to the summit road and became a sight in itself with many locals getting pictures.

Some mountains are too hard to climb… the bus bottomed out at the foot of Mt Victoria last week

Bus makes unscheduled stop

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EDITOR: Rob DrentADVERTISING: Rob DrentREPORTER: Maire ViethDESIGN: Brendon De SuzaCOPY EDITOR: Jo HammerOFFICE MANAGER: Janet KleePRINTER: Beacon Print

Devonport Publishing LtdPO Box 32 275First Floor, 9 Wynyard Street, DevonportTelephone: 09 445 0060Email: [email protected]: www.devonportflagstaff.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION AWARDSBest Community Involvement: 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2005Most Improved Newspaper: 2011, 2010Best Young Journalist: 2014, 2012, 2013Best Journalist: 2012, 2009 Best Junior Sports Journalist: 2014, 2013Best Senior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014Best Junior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014Best Headline Writing: 2012, 2013Canon Media Awards Community Reporter of the Year: Highly Commended 2015

Information in the Devonport Flagstaff is copyright and cannot be published or broadcast without the permission of Devonport Publishing Ltd.

April 8, 2016 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 3

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A bottlebrush tree saved a house or even lives.

That’s what Iain Rea and wife Lucy Buck-nall say after a police pursuit ended with a stolen car smashing into a tree on their front lawn. The couple live on the corner of Nga-taringa Rd and Regent St with their two sons.

Rea witnessed the drama unfolding at his garden gate while his son George (16) was practising guitar in his room. Rea says he knew something was wrong when he heard a helicopter circling above. Shortly after, he heard police sirens pursuing a car racing up Ngataringa Rd past his house. “I went outside to have a look and stood on our garden gate when a silver Subaru came back down Nga-taringa Road at fair rate of knots and tried to take the corner into Regent St.

“It was going so fast that as soon as the driver turned the wheels, the car just drifted sideways, right between our two concrete power poles, and into our front yard. The boy was lucky to miss the poles. He could have been dead.

“Instead, he took out our 10-foot-high bottlebrush tree, which I had been meaning to trim. I am pretty grateful it was there,” he says. The tree had several trunks, with the main one about 30 cm in diameter, says Rea.

“The boy in the car ran away, down the path of Wakakura Crescent, with two police officers in pursuit,” says Rea. The police Eagle helicopter soon assisted in the pursuit, landing briefly on Ngataringa Park.

Rea says the car stopped two-and-a-half metres from the house, kept running and began to smoke. “The key barrel had been taken out of it and the bonnet was all stoved in, I couldn’t turn it off, so I called the fire brigade. They came, opened the bonnet, and snapped a cable. They tried to preserve the evidence, like fingerprints,” he says.

Bucknall and son Gabriel (13) had by then arrived back home. She saw two police officers returning from the mangroves after they had captured one culprit. “They were all covered in stinky mud. The kid in the police car was covered in mud, the officers were cov-ered in mud. I am sure the car was too. One of the officers was not happy about it,” she says.

Devonport Fire Station Manager Nick McQuillan says his crew helped with the clean-up. “The two officers were just covered in mud and we offered to hose them off a bit. It would have been quite cold that roadside shower,” he says.

Bucknall says an ambulance was called for the boys, but their injuries seem to have been only minor.

Tree a potential lifesaver

Reflecting on what could have been… the Rea-Bucknall family. From left: Gabriel with dog Maisy, George, Lucy Bucknall and Iain Rea.


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Four-storey, 13-metre-high buildings are now on the council agenda for the Devonport business district.

In the latest incarnation of Auckland Coun-cil’s Unitary Plan, building heights at street level remain essentially the same on Victoria Rd, but set back from the street they can rise to 13 metres.

Last year it was thought Auckland Council was moving away from rising the height of buildings, after its plans caused a furore with heritage campaigners, and a rift within the Devonport Business Association, whose committee had lobbied council for increased building height, but not to the knowledge of some members.

But the Unitary Plan Independent Hearing Panel’s recently released reports on volcanic view shafts and height-sensitive areas propose to raise the current 9 metre height limit to 13 metres for almost half of the village.

While the front facades along Victoria Road would stay at 9 metres, the back of the build-ings on the street’s western side could be raised to 13 metres, allowing for up to four storeys.

The 13-metre limits are also proposed for Clarence St and the eastern side of Wynyard St.

Conversely, a year ago, Auckland Coun-cil staff had proposed to lower the current 9-metre height restriction to 8 metres, a move that was strongly supported in Devonport Heritage’s submission to the panel. That submission seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Devonport Heritage spokesperson Margot McRae says the news is shocking. “It seems that a small group in the Devonport Business Association has managed to convince a few people in the council that without tall buildings in the village, Devonport will die. They are proposing to almost halve the view protections for Mount Victoria from the vil-lage,” she says.

McRae says the proposal is “totally at odds

with other council expert witnesses.” McRae cites one expert who says the local view of Mt Victoria from the village has “a strong influence over the identity and sense of place associated with Devonport.”

Devonport Heritage president Trish Deans says the change could substantially alter the view of Mount Victoria from the village. “It’s as if the dollar is more important than our relationship to the mountain,” she says.

“I hope council will throw it out. They did

so with attempts to reduce the overall areas that protect pre-1944 houses,” says Deans.

McRae says Devonport Heritage will fight the issue hard. “But it seems that we are up against a concerted effort by a few people who seem determined to undermine the protection Devonport has had for 40 years,” she says.

Devonport Business Association president John Waugh was contacted by the Flagstaff for his comments, but had not responded by our deadline on Monday.

Village building height now up to 13 metres in plan

The latest height zoning proposed for the Devonport business district

ATTACHMENT E

Amendments to Height Sensitive Area mapping 1. Devonport Town Centre


Annual dog parade’s got Devonport smitten

Best mates… Connie Waine (10) and Toby, her aunt’s Shih tzu cross, were soaking up the atmosphere at the Devonport Dog Parade at Windsor Reserve last Sunday. Connie is working on her parents (Tony and Sandra) to get her a dog too! More pictures page 24.

April 8, 2016 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 7 The Flagstaff Notes

By Rob Drent

This year, the regular sound of police sirens in Devonport have told the all too familiar tale: the chase of a stolen car driven by thieves from out of the area, usually South Auckland.

But it was not the case last Tuesday when joyriders stole a car from Bayswater and drove down to the skatepark and did wheel spins. After the police helicopter was called and the vehicle occupants refused to stop, a chase ensued. The car only halted when it crashed into a tree, which saved a house from damage. One offender fled into the mangroves to escape police.

Unusually, the joyriders arrested were two local boys who go to Takapuna Grammar. Police have refused to reveal their ages, but the Flagstaff understands they are 14 or 15.

This incident ended much more fortunately than it could have: what if the car had spun out of control at the skatepark injuring youngsters there or it had hit someone in the street during the chase? The boys themselves could also have sustained serious injury from the crash.

Many in Devonport will want to throw the book at these kids and I have some sympathy with that. The case has been referred to the police Youth Aid division and I hope some form of restitution is payable for the damage

they caused to the car and property.Alongside this however, these boys’ families,

and the school and wider community, need to get behind them and offer support as well. Teenage acts of criminality, aggression, and anger don’t come from nowhere. Isolating these boys only encourages them back into the tunnel of social media, computer games, and the type of peer groups that encourage and exacerbate these kinds of anti-social acts in the first place.

Community backing, mentoring and some sort of restorative justice will serve these boys far better than a solely police and court-based solution.

It seems extremely difficult to get poor

ideas for Devonport out of the heads of local authority planners. A glaring example was the scatterbrained Auckland Transport investigation into a bus shelter on the waterfront, which would have marred views back to the city.

Now the views of Mt Victoria are under threat with the latest Unitary Plan shuffling set to allow 13 metre (four-storey) building heights in the business area – but set back from the road. It’s hard to argue the commercial logic behind the proposal. A significant amount of Devonport space is available for rent at the moment and demand shows no signs of increasing. A potential danger is facadism - ripping down all but the fronts of hist oric Devonport to allow the large buildings behind.

Sure, some may argue it is a compromise to increasing the building heights right up to the street frontage. But should Devonport residents compromise at all on a bad idea?

Some cars we like (and why we like them)

Amazingly, no kidding you, the best-selling vehicle in New Zealand last year was the Ford Ranger Ute. I can’t imagine it sells in huge numbers to Devonport families (I haven’t seen any outside Vauxhall Primary School on the morning run), but around the country the stats tell us there will ruddy-faced males feeling particularly butch in their Rangers….Edged out of a long-held number-one slot was the ever-popular Toyota Corolla, also easily the best-selling car in the world (40 million sold by 2013). The humble Beetle topped out at a mere 21 million – slacker. Do we like Corollas? Of course, what’s not to like. Apart from the generic-ness. Ranger utes? Meh, not so much. We prefer cars that run on petrol, not testosterone. What do we REALLY like? Suzuki Escudos. Awesome small-mid size SUVs, fun and easy to drive, grippy on the road, reliable, economical, generally underrated and good value.Mazda Demios. The perfect small car. With plenty of go, comes in cool colours, no major known issues, and looks futuristic. What’s not to love?Subaru wagons. Whether it’s Outback (higher) or Legacy (lower) or Exiga (7-seater) or Forester (a bit of everything), we feel the wagons are the sweet spot in Subaru’s line-up. Half of Devonport has had a Subaru wagon from us at some stage!Mazda MX5s. You can’t beat the combination of performance and fun. We have one manual one left from our summer stock. Be quick!See you soon for advice, ruminations and opinionated ramblings!

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Virgil Evetts, local writer and garden enthusiast, has died aged 40. He leaves behind his partner of 19 years, Charlotte Perry, and their two young daughters, Olive (5) and Violet (14 months).

Virgil was born in Auckland, and moved to Devonport with his mother Maggie and sister Juanita at age 4, where he enjoyed an idyllic childhood full of explorations around North Head; he was also passion-ate about animal-keeping and gardening. He had a love of the natural world from a very early age, which his family actively encouraged.

After attending Devonport Primary and then Takapuna Grammar, Virgil joined a team establishing a new children’s gallery at Auckland Museum. Weird and Wonderful quickly became a favourite for thousands of Auckland children, and Virgil had the perfect opportunity to share his knowledge and passion for insects, animals and plants with children. He worked at Auckland Museum for 17 years, spending a number of those managing the Weird and Wonderful gallery. His Auckland Museum colleagues remember his sharp intellect, enthusiasm, sense of humour, and patient nurturing of staff starting out in their careers.

After leaving the museum, Virgil pur-sued his love of writing; he specialised par-

ticularly in feature articles about food and gardening. He had a passion for making and growing unusual foods, and for sustainable living, whether it was working out how to make Singaporean bak kwa, or setting up a backyard aquaponics system. He wrote for a variety of publications, but predomi-nantly Foodlovers.co.nz and New Zealand Gardener magazine. Readers loved his unique ‘voice’, and his willingness to share tips and knowledge. He loved his work, building relationships with growers far and wide, and found joy in the effort. No less a pleasure was the opportunity this afforded him to work from home, and thus be around his beloved daughters as they grew.

