Our Community

ONE team member’s head will be feeling a bit lighter after a fundraiser at Surrenity Hair — Design & Beauty ended with her hair being chopped and donated. Salon owner Bernie O’Neill said about $1000 had been raised for the Southland Charity Hospital. The fundraiser was the team’s way of getting involved and helping, she said. ‘‘This is what it is all...

FEATURING a collection of cameras, photography equipment and framed photographs, "Click" is a celebration of the history of photography. On display at Te Hikoi Southern Journey Museum in Riverton, the exhibition featured many portraits of former Western Southland residents, as well as cameras from throughout the eras. Te Hikoi manager Karyn Owen said some might "find the temporary exhibition reminiscent of...

THE past, present and future of a Southland school's community is being captured with plenty of colour and creativity. Dunedin artist Jemima Pedro spent six months as an artist in residence at Rimu Full Primary School, helping pupils paint a mural. Principal Kate Webster said the aim of the project was to build pupils' knowledge "of kura's whakapapa and community values...

BACK for a second year, Mullets for Mental Health was launched in Invercargill on Tuesday with a Christchurch student getting a fresh cut. Last year, Invercargill firefighters started the initiative to raise money for mental health awareness. This month they are backing student Roy Ford with his efforts to raise money for Mike King's I Am Hope charity. While the 21-year-old Lincoln...

TE ANAU Scouts' recent foodbank drive had a great response from the community. The drive involved seven vehicles and 14 scouts, who collected the donations from people's gates in the Te Anau township, as well as those left at Fresh Choice and Four Square supermarkets. Usually held in April but delayed due to the lockdown, this year the group combined with...

RETRACING and recording family histories is hard work. Saving hours of research for many people, historian and author Ruth Spain, of Invercargill, has complied a family history of Pyper with a Y Through the generations 1763-2019 Taking 19 years to put together, Mrs Spain said she wanted to make the book readable and had included "as many photos within reason". "Anybody who...

VIRTUAL calves are proving popular as part of the Calves for Hospice fundraiser. Winton Hospice Shop manager Maree Ronald said 18 virtual calves had been donated last year, up from 14 the year before. It was thanks to generous farmers throughout Southland that more than $150,000 had been raised through the fundraiser during the past three years to help Hospice continue...

South Alive — Conversations with Council with Russell Pearson First Tuesday of every month Tuesday, September 1, noon-1pm The Pantry, Grace St, South Invercargill Pronoun Lowdown - has been changed due to Covid Alert Level 2 To he, or not to she, they are the question! A workshop about why personal pronouns matter, how to understand and respect them Hosts: Chroma the LGBTQI+ initiative for...

FROM students to mothers, farmers and engineers, Southland entrepreneurs from all walks of life were given one shot to pitch their business start-up idea to other community creatives. Hosted by COIN South, the first Popcorn Pitch event was held at Invercargill's Kelvin Hotel last week, and featured 20 entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas in just one minute. COIN South chief activator...

A DONATION of $5000 towards upgrading facilities at Southland's Borland Lodge is "well and truly" going to make a difference, lodge manager Alan Lowe says. The cheque was gifted by the Masonic Lodge Trust to members of the Borland Lodge Adventure and Education Trust in Invercargill last week to help support the continuation and upgrades of the site. During the first...