Boy racers out and about rural Mid Canterbury today. Oil/diesel left on tarseal road where this happened about 1.20pm Sunday, corner Chertsey Kyle Rd and Buckleys Rd, Pendarves, near beach. Police notified, they are informing ADC for cleanup.
1936 Cavendish Chambers demolition almost finished, making way for Te Whare Whakatere car parks.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan won by a split second as she raced mayor Neil Brown on the new Ashburton Domain flying foxes. The race was held this afternoon to mark the new equipment being officially opened. The race result was confirmed after video footage on the phones of onlookers was examined. ‘’That was fun,’’ McMillan said after the ride. ‘’I’m going to dispute the TMO, as you can these days,’’ Brown said.
CUSTOMERS QUEUE FOR KMART.
Around 200 people flocked to the River Crossing complex last week in a bid to be one of the first customers through the doors of Ashburton’s newest department store.
Kmart Ashburton opened its doors last Thursday at 8am, but there were claims some people had been queuing outside since 3am.
‘‘I got a message from someone to say there was a queue at 6.30am,’’ said one shopper. ‘‘I thought it would be absolute mayhem but I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got there at 7.55am and there were people already in the store.
‘‘Once you stepped foot into the store it was really nice and calm. So many staff which was amazing to see.
Exceeded my expectations on how organised it was.’’
The opening of the store was celebrated with a blessing at 6am, followed with speeches by Ashburton mayor Neil Brown, general manager of properties for Kmart group Ben Smith, and Kmart Ashburton store manager Kim Spooner.
Tinwald School and Ashburton College kapa haka groups performed while Ms Spooner and Mr Brown conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony.
‘‘We’re excited to welcome Kmart to Ashburton,’’ said Mr Brown in his speech.
‘‘I am confident that this store will be complementary to our town. The venture is the result of a local property developer - Tricoft - choosing to invest in his patch and showing a retail giant that our district is prosperous and has a solid future.
‘‘The Ashburton District is the district of choice for lifestyle and opportunity.
‘‘This store will attract our neighbours from South Canterbury into our town too. And, of course, it will create many jobs which will boost our already buoyant economy.’’
Ms Spooner battled tears as she thanked the developers, support staff, area managers, and the Kmart Ashburton team for helping the new store come to fruition.
‘‘The great news about opening a store in Ashburton is you don’t have to drive to Christchurch anymore to shop Kmart,’’ said Mr
BELLA CALLS ON THE COMMUNITY.
You’re standing on a stage looking out at a sea of screaming faces while cameras flash and sweeping lights direct everyone’s attention to you.
To most people, this sounds like the perfect concoction for inducing anxiety.
But to Mount Hutt College student Bella Casey-Solly, ‘‘that would be the dream’’.
A musical maven with a knack for writing original, heartfelt lyrics, Bella is competing in the TVNZ+
show Take the Mic, which sees teenage Kiwi singer-songwriters compete for a chance to work with
real professionals within the music industry.
Of 200 contestants, Bella has made it through to the top 12.
To win, she needs public support.
‘‘Music is where I want to go,’’ she said. ‘‘I’d love to go to lots of places and perform on big stages ... or just small ones. Anywhere would be great’’.
The next round of Take the Mic hones in on public opinion.
Their votes will decide the fate of the 12 remaining contestants, and only three will make it through to the final round.
Voting opens tomorrow October 7.
Bella hopes the Mid Canterbury community will get behind her to help her stay in the running.
‘‘I feel that you should support people with what they want to do with their future. I feel like going to a small country school you need as many opportunities as you can get, and I think you really need the community to back you up.’’
The fifteen year old has always been artistically inclined.
Her highschool band, Goodbye Thursday won the Timaru region of RockQuest last year with two of
Bella’s original songs.
‘‘I do a lot of drama,’’ she said, thinking about her various performances. ‘‘I’ve been in lots of productions and stuff so being on stage I feel quite comfortable with.’’
Her passion for performing outshines any other feelings, ‘‘but obviously you still get nervous playing your own songs for other people,’’ she said.
‘‘For Take the Mic, I did a song called Seventeen and i
COUNCIL STOKED FOR CIVIC BUILD.
The Ashburton District Council are eagerly awaiting the completion of the new public library and civic building, Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi and Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.
While it remains very much in the ‘in progress’ phase, the new library has been dubbed a ‘‘creative space’’ by Ashburton District Council chief executive officer Hamish Riach.