Virgil contributed to Devonport through the Devonport Community Garden, where he held regular workshops on a variety of topics, including quail-keeping and straw-bale gardening. The family are also members of Narrowneck Playcentre, where Virgil spent many happy hours playing and learning with Olive and her friends.

His daughters brought Virgil immense joy and a sense of fulfilment in life. Thanks to their love, and that of his long-term partner Charlotte, Virgil was able to battle against his illness with good spirit, end-less patience and unequivocal love for his family. He died at home as he had wished.Charlotte Perry

Obituary

• Virgil’s family would like to thank the Devonport community for the support offered during Virgil’s illness. Charlotte is collecting memories of Virgil for Olive and Violet. Please send these through (big and small) to [email protected]

Always ready to share his knowledge… Virgil Evetts

Gardening, community and family inspired Virgil

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Auction 28 Northcroft St, Takapuna 1.30pm, Thur 5 May 2016(unless sold prior)

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Interest in local politics is still alive on the peninsula.

A dozen residents from Devonport and Belmont attended a recent information evening on what is involved in standing for the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board elections this October.

Co-organiser Lynn Lawton says attendees, both male and female, were aged between 30 and 60.

“It was an encouraging turnout of people interested in the process of standing for office. I believe two or three of them are seriously considering whether to run in October,” he said.

Devonport has a long-standing history of strong, local political involvement, going back to the Devonport Borough Council formed in 1886. This was amalgamated into the North Shore City Council in 1989, with a Devonport voice emerging through the Devonport Community Board. The board morphed under Auckland Council in 2010 into the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Big brother watching at wharfThe six security cameras at Devonport

Wharf can now be monitored 24 hours a day.

The cameras have been connected to Auckland Transport’s operations centre at Queens Wharf, which can access live cameras at intersections, railway stations, bus stations and wharves across Auckland.

In other changes at the wharf, the ATM and payphone have been removed in prepa-ration for a new reconfigured entranceway at the northern end of the wharf building.

An Auckland Transport (AT) spokesper-

son said this change would allow better pub-lic access through the wharf when the new tenant was located on the north-eastern side.

“It is likely an ATM will be installed at a new location within the wharf in future,” the spokesperson said.

“The payphone has not been well used for some time.”

However, AT is working with Spark to retain the Wifi link that was supplied with the phone.

AT is awaiting final sign-off on the new wharf tenant.

Devonport retains spirit of local politics

Takapuna Grammar School is shortlisting applicants for the replacement of long-serving principal Simon Lamb.

The school wil l be interviewing candidates over the next six weeks.

Lamb is moving to Kings College after term one.

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This cedar 1980s home is tucked away in a quiet, desirable street between Cheltenham and

Devonport Village. Situated on the slope of Mount Victoria it enjoys views and offers the

opportunity to enjoy as is or renovate to your taste. A spacious living, dining and kitchen area

flows to the gardens for living and entertaining. Well maintained and presented in original

condition this comfortable home has three bedrooms plus office. A bedroom is on the ground

level opens to a secluded deck and garden and the two upstairs bedrooms open to a sunny

deck. The master has en-suite and there is a family bathroom. This easy care home in a

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1/41B Church Street, Devonport

Expressions of Interest Close 4pm, Thur 27th April (unless sold prior)83 Victoria Road, Devonport

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A quality rebuild five years ago this immaculate, warm weatherboard family home enjoys

spacious living rooms and designer kitchen flowing easily to sunny deck and gardens for

private living and entertaining. Plenty of rooms with four double bedrooms, two ensuites plus,

in the roof space is a huge room with multiple sky lights, storage and bathroom. This room

has a multitude of possible uses including a fifth bedroom, another living room, home office

or room for an au pair. Convenient internal access garaging is currently used as a teenage

retreat. The possibility of dividing the home gives the option of an income, extended family

living or work from home opportunity. This fabulous family home, in an exclusive location, is

close to beaches, parks, shops, Devonport village, ferry and excellent schools.

Serious vendors want this sold. Put this one on your list to view now.

1 Waterview Road, Devonport

Auction 1.30pm, Thur 21 April 2016 (unless sold prior)28 Northcroft Street, Takapuna

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Apartment living right on the waterfront in this much admired complex offers you the perfect

"lock up and go", which is how the present owners have enjoyed our New Zealand summers

for the past ten years in this beautifully renovated home. With stunning views over the lawn to

the harbour and city, the everchanging panorama will delight you. Private and peaceful this

apartment in the west wing of the complex has a generous tiled living area, two bedrooms

(the master with ensuite) and a well thought out kitchen to suit the most discerning gourmet.

Devon Park is set amongst lush meticulously maintained grounds with a superb heated pool

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village lifestyle of Devonport and if you work in the city take the Stanley Bay commuter ferry to

the CBD and come home relaxed to your tranquil retreat in this sought after complex.

105/45 Stanley Pt Rd, Devonport

Expressions of Interest Close 4pm Thur 5th May 2016 (unless sold prior)83 Victoria Road, Devonport

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CHIC HARBOURSIDE APARTMENT IN ICONIC DEVON PARK

Adjacent to North Head Maritime Park this private four bedroom, two bathroom contemporary

family home is located in the heart of Cheltenham in a prestigious street close to Torpedo

Bay and the Devonport village. It´s an easy walk to the beach, parks and local cafes or you

can exercise, discover and explore the tunnels and hills of North Head from your rear gate.

Spacious lounge and comfortable family rooms flow outdoors to sunny, peaceful decks and

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internal access double garage has massive storage and there is room for a workshop plus

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35 Jubilee Avenue, Devonport

Auction 1.30pm, Thur 28 April 2016 (unless sold prior)28 Northcroft Street, Takapuna

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The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 16 April 8, 2016Letters

Can iwi be trusted? History suggests sceptismIn the mid 1980s iwi claimed the last remain-

ing headland in public ownership adjoining the Waitemata Harbour; deep water was waahi tapu and of ancestral importance to them.

Iwi felt very strongly that the headland should not fall into private ownership. The land was to the north of Orakei Basin and owned by the railways department.

Several years later, the headland was returned to iwi as part of their Treaty settlement. Sadly,

their claims of waahi tapu went out the window when several weeks later iwi leased the land for 999 years to a property developer for residential apartments.

On this basis, the last chance for this mag-nificent headland to become a public reserve for present and future generations also went out the window.

Can we expect high-rise apartments at Tor-pedo Bay when the current lease to the Naval

museum expires?This explains iwi’s determination to reduce

the mandatory 20-metre-wide marginal strip to 6 to 10 metres. This sounds like the history of Bayswater Marina repeating itself, and should be of concern to all present and future Devonport residents.

One bay fiasco per 100 years is enough. Maggie Barry where are you??Bruce Tubb

In response to Peter McNab’s letter in the Flagstaff of 24th March 2016, I would like to offer some tips for Devonport dog owners on picking up doggie doo-doo. Just like Peter, I am constantly amazed at how many stray doggie doo-doos I find (and pick up) on my walks around Devonport.

From the Auckland Council website:“Auckland dog owners must remove and

appropriately dispose of any droppings left by the dog in a public place.

“A plastic supermarket bag comes in very handy or you can buy biodegradable ‘doggy do’ bags at supermarkets and pet stores.

“Owners who do not pick up their dog’s ‘doo’ may be issued an infringement notice with a $300 fine.”

As a professional dog walker I pick up a lot of doggie doo-doo, so I think I am well qualified to offer some suggestions. Let’s see if we can make Devonport a Doggie-Doo-Free Zone – how satisfying would that be for everyone! At the same time we would hopefully be getting rid of the bad reputation that dog owners have. Let’s get real, no one likes to step into doggie doo-doo or find it at the playground or at the park. Is it really that hard to pick up?

When out walking your dog, as an owner you

will be watching your dog at all times because your dog can drop a doggie doo-doo at any moment, even if s/he already did one right at the beginning of the walk. Walking with a friend and watching your dog are mutually exclusive. Ideally you should have more than one plastic bag with you, preferably three.

Now, do I hear you say that having to watch your dog at all times is taking the fun out of walking your dog and/or impossible? So here is the solution: you probably end up with two spare doggie doo-doo bags, maybe even three. If you decide not to watch your dog at all times then maybe you can pick up the doggie doo-doos you see on your walk from other dog owners who decided not to watch their dog. This way, you can enjoy your walk and pick up the odd doggie doo-doo and there will be no more stray doggie doo-doos in Devonport!

If dog owners can’t create a better reputation for their loyal canine friends and themselves, then who can?

Come on Devonport dog owners, we can do this!

Susie Londer

Doo pick up: solutions to keep Devonport streets clean

©Copyright OceanFun Publishing Ltd www.ofu.co.nz

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Harcourts of Devonport Property ManagementPut the management of your rental property in safe hands.

www.harcourts.co.nz

CONTACT Larissa Williams P 446 2108 M 021 960 313 E [email protected]

Dog waste – dumped in a bin near you?Lately, someone has been dropping

their bags of dog excrement into my rubbish bin while it’s on the berm after the rubbish has been collected. I retrieved my bin on Monday afternoon, opened it to put some rubbish in only to find the bottom seething with maggots and one lone bag of dog poop. Of course, I had

to clean it out, disinfect it and dispose of the offensive plastic bag. This is pretty selfish behaviour and doesn’t fit with the sense of community spirit that most of us in Devonport share. I’ll be interested to know if other people are finding the same thing.

Sarah Wooding


In-store Naturopath and Pharmacists

Belmont PharmacyYour natural health specialists

Best product rangeBest adviceBest service

and now Best Prices with AA SmartFuel discounts

Belmont Pharmacy 143 Lake Rd, Devonport • Ph 445 8247

www.belmontpharmacy.co.nzServing our area since 1989

Letters

Letters to the EditorLe t te rs to the Ed i to r a re

welcome. They should relate to Devonport issues. Unsigned or nom-de-plume letters will not be pub l i shed . Ema i l l e t t e r s to [email protected] or post to Devonport Flagstaff, PO Box 32-275, Devonport.

Information centre should return to former council building

Re the Devonport Business article in the Flagstaff 26th Feb, about the Devonport Bor-ough Council building at 3 Victoria Road.

Yes, I totally agree that Devonport needs an effective visitor information centre, and that’s exactly what should be reinstalled on the ground floor, where it once was, at 3 Victoria Rd. NOT tucked away in an unseen corner at the end of the wharf.

As Judy Grieve (The Devonport BID Manager) says, the building represents a lot of Devonport history, and must stay in com-munity ownership and continue to serve the wider community – not become estranged to a commercial lease, and ending up merely as yet another eatery/ coffee shop.

Best wishes to Judy and the BID.Margaret Oldham

Once upon a time we lived in a beautiful city called North Shore City and its council had its streets swept clean by a truck about every two weeks at least. But lo and behold the powers that be in a beehive in another part of New Zealand decided that New Zea-land should have a Super City. The largest city in the country should be created by amalgamating the many cities already there. People were upset. Some said No, whilst others said Yes.

I have carried on with my walks during the transition period and everyone has now sort of settled down until another calamity is upon us.

