The Brockville Community Development Project (BCDP) Office is in the Brockville Community Church. Contact details: 4764972 (Office), 02102018864, <bcdp_worker@vodafone.co.nz> web-site: www.brockville.co.nz/ Facebook page: Brockville Neighbourhood Dunedin

Brockville Community

Newsletter ISSUE NUMBER 25

Mauri ora, Greetings, Tālofa, Mālo

e lelei, Bula vinaka, Nihāo,

Namaste, Fakalofa lāhi atu, Tālofa

lava, Kia orana, Hola! Marhaba,

Gütten Tag, Assalam Alaikum

SPECIAL THANKS TO MARLENE

and Family for the use of Your lap-

top computer! THANKS HEAPS

too to Paulette, Ronnie and An-

drew Marlene for Your contribu-

tions to this issue.

KIA ORA to Marina, Mary, Jas-

mine, Fiona, Marlene, Salaevalu,

Paulette, Ronnie for Your Awe-

some voluntary work on the

news-letter and the BCDP web-site.

In this Issue, #25

Page 1 The Burning Question

by Andrew Scott

Page 2 Steady As You Go classes

Page 3 Pull-out Calendar (a) Brockville’s

February Dates

Page 4 Pull-out (b) Summer Happenin’s

and Up-coming Events

Page 5 What has BEST been up to?

Page 5 Paws Awhile with Shakira

by Paulette Boyes

Page 5 Newsletter Publications’

Schedule: Feb. to May, 2014

Page 6 Summer’s Happenin’s

The Burning Question

Many of you will have noticed a huge pile of logs dumped on the

lawn outside Brockville Community Church a couple of weeks back. The logs slowly disappeared to be replaced by a large stack of split wood that itself disappeared. And then this week another

pile will appear – and another pile is still to come! ‘What’s going

on?’ you may ask.

We have been given an opportunity to raise some funds for

our community food bank. In particular,

we need to pay for the electrical work of installing a large

2.4m2 chiller for storing the fresh

produce delivered to us for distribution in

our community every week. Costs for the chiller, installation

and initial running come to around $4,800. While $3,500 has been donated by the West Dunedin Youth and Community Trust,

we have had to find the rest ~

hence the firewood.

Any money we make over and

above this amount will go into the fund we are putting toward

a purpose-built commercial grade kitchen. This will open up

possibilities for community events, cooking classes and so much

more. I would love to see the work on the kitchen underway by June although

I suspect I am being more than a little

hopeful as we still need to

raise $15,000 of a total $40,000. So the wood arrived, rather more than we had really been expecting, and then the community arrived. It has

been an amazing and humbling experience seeing people simply

appear and start working.

Continued on Back Page

FRIDAY 07 FEB., 2014 The Burning Question

Continued from Page 1

I have met several people for the first time,

had conversations with people I have only

ever seen in the distance, and had a great

time just getting to know people.

On the first Saturday, we had nearly thirty

people on site, including children seated at a

distance for safety’s sake. Over the course

of the project, so far I can count more than

forty people turning up to help in one way or

another, from wielding a chainsaw to swing-

ing an axe to operating a log-splitter to

stacking the wood, picking up the wood

shavings, delivering the wood, manning the

BBQ, looking after the children and making

the all-important tea and coffee. What a

buzz! And thank you so much for all your

support and encouragement.

We have had requests for over 225m3 of

wood and unfortunately we are going to

have to disappoint some people because we

simply cannot cope with the work-load. It

would be nice to be able to continue but it is

simply not practical. In the meantime, we are

having fun working together as a community.

The Burning Question

Continued from Page 1

Summer School ~ January 10th-25th

Pictured above are Bethany Williams and Aileen Campbell, and Shavaughn Keelan

working with Mark Hogg.

B.E.S.T. Working Bee ~ Saturday January 25th

Pictured above (from left) are Dot White, Ronnie Weir and Sue Morey. Rosalie Feleti-Ivala is in the far distance in the

background.

SUMMER HAPPENIN’S continued from Page 4

Inaugural Summer School

Greetings for the 2014New

Year WELCOME TO THIS, our

first issue for 2014. (A publica-

tion schedule for Feb. to May

can be found on Page 4’s pull-

out.)

