Our Community

IT may only be mid-year, but the date for the Southland Santa Parade is set and planning is well under way for the popular community event. Announcing Saturday, November 28, as the date gave people the chance to register their interest if they wanted to take part, parade manager Alice Pottinger said. What began as a Christmas parade with nine full-sized...

WHEN Southland woman Tracey Smith got the call her husband had won a raffle, she prayed it was not a cow. When she realised it was a children's playhouse, she was relieved to say the least. "All our grandkids live up north, so my first thought was, 'what are we going to do with it?''' Mrs Smith said. Earlier this year, her...

INTERNATIONAL student Pongth-awath Viriyawan, of Thailand, says there are advantages of living in the small rural town of Winton in Southland. The 14-year-old Year 9 pupil at Central Southland College said he preferred the weather in Southland compared to his home city of Bangkok. "I don't like hot weather." P, as his friend's call him, said college staff, which had two international...

Riverton family Tanya Colyer (left), Mia Mennel (6) and Sue Colyer braved the harsh chill at Riverton's Taramea Bay on Sunday for the annual mid-winter swim. It was a good day for it when about 50 people dashed into the cold water and came out almost as quickly. Organiser Tanya Colyer said it was great to have the community...

SOUTHLAND-born Alex McBurney says the key to making it to 100 years old is keeping busy. The lifelong athlete and dedicated businessman celebrated a century of life by throwing a party with family, friends and his 13 great-grandchildren at Invercargill's Richmond Grove Church Hall on Saturday. When asked what got him to the 100-year milestone, he said "I just kept pretty...

TWO cartons of grocery items were donated to the Loss and Grief Centre on Wednesday by Inner Wheel Club of Invercargill members. Club president Dariel Osborne said the Invercargill Inner Wheel was part of an international women's service organisation which promoted friendship and service, both locally and internationally. The members were moved to donate the refreshment items after hearing centre director...

SOMETIMES it may be a flash as the bullet hits the metal target, sometimes just the sound of a faint tink. Sometimes, long-range rifle shooter Jamie Hudson does not hear the bullet hit. One kilometre is a long way to hit a target, two kilometres is not a problem for the Year 13 Central Southland College pupil. Jamie said she doesn't practise,...

VENISON is on the menu for New Zealand families in need thanks to an annual deer cull, which will provide meat for foodbanks. The deer cull in Fiordland National Park will provide 18,000kg of venison to New Zealand foodbanks and families in need. The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation typically would remove up to 1000 animals during the cull, and this year has...

THE Chinese Friendship Garden at Queens Park, in Invercargill, is finally open to the public. The project began more than three years ago as part of Invercargill's sister city relationship with Suqian in China. There were several setbacks experienced including a considerable downsizing of the project due to an increase in costs. Last year, councillors decided to go ahead but revised the...

MUCH-LOVED and well-known South Invercargill identity Peggy Peek has been appointed patron of the South Invercargill Urban Rejuvenation Charitable Trust (South Alive). The trust is led by the South Alive Trust Board, which Mrs Peek had previously been a trustee of since its beginnings in 2012. Earlier this year, Mrs Peek resigned from the board, and was invited to be its...