But on my walks around the Flagstaff de-livery area, I have noticed that the streets are getting dirty and cluttered and full of leaves and when it rains roads become flooded. But where, oh where, is the truck that used to keep our previously beautiful clean city

clean? This dirtiness has now gone into school grounds. Walking through a school on Good Friday morning, I noticed that some-one must have had a party judging by the bottles and cups and wrappers from a local takeaway franchise being left behind for the local school caretaker to clean up. When did we lose our pride in being clean and tidy as well as respect for other people’s property?Dennis Manson

Littering and lack of council and public care

Devonport 49A Albert Rd

4 2 1 3

Auction: 10:00am 18 Sep 2014 at Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna (unless sold prior)View: Sat/Sun 2.00 - 2.45pm.www.barfoot.co.nz/527748

Central, Sunny and Oh So Quiet!

Tucked down the driveway in a very

central location sits this solid timber

home. An exciting opportunity for those

looking to ‘step in or stay in’ the

Devonport market. Warm and

contemporary it offers four bedrooms, a

second living room or ‘work from home’

option. A must see and rare find for those

looking to live the Devonport lifestyle! Trish FitzgeraldM 021 952 452

E [email protected] 09 445 2010

Toni GregoryM 021 044 3663A/H 09 446 1023E [email protected] 09 445 2010

1

2 3

OPEN HOME

Devonport 49A Albert Rd

4 2 1 3

Auction: 10:00am 18 Sep 2014 at Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna (unless sold prior)View: Sat/Sun 2.00 - 2.45pm.www.barfoot.co.nz/527748

Central, Sunny and Oh So Quiet!

Tucked down the driveway in a very

central location sits this solid timber

home. An exciting opportunity for those

looking to ‘step in or stay in’ the

Devonport market. Warm and

contemporary it offers four bedrooms, a

second living room or ‘work from home’

option. A must see and rare find for those

looking to live the Devonport lifestyle! Trish FitzgeraldM 021 952 452

E [email protected] 09 445 2010

Toni GregoryM 021 044 3663A/H 09 446 1023E [email protected] 09 445 2010

1

2 3

OPEN HOME

Devonport 09 445 2010

Birkenhead 55A Tui Glen Road

4/5 3 2 2

For Sale: $999,000View: Sat/Sun 12.00-12.45pmwww.barfoot.co.nz/525323

Hidden Gem in Stunning Location

This spacious four bedroom block and

cedar home is just perfect. With open

plan lounge and well-designed kitchen

flowing beautifully out to an idyllic

entertaining area. A huge lower ground

floor gives flexible living options, and on

the upper level, a master bedroom,

en-suite and extra lounge. Adjacent to a

mature bush setting, the peace and quiet

is disturbed only by the sound of Tuis. Ian CunliffeM 0800 248 521A/H 09 445 3967E [email protected] 09 445 2010

Carol WetzellM 027 245 3392A/H 09 488 7559E [email protected] 09 445 2010

OPEN HOME

Devonport 100 Victoria Rd

6 2 6 2

For Sale: $2,499,000View: By Appointmentwww.barfoot.co.nz/511578

One of Devonport’s Finest Homes

This grand historical home is the perfect

combination of charming villa and

modern lifestyle. Six bedrooms, six

bathrooms, this home has previously

been operated as a B & B. The gracious

home with fabulous views of the Harbour

and Auckland City, has so many beautiful

features, all showcased on a 961m² site.

Close to top schools, the village, ferry

and cafes, this is not to be missed. Ian CunliffeM 0800 248 521A/H 09 445 3967E [email protected] 09 445 2010


Eddie de Heer

M 021 498 390 A/H 09 445 4495

E [email protected]


Lisa McGeehan

M 021 447 184 A/H 09 446 0640

E [email protected]


Devonport - 1 Kiwi Rd Home & Income

4 2 2 1

For Sale: By Negiotiation

View: Viewing by Appointmentwww.barfoot.co.nz/523622

Extended family? Rental Income? Business? This beautifully appointed Edwardian home with

commercial zoned space presents you with so many possibilities! Built in the 1900´s, this home

was originally used as a local grocers. The current owners have poured their heart and soul into

renovating and transforming the home to an exceptionally high standard with emphasis placed

on retaining its original features while mixing modern elements to create a stunning home that

will be sure to impress! Immaculately presented, this home has instant street appeal and boasts

spacious and impressive living areas plus modern comforts of a HRV system, heat pumps and

under floor heating. Not to miss the street frontage 65m² commercially zoned space to use as

your own or lease out. So many possibilities! Call to experience the charm and beauty of this

stunning home and see how it will work for you!


Birkenhead 55A Tui Glen Road

4/5 3 2 2

For Sale: $999,000View: Sat/Sun 12.00-12.45pmwww.barfoot.co.nz/525323

Hidden Gem in Stunning Location

This spacious four bedroom block and

cedar home is just perfect. With open

plan lounge and well-designed kitchen

flowing beautifully out to an idyllic

entertaining area. A huge lower ground

floor gives flexible living options, and on

the upper level, a master bedroom,

en-suite and extra lounge. Adjacent to a

mature bush setting, the peace and quiet

is disturbed only by the sound of Tuis. Ian CunliffeM 0800 248 521A/H 09 445 3967E [email protected] 09 445 2010


OPEN HOME

Devonport 100 Victoria Rd

6 2 6 2

For Sale: $2,499,000View: By Appointmentwww.barfoot.co.nz/511578

One of Devonport’s Finest Homes

This grand historical home is the perfect

combination of charming villa and

modern lifestyle. Six bedrooms, six

bathrooms, this home has previously

been operated as a B & B. The gracious

home with fabulous views of the Harbour

and Auckland City, has so many beautiful

features, all showcased on a 961m² site.

Close to top schools, the village, ferry

and cafes, this is not to be missed. Ian CunliffeM 0800 248 521A/H 09 445 3967E [email protected] 09 445 2010


Eddie de Heer

M 021 498 390 A/H 09 445 4495

E [email protected]


Lisa McGeehan

M 021 447 184 A/H 09 446 0640

E [email protected]


Devonport - 1 Kiwi Rd Home & Income

4 2 2 1

For Sale: By Negiotiation

View: Viewing by Appointmentwww.barfoot.co.nz/523622

Extended family? Rental Income? Business? This beautifully appointed Edwardian home with

commercial zoned space presents you with so many possibilities! Built in the 1900´s, this home

was originally used as a local grocers. The current owners have poured their heart and soul into

renovating and transforming the home to an exceptionally high standard with emphasis placed

on retaining its original features while mixing modern elements to create a stunning home that

will be sure to impress! Immaculately presented, this home has instant street appeal and boasts

spacious and impressive living areas plus modern comforts of a HRV system, heat pumps and

under floor heating. Not to miss the street frontage 65m² commercially zoned space to use as

your own or lease out. So many possibilities! Call to experience the charm and beauty of this

stunning home and see how it will work for you!

Thinking of managing your rental yourself?Read this first and then ring us.

• Over 20 years’ property management experience – we have seen and managed them all

• A tax-deductible expense• Find-a-tenant service

Lynette EllDevonport 09 445 2012 MOBILE 027 298 [email protected]

445 9533 | [email protected]

OUT & ABOUTwith MARIA TEAPE

027 245 3392 [email protected]

0800 248 521 [email protected]

Carol WetzellProudly supported by

Ian Cunliffe

Devonport 09 445 2010 | www.barfoot.co.nz

HARVEST FAIR Saturday 9th April, 1:00pm-4:00pm

Devonport Community Garden,Mt Cambria Reserve, Devonport

Bring your pumpkins, big, small, ugly, cute, pimped to enter our range of pumpkin competi-tions at Harvest Fair. Other competitions include

scarecrow, baking, flowers from your garden, snail racing and more. We will also have Devonport’s

fourth Downhill Apple Roll, Chicken and Egg Treasure Hunt, arts and crafts and more.

NICK CHARLES Monday 11th April, 8:00pm

The Bunker, Takarunga/Mt Victoria, DevonportNick Charles, ‘Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots

and blues’, returns to the Bunker by popular request. Come and see for yourself. Tickets $15, phone: 09 445 2227.

DEVONPORT ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK

Thursday 14th April, 4:00pm-6:00pm (rescheduled from 24th March)

Devonport Library, 2 Victoria Rd, DevonportA quarterly get-together for people involved in

the restoration or care of their local environment: reserves/parks, school or community

gardens, beaches or waterways. The meetings are an opportunity to discuss issues,

share ideas and work together. All welcome.

FREE YOGA SESSION FOR TEENS Sunday 10th April, 9.30am-10.30am

Devonport Community House, 32 Clarence StFree Yoga Session for teens to find out if “Yoga for Teens” is something local youth would want on a regular basis. A great way for young people to improve flexibility and strength and to learn

techniques to manage stress, with local instructor Lauren Connolly. Ph: 445 3068 for more info.

Devonport Peninsula Community eNEWSTo receive the Devonport Peninsula eNEWS,

a monthly email listing of community events, and other community notices, please email us

at [email protected]

With special thanks to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board for funding the Devonport Peninsula Trust.

445 9533 | [email protected]

The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 18 April 8, 2016Interview

[email protected]

Devonport high note in international soprano’s repertoire

After almost five decades travelling the globe as a soprano, Mary O’Brien-Specht returned to Devonport in 2011. She had left in 1963 at the age of 26. But when she was widowed in 2009, she felt the call of her old suburb.

She settled in an apartment on Vauxhall Rd, which stands on the piece of land where her grandmother Jessie Franklin once lived. Her parents’ house was only a few steps away on Grove Rd. Now she can’t imagine living any-where else, not even across the Harbour Bridge. “You’d have to get your passport out,” she says.

Mary was born in 1937 at Pentlands mater-nity hospital on Buchanan Street. She was the youngest of three. Her father, James Lawrence O’Brien, was Devonport’s Deputy Fire Chief and soon the O’Briens moved to a flat next to the Calliope Fire Station.

She first heard classical music in her grand-mother’s Vauxhall Rd home. “We didn’t have a piano but she had an old Victrola record player and used to play wonderful records of people like Joseph Schmidt and Richard Tauber (both famous Austrian tenors at the time). I loved it and sang away in German, which I didn’t understand at all of course.”

After graduating from St Leo’s School in Devonport, she went to St Mary’s College in Ponsonby. Sister Mary Leo became her singing teacher. “That was it! She was a wonderful teacher, became a great friend and a very im-portant person in my life,” Mary says.

The nun was originally from Devonport as well. She had grown up as Kathleen Niccol at 159 Victoria Road and had gone to St Leo’s school. Her grandfather Malcom Niccol had been Devonport’s first mayor.

Dame Sister Mary Leo, who died in 1989, is today best known for tutoring both Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Malvina Major. “I’m what’s known as BK - Before Kiri.” she says.

Mary started out in the school choir. “I was a soprano but I could do alto too and Sister Leo liked that because she could move me around, which was wonderful because I learned a lot from it,” she says.

After living in Europe and America for 48 years, internationally renowned opera singer Mary O’Brien-Specht returned to Devonport, where she was born and raised. She spoke to Maire Vieth about being a student of Dame Sister Mary Leo, singing for the Vienna Volksoper, touring with Peggy Lee and appearing in My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison on Broadway.

