The wet winter and a number of challenges on the home front has meant that we have had only one community working bee this year; although Cam has continued working in the valley and surrounding areas carrying out pest control and weeding. A decision was made to fit in one more working bee and to carry out some much needed work on Julie Turner’s property. This took place on Sunday, 3 December. It was a glorious summer day and it soon became very apparent why it is necessary to hold these events in the cooler months. However, we had a good turn-out and, despite the heat, managed to clear the majority of established weeds. The plants are thriving and we just need to keep control of the kikuyu to ensure the smaller plants survive. After working for a couple of hours, some of the volunteers went to view the new steps/walkway Arthur has created at the top of the valley. We all agreed this would have been a more pleasant area to be working in.

Afterwards the hard working members were treated to freshly cooked pizzas, home baking and had an opportunity to taste several Black Stilt wines from the Harvey’s vineyard in Central Otago. It was great to catch up with friends and members of the society in a social gathering to reflect on what has been achieved over the years.