He said the abundance of books will be more of a feature than a focus and described the new library as ‘‘a creative community hub - the community’s living room’’.
‘‘There’s all sorts of things like a sound studio, wet and dry areas so people can come in and explore
creativity,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s the big screen, things like the Lego pits in Tūranga (Christchurch’s public library), lots of little nooks and crannies so people can relax and explore the space.’’
The new public library will combine the historic Pioneer Hall building with a new 2450sqm purpose-built space, entered from Havelock Street.
Users will wander past the town’s time capsule which will be encased in the wall and on display for people to observe.
Havelock Street’s Pioneer Hall will be preserved as part of the children’s library, and will feature a
glazed atrium that will encapsulate the roof and bridge the newly-built east and west civic buildings.
A ‘sky bridge’ will enable people to walk over the old Pioneer Hall while looking down through the exposed rafters and into the children’s library.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown likened the project to ‘building a new house’, saying ‘‘you can see the shapes taking form now, it’s good, it’s exciting’’.
He said, ‘‘having the library integrated will make a big difference of keeping our community together, the council and the community all in one building.’’
There will be an espresso bar on the ground floor where people can grab some cabinet food and beverages.
Mr Brown said local hospitality business o
GROUNDBREAKING DEVELOPMENT AT SCHOOL.
Groundbreaking development at school
Ashburton College started construction of their new $50 million complex this week with a blessing and earth turning event.
- By Indi Roberts
Charlie mows the mullet.
Lauriston School pupil Charlie Quinlan had the whole school cheering for him last week when he cut off his mullet for charity.
Inspired by the infamous haircut of former All Black rugby player, Jack Goodhue, Charlie began growing his mullet in March 2020, when New Zealand first went into lockdown. After two years of growth, Charlie decided to say goodbye to his locks, using his mullet to raise money for Starship.
On Friday, with the school backing him, Charlie cut off his 20cm mullet. He was able to raise over $1400 for Starship Children’s Hospital in little over three weeks.
Charlie’s mother, Jacqui Quinlan, said they initially set a target of raising $350, but were wowed by the local generosity that helped them over-achieve their goal. ‘‘That just shows you what great community spirit we’ve got around us.’’
The school had a sausage sizzle and mufti-day to help with the fundraising efforts, which raised an additional $450 to add to Charlie’s Starship donation.
Clipper’s Hair Studio also got onboard with the cause. Hairdressing apprentice Livvy Barclay visited the school to cut Charlie’s hair, giving the Year 6 pupil a smart new style.
She said it was amazing seeing someone so young thinking ‘‘outside the square’’ and ‘‘doing something to give back’’.
Livvy, who is a second year hairdressing apprentice, has been maintaining Charlie’s mullet since the start of this year, and heard about Charlie’s plan to raise money for Starship through their hairdressing appointments. ‘‘It was an honour to have been asked to come out Lauriston School in front of (Charlie’s) friends and family to support him,’’ she said.
Sunshine and clear blue skies meant Charlie and his fellow pupils were able to sit outside and countdown the seconds before Charlie’s mullet got the chop. There was some debate over Charlie’s next haircut, with some kids suggesting a mohawk while dad, Brad, nominated a ‘bowl cut’
National anthem at Ashburton's Anzac Day dawn service
A time to remember... starting with the national anthem.
Hundreds turned out to support the Anzac Day dawn service in Ashburton this morning, which started with the national anthems of the Anzac soldiers (Australian and New Zealand).
Then a pipe band musical tribute at the 11am civic service.
GroundswellNZ protest
GroundswellNZ protest convoy on in Ashburton ... hundreds joining the route
Snow flurries hit Ashburton
A few snowy showers across Ashburton ... how is the weather at your place?
Ashburton RC Drift event
Ashburton RC Drifting ... Drift car action with a difference on today until 4pm at the Hotel Ashburton.
Street sprints
Off and racing...Ashburton driver James Storey in his Mitsubishi Evo.
Rally skills obvious..
Second off the ranks...Sean Haggerty doesn't hold back...
Street sprints today and tomorrow
Shayne Adams Memorial Street Sprints warmup start.... racing is now under way!
Heartland Tractor Trek, supporting HeartKids, has just arrived in Methven on the way to Wanaka .... next stop Geraldine!
Keep an eye out for their distinctive orange Chamberlain tractors and donate online or in their collection buckets if you can!
Ashburton Pipe Band
Ashburton Pipe Festival street march is underway before competition heads into the Ashburton Domain.