One-on-one singing lessons soon followed. “You would have a lesson that would take about an hour or so. She was often interrupted by other pupils coming in and would tell you to go over in the corner there and breathe,” she says.

Mary graduated from St Mary’s in 1954 at the age of 17 and for the next three years continued to study with Sister Mary Leo privately. “I lived at home and had a job down at the Naval base as a gofer. Off I would go to work on my bike at eight in the morning, get off at four and go over on the boat to Auckland, up to St Mary’s and work for the rest of the day there, just really concentrating on singing and learning reper-toire,” she says. She also performed regularly in small concerts, often in halls around Devonport.

In 1957, Mary got her first big break. She was to share the lead in the Auckland Light Opera Company’s production of La Traviata with Mina Foley, Sister Leo’s first star student who had studied in Rome, Los Angeles and New York and performed at La Scala in Milan.

Then Foley became sick and Mary took over the role as Violetta on her own. “I was only 20 years old. I did eight shows at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Queen St in one week. It was a big risk,” she says.

But it was the start of things to come. In 1958, Mary won the John Court Memorial Aria com-petition and a year later the Mobil Song Quest.

By 1959, she had joined the New Zealand Opera Company and sang as Rosina in The Bar-ber of Seville, the company’s second full-scale production touring through New Zealand. “I did hundreds of Barber of Sevilles, from North Cape to Bluff,” she says. Lead roles in Don Pasquale,

The Magic Flute and La Boheme followed.In 1958, Mary married New Zealand yachts-

man Bernie Skinner. The couple had a son, Paul, but later divorced, and Paul stayed with his father. “Sometimes I think about that. I wanted a career and to go away and Bernie wanted to stay in New Zealand. Another woman might have made a different decision, but it was my decision and I made it. I had to do what I had to do,” she says.

Professionally, Mary felt trapped in New Zealand. “During the 1960s, it was very difficult to go where you wanted. You had to go by ship anywhere, even Australia. And it took about six weeks to get to Europe.”

In 1963, She moved to Sydney and per-formed under contract at the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. “I did Micaëla in Carmen, Marguerite in Faust, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, and Louise for an opera on TV called Louise.”

In 1965, she briefly returned to New Zealand as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. The New Zealand Listener ran an article on her entitled “Singer on her way up.”

The same year, she headed for Europe. She had only a vague plan. “I wanted to go some-where where I could become a more rounded personality as a singer, to be able to sing Lieder [German art songs] as well as opera. I was infat-uated with a lot of German opera. A colleague who had worked with me in Australia was at the Vienna Volksoper [a major opera house]. I was introduced to an agent there, who got me an audition in Linz. I got the job,” she says. Linz is Austria’s third largest city, just west of Vienna.

Mary fell on her feet. She learned to speak

Drawn home to Devonport… Soprano Mary O’Brien-Specht


German, auditioned at Volksoper, was signed and rented a small apartment. “The bathtub was in the kitchen,” she says. Friends from New Zealand came to stay, among them Anne Rasmussen, another student of Sister Mary Leo.

During that time Mary also sang at music festivals in Edinburgh, Glyndebourne, Vienna and Dubrovnik. She made guest appearances in opera and oratorio across Europe, as well as London’s Sadler’s Wells Opera as Gilda in Rigoletto and at the Windsor Festival in concert with Yehudi Menuhin.

In 1970, Mary returned to Australia to tour with the Australian Broadcasting Company and stopped over in Auckland, giving recitals for Beethoven’s 200th birthday.

In 1971, she was invited to Anne Rasmus-sen’s wedding in the hills above Florence. There she met her future husband Donald Specht, an American. “The house where Anne got married belonged to Don’s stepsister. He had just come to visit her and got dragged along to the wed-ding,” she says.

Mary and Don hit it off straight away. Specht was already successful in the music business around Los Angeles as a composer/arranger for movies and commercials. “He was originally a trumpet player and had played with many famous people in bands all over the States. He played with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis for quite some time,” Mary says.

They got married within a couple of months at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.”We just knew it was right,” says Mary. The wedding wasn’t a family affair. Don’s parents were deceased and Mary’s couldn’t come all way from New Zea-land. “I called up my dad on the phone. He had been in World War One and just said, ‘so you’re going to marry a Yank?’ I said, ‘yes dad.’”

In 1971, the newly-weds moved to Studio City, Los Angeles where Mary met jazz musi-cians Shelly Manne, Buddy Collette, Jo Maini, Peggy Lee and her piano player Lou Levi.

She tried to re-establish her opera career in the States but found it difficult. “I went into doing lighter stuff. I sang in some of Don’s commer-

cials and bits and pieces. We made a record of Lieder – Schumann, Schubert – with him and some friends. I loved it,” she says.

In 1973, Mary came back to New Zealand to sing Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor at His Majesty’s Theatre for the Auckland Opera Trust. The NZ Herald review called O’Brien’s performance “triumphant.”

Three years later, during a surprise visit for her father’s birthday, she appeared in a Max Cryer TV show.

In 1981, Mary performed in the roles of Mrs Hopkins and Lady Boxington in the 1981 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady, alongside Rex Harrison, who was cast as Henry Higgins. “We did a two-year tour across America and Harrison always brought the house down,”

“I did a lot of things like that and in 1984 I went on tour to London as a personal assistant to Peggy Lee. You always had to call her ‘Miss Peggy Lee.”

Mary gave her last public performances in the late 1980s. Retired life in Los Angeles was good until 2009, when Don died at age 79. “As we didn’t have children or family over there, two years later, I sold up and came here,” she says.

She enjoys being back among the local O’Briens. Both of her siblings are still around: her sister, who became a nun at age 20, in a con-vent in Dunedin, and her brother, in Papakura. Cousins live in Takapuna and further north.

Later this year, Mary plans to visit her son Paul, who now lives in Sydney. “I am very fond of him, his wife and my two grandchildren,” she says.

And of course she loves being back in Devon-port. She has reconnected with Kay McKellar, a childhood friend from St Leo’s school, where McKellar later became a teacher and eventually principal.

Does Mary still sing? “No. My voice failed me in 2010 and I haven’t been able to sing since. And I am deaf in one ear, which is not good.” But during our interview, she often breaks into her favourite songs from various operas.

Mary says one of her favourite pastimes is walking in the half tide across Cheltenham Beach. From her lounge she has a view of Rangitoto Island, another place that reminds her of her grandmother and the way her life has come full circle.

“My grandmother lived in Islington Bay for quite a long time. When she couldn’t handle it there on her own any more, she moved to the house on the land where I live now.”

Mary O’Brien-Specht in the lead role in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte

“ I’m what’s known as BK – Before Kiri.”

Soprano Mary O’Brien-Specht on her tuition from

Dame Sister Mary Leo

EXHIBITION: 7 APRIL - 3 MAY OPENING 7 APRIL: 5 - 8PM HORTUS LEMMA SUMMER BLOOMS

&

Rand_Flagstaff.indd 1 31/03/16 10:19 pm





The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 22 April 8, 2016Letters

Obviously if only 720 vehicles per hour from Takapuna to Devonport are allowed onto the motorway southbound at Esmonde Rd in the morning, nothing you can do will clear Lake Rd. Currently one lane on Lake Rd is easily capable of supplying this number of vehicles.

What I find people are not aware of is that there is never a time in a normal morning when there is a need for more than one lane southbound on the Harbour Bridge. I can see this in the morning. I have binoculars: if anyone is interested to check they can borrow these.

Otherwise they can do the calculation: six metres per vehicle at 80 kph is 13,000 vehicles per hour per lane, 50 per cent more than we manage now with five lanes. People just don’t believe this. So I made a video of it. They can watch that. The technology to do this is here now and will be adopted when people come to understand the benefits. There is communication infrastructure to be installed to spread this benefit and that is where we should concentrate our efforts.This is what will clear up Lake Rd.

But what about the traffic lights say some? The cars without drivers will not be able to see them. But we shouldn’t assume traffic lights are going to remain as dumb as they are now. They can easily communicate with the cars and most likely it will be the cars telling the lights when to go green rather than the lights telling the cars when to stop.

Bill Macky

The Ryman retirement home proposal for Ngataringa Road should be publicly notified.

When this application is lodged the rules of the North Shore District Plan (Residential 4B) will be used to assess its compliance. But alongside these regulations the Unitary Plan statements on precincts will have an influence.

The Unitary Plan asks for public access along the foreshore, whereas to date Ryman havs not included planned public access. The Unitary Plan states that three- to four-storey developments are appropriate, while Ryman wants to build five- and six-storey blocks.

The North Shore District Plan may allow greater heights, but the Auckland Urban De-sign Panel points out that view shafts between

blocks are important and further consideration of the heights and the length of the blocks is needed.

Our local board must carefully track and represent the concerns that the neighbours have raised. There should also be discussion about the impact of the removal of mangroves, and disturbance of the foreshore and seabed of Ngataringa Bay, given the local restoration efforts that have been made at Ngataringa Park and Polly’s Glade.

The impact of this development is extensive and public input through the notification pro-cess is needed. Trish Deans,Chairperson Devonport Heritage

The time has come for the politicians to change the way of thinking around public transport.

Next year will see the completion of the Auckland ring roads and it’s likely to help a lot with the loads on our roads. Still we are persisting with the stupidity that is the stop-go lights to filter our traffic on to the motorway.

It’s particularly bad at Esmonde Rd; meaning we just keep getting up earlier to beat them. Great for the work-life balance, I’m sure.

Single-occupant vehicles (SOVs) are the main problem, but why are the dedicated bus lanes empty? Always.

I’m sure if the powers that be changed the ever-increasing bus fares to ‘Gold Coin’, everyone would have options and the roads would flow better.

It does not help that the captives of Devonport to Takapuna must queue for hours. While those driving from as far north as they like, get the priority run, and I don’t care if that’s slow, as they are doing that to themselves.

If ever there should be a revolution it’s here and now as ‘there are none so blind as those who can not see’.

AT this means you.Ian Ferguson

Publicly notified consent needed for Ryman

Gold coin bus fares a solution

Technology can clear Lake Rd

Obituary Sheila’s determination was an inspirationSheila Boyd, well known around Devonport

as a behind-the-scences community worker, has died.

Sheila was one the old Devonport commu-nity that simply reached out and helped, often without the umbrella of a formal organisation or group.

We live across from the old police station and next to what was the maternity hospital. Mum would often stand in for the policeman’s wife, cooking meals for those in the cells and for the duty officers. Our house would be the site for community service for the young kids as they had to endure their friends going past down to the Saturday pictures. Mothers of distressed babies would be brought in for a cup of tea or pacing husbands waiting for the birth would be invited in for a bit. Our house was the collection point for stacks of papers and crates of beer bottles for school fundraising.

My mum made the netball uniforms for the entire Devonport Primary School teams, and the costumes for the 1970s Maori concert par-ty. She was not a committee or organisation joiner, but would often be the first person the presidents or secretaries would enlist to help. She made all the wind socks for Richard Tong when Devonport celebrated its centennial and manned a stall at the park.

Our house was an unofficial motel for nu-merous DoC workers on their way to and from the Gulf islands – food, dry warm clothes and hospitality was always available.