Happy

Chinese New Year The Year of

the Green Wood Horse began

last Friday. Next year (Sheep)

begins on Feb. 19th, 2015.

The Brockville Community Development Project (BCDP) Office is in the Brockville Community Church. Contact details: 4764972 (Office), 02102018864, <bcdp_worker@vodafone.co.nz> web-site: www.brockville.co.nz/ Facebook page: Brockville Neighbourhood Dunedin

DESK-TOP COMPUTER PRIZE DRAW #03

The Brockville Radio & Publications’ Collective thanks everyone who responded to our

survey /third and final prize draw (via Issue #24). We congratulate MRS COBURN,

winner of the third desk-top computer.

Thank you so much for your interest. We do hope we will be able to run similar prize

draws later on, in 2014.

STEADY AS YOU GO ~ STRENGTH & BALANCE EXERCISES

Steady As You Go© is a unique Otago-developed community-based falls

prevention programme. Peer leaders and a central co-ordinator run the

programme. Sixty minute classes are held each week for 65+ year olds

in a variety of venues throughout Dunedin and in rural Otago in Waitati,

Milton, Kaitangata, Balclutha, Clinton, Lawrence, Roxburgh, Alexandra,

Clyde and Cromwell.

The gentle exercises used in the programme are based on those

proven to reduce falls ~ developed by Professor John Campbell and

Dr Clare Robertson from the University of Otago.

The exercises are designed to improve balance, leg strength, general

fitness and well-being. Participants warm up in a chair, followed by

standing exercises, walking exercises . Warm downs are done again

in a chair.

A range of light ankle weights is used for the leg strengthening exer-

cises and all participants are encouraged to work at their own pace

and stop if they feel dizzy or light-headed.

Three simple strength and balance tests are carried out on week one

and week ten of the programme.

Steady As You Go© has been evaluated by University of Otago

researchers. They found the classes were fun and provided links with

other people in the neighbourhood, improved physical function. As well,

participants showed a reduced falls risk. Instructors and peer leaders

have been trained by the School of Physiotherapy.

WHAT HAS B.E.S.T. BEEN UP TO?

As you will know, the Brockville Ecological Sustainability Team

continues to have responsibility for the new Community Orchard and

Haapori Maara Kai (Community Garden). Also, in the last issue (#24)

Turnbull Street residents Ronnie and Helen were explaining their

plans for a Hen-house/Green-house project. They had collected

bricks, window glass panes and other recycled materials and last

week the actual building of this project began.

Helen and Ronnie have been ably supported by Gaz, Kevin and Martin. As the photos indicate, the foundation is done. Ronnie and Helen are hoping for the good weather to continue! Thanks to Leon for the donated corner bricks.

Paws Awhile with Shakira

Cats are the ultimate entertainers. They can put on a

goofy show with a piece of string, a plastic bag or thin

air. But what’s really going on when a cat stares at a

wall, at an object or somewhere in space for extended

periods of time? Cats gaze for many reasons.

They could be watching your every move especially if

you have food on a bench or table, willing a mere

morsel to fall magically down into their waiting grasp.

Then there are the ultimate hunters – any toy, bug or

bird is fair game. Invisible windows would be very

handy here! Watching cats following golf, snooker or

pool games on TV is entertaining, too. Oh, and did I

mention be careful of your uncovered toes that

“accidentally” get in the way of their claws? That can

be a bit painful!

When cats are staring straight

ahead ‘though, transfixed on

what appears to be nothing,

are they meditating at a high-

er level of “kitty conscious-

ness”? They have exceptional

hearing at 45-64,000hz

whereas a human hears

between 64-23,000hz. Because a cat’s eyesight is

designed for detecting the slightest movement, your

particular feline often hears or sees things you may

not. Or, perhaps your moggie has been bingeing on her

or his Christmas catnip toy and is in another zone! If

she or he is looking straight through your feline could

be trying to unnerve you to make you move to another

seat… Shakira

STEADY AS YOU GO CLASSES

Classes for 65+ year olds are held weekly on a WEDNESDAY from 11am until Noon.

Venue: Brockville Community Church Hall, 274 Brockville Road

Cost: $2 per session

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME

Please phone 4763930 for more information.

WHAT HAS B.E.S.T.

BEEN UP TO?

HMK Working Bee,