The Nighthawks will start meeting on March 7, 2012 at the Barnstead Town
Hall at 12:00 pm. Hope everyone had a nice New Year. Anyone wishing to
join, please come to the meetings. All you have to do is bring a
casserole, your table setting and come join us. If there are any
question, please contact president Miriam Burrows at 603-664-2837. Hope
to see everyone there.
Greetings From New Zealand
Submitted By
Jess Emory
And I blinked and it was early February, time to say goodbye to NGOs and
Phnom Penh and hello to New Zealand. My first stop was a farm in
Helensville, a small town on the outskirts of the Auckland region and
home to Lily and Steve. They live on what is called a lifestyle block; a
small amount of land with a garden and animals. I fell in love with
damson plums in their various forms. My favorites so far are jam and
gin, though fresh is certainly nothing to sneer at!
Having been named after a cow, my Mom didn’t think she was going to have
children and so used ‘Jessie’ on her prize bovine companion, it seemed
like cosmic justice that I should learn to milk on a gorgeous Jersey
named Jessie. I also learned about the various aspects of New Zealand
politics, the views of the west, and was reacquainted with fine
television: Coronation Street.
A week went by, time always flies on the farm it seems, and then it was
back into Auckland to pick up my Mom who flew all the way around the
globe to come and see me. I was ecstatic. After much hugging, she was
awake and talking when she made it off; far better than I would have
been, we settled into our hostel. For three days we explored Auckland
and the sensory garden, came across a bag pipe troop practicing in bare
feet and shorts, watched cricketers practice, and generally enjoyed each
other’s company.
We left Auckland and made our way to Gisborne via Rotorua, the trip
taking us bombing down small twisty turny roads amongst the greenest of
green foliage that looked like it was coming straight from Jurassic
Park. Fern trees and palms and then rugs of evergreens into the cracks
and crevices of monstrous mountains that seemed to crop up out of
nowhere and the road hugging every turn. The sky went from stretching as
far as the eye could see to being the smallest sliver of blue-white
between huge hulking hills. Specks of sheep and cows dotted here and
there, and there was much wrinkled pasture from heavy animals on bad
land.
The thing about Gisborne is that people claim to have modest
establishments, you know, a few thousand sheep or just a couple thousand
citrus trees. For Don and Kay it is just a mere seven thousand orange
and lemon trees. But better than thinning mandarins (a travesty! But a
job that must be done so that the trees produce every year and don’t get
on a two-year cycle) is seeing one of the big stations go through
shearing.
You haven’t heard Eminem until you’ve heard him blasting from a shearing
shack with the vibrations of the base mixing with the shears. The smell
of hot lanolin vibrated in the air. The music seemed to pour out of the
building and out into the rolling hills. Inside the shed was the action.
With purpose, like he was the king of the earth, the top shearer would
stand back up in his moccasins that are specially designed to not hurt
the wool, stride over to a pen with a spring gate and reappear a moment
later with a sheep back on its end.
The whole process would start over again, a sheep taking a mere
forty-five seconds to be shorn. I sat, agape, for maybe a half hour just
watching everyone doing their jobs. The Maori girls danced and joked
around, the shearers were intent on their work, the sweepers buzzed in
between the two groups. Wool accumulated and was packaged, bales came
out and were stapled up. Magic.
There are more adventures to be had for sure. Our plans are not fixed
save for Mom’s flight home at the end of the first week in March and my
flight to Christchurch the same day. It has been an adventure with many
more to come, and every day home gets that much closer.
Bits and bobs to feed the imagination: Woodchuck holes are not woodchuck
holes because there are no woodchucks; you can thank the rabbits for
that unexpected drop! Kiwis say nothing after you sneeze. ‘Fantastic’
and ‘heaps’ are the Kiwi equivalent of ‘wicked’ and ‘lots.’ Driving is
on the other side of the road. Avocados are in such abundance that the
pig here gets about ten a day, the chickens get a dozen every few days,
and there are still three buckets full on the back porch. Long distance
buses have seat belts and there is a $150 on the spot fine if you are
pulled over and not wearing your belt. Bus tickets are checked on
phones, restaurant orders are taken on them as well. Rotorua storm
drains have metal fish next to them and the air there is heavy with
sulfur. Free range eggs are $7 a dozen, butter is $4 per 250g, lamb $37
per kilo, chicken is $15/kilo. ‘Good on ya’ is the general phrase for
indiscriminate encouragement. Kiwi lady bugs are neon iridescent blue.
Shearers wear moccasins to prevent damaging the wool. Jerseys = sweaters
= jumpers.
Letter
To the residents of Barnstead:
I will be running for reelection for the position of Overseer of Public
Welfare. As your current Overseer of Public Welfare I have worked
tirelessly to keep the residents of Barnstead warm, in their homes, kept
their power on and directed them to other agencies that could help with
their needs including the Barnstead Thrift shop and Food pantry which
was created in my first term as Overseer of Public Welfare.
This nonprofit provides food, sundries, and a variety of needs. In
addition to my creation which is an all volunteer driven Thrift and Food
pantry, I have partnered with private citizens and local organizations
to reach all residents who may have needs. One great success is the
Thanksgiving and Christmas assistance program which was created to help
those having a difficult time to breathe a little easier and enjoy the
holidays. The wood program born out of the 2008 Tornado continues to be
a work in progress providing cord wood to those who would be otherwise
cold. This program accepts unwanted downed wood that is cut, split and
delivered by dedicated volunteers.
As your Overseer of Public Welfare, I will continue to be a good steward
of the town’s welfare budget and provide compassion, understanding and
confidentially to the citizens of Barnstead.
Please maintain the integrity of the Welfare Dept. by reelecting me as
Overseer of Public Welfare.
Elaine Swinford
Letter
To Barnstead residents:
As a former employee of 31 years for the Town of Barnstead, I highly
recommend that you vote for James Barnard as Selectman, Elaine Swinford
as Overseer of Public Welfare, and Marjorie J. Terry as Treasurer.
I have worked with these people over the years and they have a sincere
concern for the town and the residents.
Please vote for James A. Barnard, Selectman, Elaine Swinford, Overseer
of Public Welfare, Marjorie J. Terry, Treasurer.
Sincerely,
Eleanor B. Drew