Sheila was born in Sale, Victoria, Aus-

tralia in 1927. At the age of 13 months she contracted polio, an isolated case in a small rural community. Her early life in Australia was dominated by her recovery from this disease. She did her schooling with a pencil in her mouth, got the use of her hands back when she was 14 years old and did not stand upright until she was 21, using full-leg calli-pers. She often said that if you told her she couldn’t do something, it was like a red rag to a bull and she bloody well would, just to prove you wrong.

She met the love of her life outside the pub in Frankston while waiting for a taxi. After six months, this brash Pommy named Eric Boyd, a radio operator in the RNZ Navy, finally convinced her to marry him and whisked her away to New Zealand.

They settled in Buchanan St in 1958, where she lived for the rest of her life. Sheila felt her life really started with the freedom and independence she had with her strong part-nership with Eric. Their love and devotion to each other was steadfast until his death. After losing two babies just before full term, Janine was born in 1960 and followed by Shaarina in 1963, both at the neighbouring Devonport Maternity Hospital. Sheila was a proud and accomplished mother and family was her focus and joy for the rest of her life.

Sheila stood out in the community due to her disability. She became well known for her positive do-anything attitude and her multiple talents. Sheila was always involved in so many

family and community activities. Sheila deeply mourned the loss of Janine

(1990) and then Eric (1996). Since 1996 she had shared the family home with Shaarina, Jason, and then Siobhan and Sophia Taylor. She was furiously proud of her daughters and later her granddaughters.

Sheila was always generous with her time and she has been a wise and compassionate ear in times of trouble for many people. Her obvious strength of character has been inspi-rational to all of us who knew her. I hope we will all be as blessed as Sheila and lead such an inspirational life filled with love and fam-ily. She will be sadly missed but will forever be in our hearts.Shaarina Taylor

Long-time local…Sheila Pearl Boyd (22/10/1927 – 29/2/2016)



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Every dog has its day – especially in Devonport

The fifth Devonport Dog Parade was a woofing success. Hundreds of dogs and more than 2,000 dog lovers attended the event or-ganised by Robyn Fond. The dog and puppy show was started by Fond in 2009. It includes a variety of dog displays, competitions and performances as well as a parade up and down Victoria Road. All proceeds, estimated at around $3,500, will be donated to the SPCA.

Three’s company... Border Collie Bree with sisters Rona (left, 11) and Caoimhe (8) Costello

Action from a dance to a tune from Cirque du Soleil

Protective paw… Stanley (13) and dad Chris Alderson (at right) with Pepper, a Schipperke (Belgian barge dog, bred since the 1700s)

Smiles all round... event organiser Robyn Fond with co-MC North Shore ward councillor Chris Darby (below right)


Fire survivors: the Lusis familyCatching up with

Five indoor smoke alarms were not enough to save the Lusis family from nearly losing their home to a house fire that started on their back deck.

Around half of the 1937 brick and tile home interior is burnt and the rest of it was smoke-damaged in the March 6 fire, they say.

Dennise and Brent Lusis were alerted to the fire by their son Jordan (14), who woke up thirsty at 3 am and decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Through the kitchen window, he noticed flames along the house walls. “It was already quite a big fire in the corner of our house,” says Jordan.

As precious seconds passed, Jordan woke his mother, who had a look and then woke Brent, who got the garden hose but found the tap was live. “I got a hell of an electric shock and couldn’t really turn the water fully on,” says Brent, an electrician by trade.

By then, the kitchen windows were bulging and pulsing. Once they blew in, the heat flames came through kitchen window and quickly spread to the ceiling.

Dennise says: “That’s when the fire alarm went off and all that was left to do was to yell for everyone to get out,” including her 11-year- old autistic daughter Jessica.

Brent continued to fight the flames with the hose. “As I approached the fire, the plastic roof above the deck dropped down, created a fireball and got me. That was it! I dropped the hose and ran and that’s when three fire engines arrived and took over,” he says.

The cause of the fire at their Achilles Crescent home has yet to be determined.

Brent received burns to his face, right hand and right foot and spent 13 days in Middlemore Hospital’s burns unit, receiving skin grafts on his hand and foot.

Losing treasures in their home of 17 years, such as family photos and antiques, has been tough, says Brent. “While we are itemising everything for the insurance we have to come to terms with near-total loss.”

But the emotional trauma has been harder.

Dennise Lusis says it took only days for the Devonport peninsula community to help her family back on their feet. “We are all incredibly grateful,” she says.

With Brent at Middlemore Hospital, Dennise and the children spent the first night on a blow-up mattress in a friend’s lounge. “By Monday, the Navy had found temporary housing for us to move into and we can stay here until our house is fixed, which could take up to a year,” she says,” she says. Brent has worked at the Navy as a marine technician for 27 years.

Dennise is a member of The Light church in Devonport. “They posted on Facebook that we had lost everything and people generously gave us sofas, beds, a washing machine, fridge and freezer and made meals for us. We are pretty much all set now,” she says.

Cathy Fraser, who taught the Lusis children at Vauxhall School, set up a Givealittle page that has collected almost $500 and comes in handy with bits and pieces that are still missing.

Takapuna Grammar School gave Jordan, who is in Year 10, a school uniform. Wairau Valley Special School supported Jessica with supplies. “And the new recycling centre at 27 Lake Road also helped us a lot too,” Dennise says.

Community quickly gets behind family

Lucky escape… Jordan, Brent, Jessica and Dennise Lusis were fortunate to get out of their burning house (below left) alive

“There are times when we are good, and times where we are really not, even though we know that we are lucky,” says Dennise.

Jessica sums it up: “I miss my toys, my room and my home but I’m happy to have my family.”


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New Westwell Reserve steps inch closerNearly three years after a small rockfall

closed public access to Westwell Beach, a dozen new wooden steps are finally near completion.

Auckland Council closed the steps at Westwell Reserve in June 2013, after rocks fell off the cliff face and landed near the bottom of the old steps. Nobody was injured during the incident and the steps were not damaged at the time.

Council parks manager John McKellar

says the steps were closed off after engineers found the cliff face above the bottom of the steps “extremely unstable and dangerous.”

In September 2015, the Devonport-Taka-puna Local Board approved $285,000 for works to fix the steps.

McKellar says the cheapest way to make the steps safer was to reorient the bottom steps away from the cliff.

Construction began early this year but has been slow-going “due to the tidal nature of

the area, where works can’t progress for up to seven days at a time due to weather and tide conditions,” he says.

“The stairs are located down a long, steep track with no vehicle access from the coast for construction purposes, and this requires all materials to be delivered by barge or helicopter,” he says.

This summer (2015-2016) is the third that Westwell neighbours have been unable to directly access the local beach.


Power to the pupils: peninsula schools go solar

St Leo’s has installed 3kW of solar panels in the Genesis Energy Schoolgen project - the seventh Devonport penininsula school to intstall free renewable energy as part of the inititative.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars of panels have been installed at the schools and the De-vonport peninsula now makes up biggest cluster of Schoolgen schools in New Zealand with solar panels on their roofs.

Bayswater School was the first to become a Schoolgen school. It had a 2kW array installed in 2008 and had an extra 4kW added in 2014. The other schools followed with different-sized solar arrays: Stanley Bay School (Jan 2014 – 4 kW), Vauxhall School ( Dec 2014 – 15kW), Belmont Primary School (May 2015 – 4kW), Belmont Intermediate School (Nov 2015 – 5 kW), Devonport Primary

School (Feb 2016 – 5 kW) and now St Leo’s Catholic School (Feb 2016).

The panels installed at the seven Devonport schools would supply enough electricity to power around eight Auckland residential houses for a year, a Genesis Energy spokesperson said.

The Genesis Energy Schoolgen programme offers free solar panels, with some schools also choosing to add extra solar panels on to the roofs of their schools.

There are more than 90 Schoolgen schools across New Zealand. As part of the Schoolgen initiative, students are also taught about the importance of energy conservation and renew-able energy.

Vauxhall School had the biggest solar array on a school in Auckland when they installed their 15kW array in December 2014, the Gen-

esis energy spokesperson said. It is unclear when other schools on the De-

vonport peninsula – Takapuna Grammar and Hauraki Primary – would be included in the Schoolgen programme.

“Planning ahead which schools will be able to become a Schoolgen school each year is a decision that is made on an annual basis. So until the plan for the next year is created, the next round of schools cannot be confirmed,” the spokesperson said.

Powering up… St Leo’s Primary School had a mini school production about solar energy to mark the introduction of solar panels at their school

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June Clark – sticking to her knitting and spinning

Committed craftswoman… June Clark, surrounded by wool she spun herself and teddy bears she knitted.

June Clark, who will turn 87 in a month, has been a charitable spinner and knitter for more than seven decades.

“I have been spinning and knitting for others since the Second World War, when it was mostly scarves and socks for the Navy boys. I was still at Sacred Heart Boarding School in Wellington then, where the older girls taught me how to do it,” she says. Once she was married, a friend gave her a spinning wheel and there has been no stopping her since.

She spins a little bit of wool every day, sitting at the spinning wheel in her craft room, next to a Singer sewing machine. “Today I spun red yarn all afternoon after I got fed up with the TV,” she says.

Clark still knits for others too. She has just finished 40 teddy bears, all made from soft yarn she spun. She donates them to Plunket, St John, Mission without Borders and Middlemore Children’s Hospital. It takes her less than a day to knit a bear, she says.

Clark has been a member of the Devonport Spinners and Weavers since she arrived in Devonport in 1991, but has been involved in similar clubs all her life. The Devonport membership has recently declined to only 16 and Clark is on a mission reinvigorate the group. She has demonstrated her spinning skills all over Devonport, “at the library, on the wharf, in the park and at the museum,” she says.

Anyone is welcome to join the club and help her knit more teddy bears. “We have a pattern and are happy to teach anyone to knit, spin, weave or even felt. People can basically make it as intricate as they want. They should just stop by at one of our meetings,” she says.

Clark, a mother of six, also loves to knit for her fam-ily. “Jerseys, scarves, hats, mostly winter things. What haven’t I knitted! My husband was a Hawke’s Bay sheep farmer, so I used to make him gloves,” she says. June and Paul Clark have been married for 65 years.

Their grandson Louis recently requested a hand-knitted jumper from her, which he wears at university in Dun-edin. “He loves it and wears it but he’s been pulling on it to make it longer and longer. That must be the fashion now,” she says.

The Devonport Spinners and Weavers meet every Wednesday from 10 am until noon at St Augustine’s Church on Calliope Road. Anyone is welcome.

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Rose Centre manager Kath Hair stars in and produces the new Geoff Allen /Galatea Theatre production Women with Swords playing at the Pumphouse Theatre Takapu-na, from 13 April.

While directing a 2014 production of Per-icles, Geoff Allen heard an actress watching a sword fight lament: “I wish we could do that.” He then wrote what he believes is his most exotic and edgy play yet – Women with Swords. It’s billed as a western with swords, set on the French/Italian Border in 1642.

“I wanted to do a play very different to my other work, set in a time when superstition, religion and war pushed ordinary women to the edge.”

“I chose the Thirty Years’ War and based it on two iconic sixties films – The Last Valley and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

“Six women to love or hate – but will your favourite be the one that survives to see the dawn?”

• Women with Swords, The Pumphouse Amphitheatre, April 13 – 23rd. Bookings: wwwpumphouse.co.nz, Phone 09 489 8360

Armed and dangerous… (left to right) Kath Hair, Natasha Ross and Kat Glass in the new Geoff Allen play Women with Swords

Pen as mighty as the sword


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Cynthia and Chris McKenzie: Gallipoli Remembered

The artists share their response to attending the 100-year commemoration

services at Gallipoli.

9 to 27 April

A space that celebrates the vernacular of Aotearoa New Zealand through publications, videos and artwork.

Depot Artspace Members Exhibition: U.F.O. Show

Depot Artspace is thrilled to announce our upcoming annual Members

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The Vernacular Lounge

UFO: The Sky is No Longer the Limit! Members are invited to boldly go

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Bye gum!

Workmen last week removed a large gum tree that had fallen on the Lions Club roof in Empire Rd during recent storms


GrammarAPRIL 8, 2016SCHOOL NEWS

GrammarTakapunaAPRIL 8, 2016SCHOOL NEWS

TASH BONDBright lights, busy streets and yellow

cabs. That’s where Tash Bond thought she’d be going on a six-month exchange. But instead she got the hay bales, cow pats and farmlands of Iowa. At first, disappointed by the absence of ‘the life’ advertised by American TV shows, Tash soon found out that living in a less hectic city actually made her experience in the US better.

American high schools are typically presented on TV as large, hectic and completely different from the schools in New Zealand. Tash went to a small school, about the size of TGS, in the city of Des Moines. “The way school worked over there was so different to New Zealand schools. Everything was multi-choice and so much easier,” says Tash.

She chose to take psychology and joined the cheerleading squad. “This was the best decision of my life; I made so many friends and everyone was really nice.” Tash did football cheer, which reminded her of Bring It On, and also did basketball cheer during the winter. There was training, four times a week, which Tash says practically consumed her life.

During her months away, Tash’s host

family took her to Colorado, on a ten-hour drive to see the Rocky Mountains, and visited family during Thanksgiving. “It was a pretty cool place, but pretty much like every other state there is the big city in the middle, surrounded by desert and basically nothing, which is where

we stayed, opposed to the big cities like Denver.

Tash recommends anyone to give the exchanges a shot as it definitely was a great life experience. “It was a really cool experience and I wish I could do it again.”

BY SERENA YOUNG

NGAIRE METCALF“I think the main benefits of a student

exchange are learning a new language, learning about a new culture, gaining a new perspective and experiencing a new way of living,” Ngaire says.

“I did the exchange with an organisation known as the AFS,” she says. The American Field Service is one of the largest student exchange companies in New Zealand and has been doing exchanges since 1947. It is a not-for-profit charity with a mission to spread understanding of other cultures and people irrespective of race, sex, language, religion or social status.

“I would advise would-be exchange students to go to the chapter meetings (find info about these on the AFS website). It’s also important to learn as much language as possible before you go. Remember that both parties have to adjust to each other when living with a host family. Try everything! Try your best to use as little English as possible.”

“I think open-mindedness and a willingness to learn are both vital to an overseas exchange,” says Ngaire. “You need to be aware that it will be difficult at times, and having the strength to make a fool of oneself and get over it is vital (this happens a lot)”.

“I went on my exchange in Year 11, which is NCEA Level One” says Ngaire. I was a bit worried that I would have a problem when I got back, but I’m doing the IB now and I think I’m doing well. I was worried about incorporating my exchange with school, so before I went last year I spoke to all my teachers. They all said to just go and not worry about school. Do keep in mind that it’s most important to concentrate on your exchange – it’s a once in a lifetime experience”.

“I chose to do my exchange in Germany because I really agree with their laws

and general values – I think they are very reasonable. I became interested in German law and culture, and naturally I did a lot of research on it (as one does in this day and age). I saw Germany as a place I would like to live in the future, perhaps for the long term. All this led to me choosing to do my exchange in Germany,” says Ngaire.

“I went on a plane with six other students also doing an exchange and I was picked up by my host family at Frankfurt airport. My first day at school was pretty scary. I was dropped off at the office and that was when I realised that I didn’t know anybody at all – and didn’t speak any German either. I was the only exchange student at the school, and the first one ever for that year group, so yeah, it was daunting at first.”

“I found living with a host family brilliant! It could not have been better. It would have been impossible without them. They were always were there for me (and I needed that). I was soon just another member of the family. I was the littlest child for once – at home I am the big sister. I had lots of fun with the family on holiday. I had very trusting, loving, open host parents. We will keep in touch for life – they are my family too now,” says Ngaire.

“Social life in Germany was different. I didn’t really understand how to be a German

teenager. There were different social ‘codes’ that didn’t come naturally to me. Where do people hang out if there is no beach? People were direct (like the stereotype). It was harder to make friends than in New Zealand, however once you make friends, it’s a much stronger bond. It’s not ‘fake nice’, but genuine.”

“I have learned a new language, gained a different perspective, become more confident, and I can also use Germany’s public transport very well. I learnt to find and join activities and clubs – such as football, choir, kayaking, pilates – and integrate myself into a community. I learnt to just have fun. I also learnt that there is more than one correct way to live and be successful. I also developed a skill in supporting myself (to an extent) as I had no close friends at first, and I was staying with a totally new family.”

“Because of the exchange, I now feel that I have the option to live in Germany. I also learnt that there is no correct way to live. For example I could be a housewife and still be successful. I now have a broader view of the world. What is going on in Europe is now much closer to home for me, and because of my perspective from Germany I feel that New Zealand should do so much more in terms of global issues,” says Ngaire.

BY CAITLIN BAARD

For the first time some Special Education Centre students will be taking part in Life Skills courses for Level 1 NCEA.

Michele Brooke, Head of Department of the Special Education Learning Centre at TGS, says: “We’re very excited to be able to recognise the hard work our students are doing in class by giving them the opportunity to get these credits. Life skills are an extremely important part of our programme and the ability for these to contribute to an NCEA certificate is an

amazing opportunity for them.” The Life Skills subject includes aspects of

problem-solving, teamwork, reading and communication skills as well as health and safety. Students say that they are finding the subject both “cool “and “fun”.

Not only are the students taking part in NCEA, they are also attending mainstream art classes with teachers from the Art department and are also doing 10 weeks of dance workshops with the Touch Compass Dance Company, along

with Year 13 mainstream dance students. This is led by the dance company’s artistic director Catherine Chappell, who is a pioneer in integrated dance.

The students are preparing for the upcoming YouDance Festival in June, where they will demonstrate their newly learned dance skills. Molly and Rebecca both say that, “Touch Compass is the best thing,” and expressed it as a definite highlight of their week.

BY LIBERTY SOANES

Everyone should go on an exchange!Four students have recently returned from exchanges to different parts of the world. These are the first two of four profiles.

Learning new skills


GrammarAPRIL 8, 2016SCHOOL NEWS

GrammarTakapunaAPRIL 8, 2016SCHOOL NEWS

TASH BONDBright lights, busy streets and yellow

cabs. That’s where Tash Bond thought she’d be going on a six-month exchange. But instead she got the hay bales, cow pats and farmlands of Iowa. At first, disappointed by the absence of ‘the life’ advertised by American TV shows, Tash soon found out that living in a less hectic city actually made her experience in the US better.

American high schools are typically presented on TV as large, hectic and completely different from the schools in New Zealand. Tash went to a small school, about the size of TGS, in the city of Des Moines. “The way school worked over there was so different to New Zealand schools. Everything was multi-choice and so much easier,” says Tash.

She chose to take psychology and joined the cheerleading squad. “This was the best decision of my life; I made so many friends and everyone was really nice.” Tash did football cheer, which reminded her of Bring It On, and also did basketball cheer during the winter. There was training, four times a week, which Tash says practically consumed her life.

During her months away, Tash’s host

family took her to Colorado, on a ten-hour drive to see the Rocky Mountains, and visited family during Thanksgiving. “It was a pretty cool place, but pretty much like every other state there is the big city in the middle, surrounded by desert and basically nothing, which is where

we stayed, opposed to the big cities like Denver.

Tash recommends anyone to give the exchanges a shot as it definitely was a great life experience. “It was a really cool experience and I wish I could do it again.”

BY SERENA YOUNG

NGAIRE METCALF“I think the main benefits of a student

exchange are learning a new language, learning about a new culture, gaining a new perspective and experiencing a new way of living,” Ngaire says.

“I did the exchange with an organisation known as the AFS,” she says. The American Field Service is one of the largest student exchange companies in New Zealand and has been doing exchanges since 1947. It is a not-for-profit charity with a mission to spread understanding of other cultures and people irrespective of race, sex, language, religion or social status.

“I would advise would-be exchange students to go to the chapter meetings (find info about these on the AFS website). It’s also important to learn as much language as possible before you go. Remember that both parties have to adjust to each other when living with a host family. Try everything! Try your best to use as little English as possible.”

“I think open-mindedness and a willingness to learn are both vital to an overseas exchange,” says Ngaire. “You need to be aware that it will be difficult at times, and having the strength to make a fool of oneself and get over it is vital (this happens a lot)”.

“I went on my exchange in Year 11, which is NCEA Level One” says Ngaire. I was a bit worried that I would have a problem when I got back, but I’m doing the IB now and I think I’m doing well. I was worried about incorporating my exchange with school, so before I went last year I spoke to all my teachers. They all said to just go and not worry about school. Do keep in mind that it’s most important to concentrate on your exchange – it’s a once in a lifetime experience”.

“I chose to do my exchange in Germany because I really agree with their laws

and general values – I think they are very reasonable. I became interested in German law and culture, and naturally I did a lot of research on it (as one does in this day and age). I saw Germany as a place I would like to live in the future, perhaps for the long term. All this led to me choosing to do my exchange in Germany,” says Ngaire.

“I went on a plane with six other students also doing an exchange and I was picked up by my host family at Frankfurt airport. My first day at school was pretty scary. I was dropped off at the office and that was when I realised that I didn’t know anybody at all – and didn’t speak any German either. I was the only exchange student at the school, and the first one ever for that year group, so yeah, it was daunting at first.”

“I found living with a host family brilliant! It could not have been better. It would have been impossible without them. They were always were there for me (and I needed that). I was soon just another member of the family. I was the littlest child for once – at home I am the big sister. I had lots of fun with the family on holiday. I had very trusting, loving, open host parents. We will keep in touch for life – they are my family too now,” says Ngaire.

“Social life in Germany was different. I didn’t really understand how to be a German

teenager. There were different social ‘codes’ that didn’t come naturally to me. Where do people hang out if there is no beach? People were direct (like the stereotype). It was harder to make friends than in New Zealand, however once you make friends, it’s a much stronger bond. It’s not ‘fake nice’, but genuine.”

“I have learned a new language, gained a different perspective, become more confident, and I can also use Germany’s public transport very well. I learnt to find and join activities and clubs – such as football, choir, kayaking, pilates – and integrate myself into a community. I learnt to just have fun. I also learnt that there is more than one correct way to live and be successful. I also developed a skill in supporting myself (to an extent) as I had no close friends at first, and I was staying with a totally new family.”

“Because of the exchange, I now feel that I have the option to live in Germany. I also learnt that there is no correct way to live. For example I could be a housewife and still be successful. I now have a broader view of the world. What is going on in Europe is now much closer to home for me, and because of my perspective from Germany I feel that New Zealand should do so much more in terms of global issues,” says Ngaire.

BY CAITLIN BAARD

For the first time some Special Education Centre students will be taking part in Life Skills courses for Level 1 NCEA.

Michele Brooke, Head of Department of the Special Education Learning Centre at TGS, says: “We’re very excited to be able to recognise the hard work our students are doing in class by giving them the opportunity to get these credits. Life skills are an extremely important part of our programme and the ability for these to contribute to an NCEA certificate is an

amazing opportunity for them.” The Life Skills subject includes aspects of

problem-solving, teamwork, reading and communication skills as well as health and safety. Students say that they are finding the subject both “cool “and “fun”.

Not only are the students taking part in NCEA, they are also attending mainstream art classes with teachers from the Art department and are also doing 10 weeks of dance workshops with the Touch Compass Dance Company, along

with Year 13 mainstream dance students. This is led by the dance company’s artistic director Catherine Chappell, who is a pioneer in integrated dance.

The students are preparing for the upcoming YouDance Festival in June, where they will demonstrate their newly learned dance skills. Molly and Rebecca both say that, “Touch Compass is the best thing,” and expressed it as a definite highlight of their week.

BY LIBERTY SOANES

Everyone should go on an exchange!Four students have recently returned from exchanges to different parts of the world. These are the first two of four profiles.

Learning new skills


INFORMATION MEMORANDUM// 30 VICTORIA ROAD, DEVONPORT 2016

Building sells for almost $4 millionJasper Richerson dropped by the Flagstaff of-

fice last week, solving the mystery of who owns the green Range Rover parked at Narrow Neck Beach car park. “It’s me,” he said, happy to chat .

Richerson’s car has attracted a lot of attention from locals during the weeks it has been parked at Narrow Neck and, before that,Torpedo Bay. “Local residents there kept calling council, told me the car would be towed and were quite aggressive,” he says.

“But at the beach I have already helped tow two cars that were stuck in the sand,” he says.

Richerson is planning to keep the car at Nar-row Neck for another three weeks, until he can afford to get it up to Warrant of Fitness standard. “I need to fix three things to keep it road-legal – a latch, a door lock and get two new seats. I am on the Invalid’s Benefit and my budget is tight,” he says.

Council fines have got on top of him, he says. “But I have paid $2,000 of my council fines and am now taking care of another $600 I owe to Baycorp [a debt-collecting agency].”

The Range Rover is Richerson’s second car. He also drives a silver BMW, and lives in Mt Eden. The car ended up in Devonport “because I saw a spot at Torpedo Bay that was nice and shady,” he says.

Range Rover mystery solved

On 24 February Captain Maxine Lawes handed command of HMNZS PHILOMEL to Commander David Turner. David, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, emigrated with his wife Yvonne in 2004 following a successful career in the Royal Navy. He initially posted as the Staff Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer in July, before posting as the Commanding Officer Operational Diving Team from June 2005 until March 2008. Following a posting to Bahrain, Commander Turner returned to Wellington in September 2008, and in March 2011 returned to Devonport as the Commander Littoral Warfare Support Group. Commander Turner returned to sea in November 2012, when

he assumed command of HMNZS CANTERBURY, currently deployed to help with the rebuild in Fiji. In November 2014, Commander Turner was posted to HMNZS PHILOMEL as the Executive Officer, before assuming the position of Base Commander last month.

We asked Commander Turner what he thinks of life in Devonport

What’s the best thing about working in Devonport? Devonport is where our sea-going Navy is based and is the home of the Navy. HMNZS PHILOMEL is ideally placed on this great waterfront location, which allows us to operate our ships under the watchful eye of our neighbours. I have always enjoyed viewing the Devonport township from seaward when rounding North Head and seeing familiar landmarks heave into view.

What is your favourite Devonport spot? This has to be North Head with its commanding 360 degree views. I will often include North Head in my regular run and though it can be a struggle to get to the top at times, I know I’ll be greeted with one of the best outlooks in the whole of New Zealand. It’s especially rewarding if there is a Navy ship coming in or out!

What role do you think the Navy has to play in the community? The Navy is in the public eye on the North Shore, and especially Devonport, so being a good neighbour is important to me. Our

uniform makes us stand out from other members of the community and I’d like to think that we conduct ourselves and behave in a manner that makes us a respected and trusted neighbour, whether we are in or out of uniform.

What will you bring to HMNZS PHILOMEL during your time as Base Commander? I would certainly like to maintain the good work of those who have gone before me by continuing to promote HMNZS PHILOMEL as the home of the Navy. This is not my Navy or even our Navy – it’s your Navy, and I hope that you are as proud as I am of our men and women who have committed themselves to defending our country, protecting our interests at sea and securing New Zealand’s prosperity through a versatile, responsive, and effective Navy.

What do you like to do at the weekend? What I wouldn’t give to be up in Fiji right now delivering on the Government’s direction and making a difference to the lives of so many people who have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston. Anyway, I live in Gulf Harbour and when I’m not spending time in the garden or walking the dogs with my wife Yvonne, I am a Coastguard volunteer with the Hibiscus Coastguard Unit. Getting out on the water as a volunteer keeps me in touch with the sea and connected with an amazing bunch of mariners who are just so in love with our beautiful coastline.

THE NAVY COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Congratulations? Thanks?Problems? Complaints?DEVONPORT NAVAL BASE TEL 445 5999

MEET THE NEW BASE COMMANDER OF HMNZS PHILOMEL – COMMANDER DAVID TURNER

A commercial building on 30 Victoria Rd has sold for $3.8 million.

The multi-tenanted property, sold unconditionally last month, according to selling agents Colliers. It includes shops

on the ground floor, commercial tenancies on the first floor and an apartment on the top floor.

It was owned by popular restaurateur John McHugh, who died early last year.

April 8, 2016 The DevonporT FlagsTaFF page 37 ClassifiedsACCOMMODATION

Cheltenham Beach Studio. Stunning studio with new fit-out only metres from the beach. Available for short or long-term holiday accommo-dation. Self-contained with separate access and private garden. Wi-Fi included. Phone Mike 021 747 526.Cheltenham: 2 dbl br. Private Beach access, daily or weekly rent. Fully furnished. ph 445 3008.Classy 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, fully furnished Devonport house on Achilles Reserve near Narrow Neck. More information go to www.devonporttuihouse.weebly.com or www.sabbaticalhomes.com. Ph: 445 7895.Devonport short let. Large, com-fortable, 4 bed fully furnished family home available for rent short term. Great location, close to Vauxhall shops and views down Cheltenham beach. Phone: 022 3175 401.Flatmate wanted: Professional person working close to city/Shore wanted for Devonport flat. Large room, nice view, good storage. Avail-able April 18 - $185pw ex. bills. Ring Jo 0276 276 276 any time.Holiday Accommodation, Bayswa-ter. Norwood studio. Private, well presented. $95 per night. Ph 446 1203. [email protected] Accommodation Chel-tenham, absolute beachfront. One double and two singles, shady setting, everything supplied. Ph 445 3008.Relatives visiting? Spacious garden studio with en-suite and kitchenette; minutes to Narrow Neck beach. Reasonable rates. Ph Pauline 445 6471.

ACCOMMODATION

Stunning Cheltenham Beach Cot-tage, metres from the beach. Avail-able for short or long-term holiday accommodation. Beautifully refur-bished, one bedroom, self-contained cottage with a private garden. Phone Rebekah 027 694 3933 or email [email protected]

FOR SALE

Business Opportunity for Te a c h e r D e v o n p o r t a r e a . Love teaching but not paperwork and meetings? Looking for lifestyle and to work from home? Would like to earn $70k plus for a 20-hour week? Full training provided. $52k and some set-up costs. Contact Eve 022 341 1716/[email protected]

REST HOMES

Ascot House Retirement Home, quality care with dignity in a friendly, family atmosphere. Phone Shona, 445 2518.Komatua Care Centre – We care for older people who have memory loss and behavioural difficulties. Pro-fessional care is given in a nurturing environment. For all enquiries - phone 445 1707.

SERVICES OFFERED

10 YEARS’ experience. Home cleaning. Husband and wife. Honest, reliable, careful workers. All equip-ment supplied. References available. Ph Joyce 022 073 1550.At Your Request Home Cleaning. Our local team is ready to deliver 5-Star services in your home for weekly c lean ing , sp r ing , moving or open-home cleaning. Call Yvonne fo r a f ree quo te 415 0028.

SERVICES OFFERED

Bookkeeping/Payroll Are you a small business located in the Devon-port area? Do you need someone for a few hours each week to help you keep your accounts in order? I can do your bookkeeping/accounts/payroll and IRD returns so that everything is ready for your accountant at the end of the financial year! Contact Vicki on 021 845543.Builder available Small job spe-cialist, repairs and maintenance. Skilled, reliable and local. Please phone Clive Melling. Hm 445 2485, Mob 027 29 222 84.Cars wanted dead or alive. Top dollar paid $360 to $1700 for any small car, $800 to $15,000 for vans, utes, 4WD and trucks. Free retrieval 0800 3333 98.Cleaning Maid Easy Use own cleaning products and gear. R e l i a b l e / t r u s t w o r t h y / m a -ture lady. References avail-able Please contact Sharon - 021 405 596.Counselling Low-cost counselling offered by experienced narrative ther-apist (BA Psychology) completing practicum hours. $30/hr. Please con-tact Sarah for confidential, no-obliga-tion discussion: 022 678 1880.Curtains & Roman Blinds Free measure, quote and design advice. 20 years’ experience. Phone Sara 027 625 5844.Devonport upholstery. Recover specialist. Antiques and contem-porary styles. Recycling furniture for 36 years. John Hancox, phone: 446-0372.Devonport Window Repairs. Sash and casement windows, wooden doors. Rotten sills and window components repaired or replaced. General carpen-try. For your local window spe-cialist. Phone Hubert Strang - 446 6174 or 021 274 4191.Diggadrain. Drain unblockers and drainage experts. CCTV drain locating. Repairs. New drains. 0800 your drain.

SERVICES OFFERED

Dog grooming ava i l ab l e . Full groom, bath and blow dry, puppy introduction to grooming. Devonport-based. Call Barbara 021 141 0331.Gardener Available Quali-fied and experienced landscape designer. Enjoys getting his hands dirty. Good plant knowledge. Hardworking, reliable and cre-ative with plantings. Contact Paddy 022 502 2122 or 446 6188 [email protected]. Do you need regular help? No time for a tidy up? Let me help. Experienced garden-er. Ph Carolyn on 446 6517 or 027 292 8167 for a free on-site consultation.CHandyman . Mature profes-sional in Devonport, Bayswater area. Repairs, painting, those jobs you just don’t have time to do. Free quote. References. Ph. Brian 021 150 8898.Housekeeper. Home cleaning, including windows, wash-ing, ironing, furniture polish-ing. Experienced. References. $25 per hour. Ph 442 2273, 027 4926220.Housewashing. Get your house clean for the holidays by contact-ing Bubble Boys house washing. We clean windows, doors, weath-erboards, garages and outbuild-ings. Support local, hard-working and reliable high-school Devon-port boys by contacting us at [email protected] or call 021 0621 750 to get a free quote. We are very reasonably priced. We protect paint by using soft brushes only. We can also provide water blasting for concrete driveways, paths and patios if needed.Housewashing, prof. service, 10 years-plus experience, reli-able and prompt. Free quotes, also decks, driveways, paths, fences, roof moss treatments etc. Phone Rod 021 390 800.

SERVICES OFFERED

Landscaping – Format Land-scapes, 18 years’ experience, Dip. Landscape Design. Design and build. We undertake all aspects of hard and soft landscaping including decks, paving, fences, retaining walls, planting etc. Small to large projects. Free quote www.formatlandscapes.co.nz. Call Matt 021 599107. L o c k s m i t h , D e v o n p o r t ’s o w n S c o t t R i c h a r d s o n . Mob 021 976 607.Tagbuster, graffiti looked after Devonport to Hauraki Corner. Call the Tagbuster 0800antitag, 0800 2684 824.Window Cleaning for houses and businesses. For a free quote call Ivan 473 6631.

SITUATIONS VACANT

H a u r a k i h o m e s e r v i c e s . Par t - t ime c leaner wanted , own car, reliable and honest. Police check required. Ph Sophie 021 0254 8044.Rosewhispererer. Do you know how to nurture roses? Live locally? We need advice and pruning. PH Michael 022 640 9725

TUITION

Acoustic and classical guitar, music theory. Fun, comprehensive, tailored to you! Devonport-based. Michelle Birch, BMus (Hons) miche l l eb i r ch@zoho . com, www.michellebirch.comART CLASSES @ D’Port Com-munity house: Wednesday night, life drawing; Friday morning, mastering art. ph Lucy Bucknall - 446 0389.Art Classes for Children. Wednesdays 3.20 - 5.20 in artist’s home studio by the sea, Devon-port. Term One “Pet Apartment” Painting, Drawing Project. Contact Erica Soman MFA Dip Tchg 021 127 9671 [email protected]

TUITION

Learn piano/keyboard. Les-sons from $19.00. Private, P r o f e s s i o n a l , A ff o r d a b l e , Enjoyment for all ages. Compe-titions, Practical, Theory Exams. NZ Modern School of Music 0800-696-874.Mathematics and Statistics. Individual lessons with a friendly, experienced tutor. NCEA 1 & 2, school years 3 -12. Weekdays and Saturdays, $40/hour. Phone Gillian Steele BCom 488 7059 [email protected] Tuition, Sensitive tutoring offered at all levels of the secondary school curriculum. NCEA, IB and Cambridge wel-comed. 100% pass rate in 2015. NCEA 3 calculus specialist. Ph Peter Ridge BE,Dip Tchg (sec) 445 2283.Singing lessons in Devonport. Contract Dr Sue Braatvedt 473 9113 or 027 3402884. All ages.Stitch Birds Embroidery Classes for students 8 to 18 years. Learn with the experts and create small interesting projects. $10 for two afternoons of stitching. 27th and 28th April 1-3.00pm. Email [email protected] or phone Lynn 445 3661.SLSS Swim School, 11 Evan Street, Belmont (off Eversleigh Road). Specialists in preschoolers. Phone 486 6728 for more info.Travel sketching for beginners. Learn to find your creative side in a fun learning environment over 10 weeks. Kerr St Art space Tuesdays or Saturdays. Ph Tony McNeight 021 925 031.

www.devonport.harcourts.co.nz

Real Estatebuying, selling, renting

CoopER & Co REal EstatE limitEd mREiNZ dEvoNpoRtlicensed agent, REaa

Do you need to take

IELTS?Author and examiner

living locally gives private lessons. Contact Mo on

[email protected]

Devonport Heritage Inc.

Gives notice of two special meetings

to be held on the27th April and 2nd Mayat the Devonport Library

at 7.30pmAll residents welcome.

TRISH DEANS, CHAIRPERSON

Part-Time AccountantChildcare Centre

If you have a good working knowledge of Xero, MS Excel and MS Word and are familiar with preparing management reports for a Board of Trustees, preparing annual accounts for audit and liaising with auditors, this could be the job for you.The Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre is a busy and lively early-childhood education facility serving the Devonport peninsula. This part-time position allows work to be done remotely from home by utilising the web-based Xero accounting system. Tasks include data input, and reconciliation of bank accounts, accounts receivable and accounts payable. The position will also be responsible for filing of GST returns and preparation of accounts for payment. Additionally, reports are required for presentation to monthly board meetings. The position will be accountable to the Board of Trustees through the Chairman of the Board, but will also work closely with the Centre Director.Applicants should send their resumes to:The Chairman, Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre Trust, PO Box 331674, Takapuna, or email to [email protected] by 15 April 2016.


Winning smiles… Aidan O’Connor (right), captain of the Reserves, receives the championship trophy from North Shore club manager, Bruce Warner

North Shore Reserves win Auckland cricket title

For the North Shore Premiers, it was a bittersweet final day’s play of the 2015/16 season.

The team played entertaining and, at times, brilliant cricket to almost win the second- division championship, but just failed by just 6.06 points to get over the line.

Requiring a massive 18 wickets on the final day to win outright, they roared into their work and rolled Grafton for 110, with Matt Selby taking five for 36.

Shore then batted again for six overs, smashing 58/1. On the way Graeme Beghin scored 39 to bring up 1,000 runs for the season.

Shore then put Grafton back in and again rolled them in just 24.5 overs for 90, with Selby taking four for 40 to give him match

figures of nine for 76. This gave Shore a massive 18.87 points for the game. But although they finished with 119.41, it just wasn’t enough to get past second-division winners Howick-Pakuranga.

However, given the excellent results the side is optimistic for another charge into the top division next season.

This season’s highlights included:Bowling: • This was the first season since 2008-9

where five players have taken five or more wickets in an innings.

Batting:• This was the first time five different play-

ers scored centuries – the previous best was four players in 1918/19, 1925/26, 1934/35, 1975/76 and 1990/91.

• It was the first time eight centuries were scored – the previous best was six in 1918/19, 1925/26 and 1996/97.

• Graeme Beghin’s four centuries was the second-highest number ever – the best ever was in 1938/39 when Vernon Sale scored five.

The Reserves team after their championship win

The North Shore Premier Reserves made short work of Cornwall in their final match to win the Auckland Championship.

North Shore got runs on the board, and then bowled well, to take 20 wickets for 245 runs.

Captain Aidan O’Connor led from the front all season, especially with his bowling, which placed him top wicket-taker.

The reserves team were: Aidan O’Connor – capt, Ash Abraham, Dan Abricossow, Harry

Boys, Mitch Bremner, Matt Brokenshire, Callum Chapman, Mac Chapman, Lewis Goodwin, Nic Grantham, Sam Hinds, James O’Brien, Matt Sandery, Andy Strain, Matt Strain, Matt Trent, Zac Watson.

But Premiers fall just short of promotion

Knox cup, most runs, 1 day grades: Nigel Bradly; Redmond Cup, most wickets, 1 day grades: John Coombes; Most runs, 4th XI: Jamie Mathieson; Most wickets, 4th XI: Angus Frew; Most runs, 3rd XI, Don Coleman; Most wickets, 3rd XI: Casey Frechtling; Most runs, reserves: Mac Chapman; Most wickets, reserves: Aidan O’Connor; Knox Cup, most runs, premiers: Graeme Beghin; Vercoe Cup,

most wickets, premiers: Carl Brungar; Mr Pickwick Cup, best fielder, premiers: Ben Wall; Dr Bennett Trophy, best senior all-rounder: Matt Selby; Dacre Cup, most promising senior: Sam Hinds; Winterbotham Trophy, most improved senior: Josh Syme; BP Somerville Trophy, NSCC Cricketer of the year: Graeme Beghin; Don Coleman Trophy, first century of the season: Graeme Beghin; Harry Pitts

Trophy, highest score of the season: Don Coleman, 192; Best bowling figures of the season: Casey Frechtling 7-28 (B1s); Cam Maingay Trophy, best individual effort to turn a match around and win it: Zac Watson; Ian Munro Trophy, best volunteer effort: Andrew Cole; Verdun Scott Trophy, sportsmanship: Tim Roxborogh; Major Jacka trophy, sportsmanship, loyalty to club team and captain: Dan Abricossow.

North Shore Cricket 2015 senior prizewinners

Top knock…Captain Graeme Beghin smashed the club season record scoring more than 1,000 runs


Keen competition for spots at North Shore Rugby

OPENING SPECIAL

KIDS DINE FREE*

Monday to Wednesday Evenings*CONDITIONS APPLY

1 Victoria Road, Devonport Phone 09 445 9559

OPEN 6AM - 10PM DAILY FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER

Two Takapuna Grammar players from 2015 have made the North Shore Premier rugby squad for this season.

James Little started at second five for North Shore in its 49-13 win against Mahurangi last Saturday, while Donald Coleman is also in the wider squad.

Shore coach Frano Botica said that James Little, nephew of All Black Walter Little, had already played for North Harbour sevens and had a bright future in rugby if he kept developing.

Coleman also had a lot of potential, Botica said. But with five or six very good loose for-wards at Shore he would have a battle to make the starting line-up. “We hope he will play the odd few games for us to see how he goes.”

Shore has been building well in the pre-season, winning games against Auckland University, Manurewa, Takapuna and Pon-sonby. However, Botica said although the side performed well, there were many substitutions in trial games and it was not a true gauge of where the team was at.

Out of the 2015 team that came runner-up in the North Harbour championship, the ma-jor losses have been veteran first five Willie Walker and hooker James Hinchco. Although Walker was a perennial comeback king, and even at 38 he may yet be called on again by Shore if needed, Botica said.

Prop Sione Mafileo was also lost to Shore as he is now playing professionally for the Blues.

Centre Ben Stewart has also gone – travel-ling on his OE. Experienced utility back Dan-iel Hilton-Jones is now centre. Other leading players – Josh Blucher, Leigh Thompson and halfback Luke Hamilton – are also back.

New faces include Danny Lee from Taka-puna, and an exciting new first-five Jordan McGregor who has arrived from Sydney, after playing a couple of seasons in the UK.

Botica hopes for a good season from Shore

with strong opposition from Massey, Western, and Glenfield, as well as East Coast Bays, who have recruited strongly in the off season.

“It’s difficult to know what will happen until we all start playing each other and see the relative strengths, but we are shaping up well,” Botica said.

• Shore’s first home game is this weekend at Vauxhall Rd against the Western Pioneers. Kick-off is at 2.45 pm.

At the North Shore Rugby Club Leavers Luncheon which raised $20,000 last Friday… Devonport sports lawyer Maria Clarke surrounded by (left to right) her brother, former All-Black Jeff Wilson (on far left), All Black Jerome Kaino All Blacks Manager Darren Shand, and Malu Tu’isila, a Samoan high chief and Hauraki resident

All Blacks line-up for leavers Samoa trip fundraiser


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8 April 2016 Devonport Flagstaff