Selwyn Times: March 13, 2019

16 Wednesday March 13 2019
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
SELWYN TIMES
SCHOOLS
•Former Star Media journalist Matt Salmons has become a
stay-at-home dad. We follow his journey weekly.
WINNERS: West Melton School year 5-8 duathlon champions
Alex, Brooklyn, Nikita and Josie.
West Melton duathlon and
swimming champions
WEST MELTON School
awarded its year 5-8 duathlon
and swimming cups on Tuesday.
•The year 5-8 duathlon cup
champions were:
Junior boys - Alex
Senior boys - Brooklyn
Senior girls - Nikita
Junior girls - Josie
TITLES: Year
5-8 swimming
champions
Taylan, Nash,
Isabel and
Madelyne.
•The year 5-8 swimming cup
champions were:
Junior boys - Taylan
Senior boys - Nash
Senior girls - Isabel
Junior girls - Madelyn
•The school also held its
celebration of learning last week.
Sound sleep at campsite
TICKED OFF an item from the
parenting bucket list over the
weekend. Took Vittoria for her
first camping trip.
And to be completely honest,
she was so well behaved that this
won’t be as funny as you’d think.
My little (not-so-little-anymore)
cousin Anna got married
on Saturday to now husband
Lui in a beautiful ceremony at
Anna’s family home down in
Waimate.
The property is incredible,
with rocky outcrops, caves, a
flowing creek and stunning
vistas to the Southern Alps. So
lovely that it would be rude not
to camp there, which was their
suggestion for guests anyway.
I was a little concerned on
how Vittoria would behave on
a camping trip, she’s so full on
now and needs to be running
around at full speed for most of
each day.
And this camping trip would
follow yet another long drive.
Definite tantrum danger zone.
We arrived mid-afternoon, the
sun was shining and the whānau
was busy setting things up for
the ceremony.
As with any family event,
there were young cousins about
and Vittoria immediately took a
shine to sisters Lizzie and Anna
(a different one). And thankfully
they took a shine to Vittoria too.
Can you say parenting support
team?
I’m pretty glad Vittoria won’t
remember me setting up our
tent, I got there, but it probably
didn’t make me look like any
sort of outdoors-man.
So with a ready tent and a
cousin support team on standby,
we were set for the wedding.
Vittoria was so good during
the ceremony, allowing us to
enjoy seeing Anna and Lui finally
tie the knot. They’re a great
couple, loving, respectful and
quirky in pretty similar ways.
After playing for hours, eating
her dinner, my dinner and
trying for a sip of my beer, wee
VITTORIA
& Matt
CAMPSITE:
Vittoria looking
to sneak in some
early driving
lessons while
daddy gets busy
on the tent.
bubs finally fell asleep in her
pram. Then woke up during
speeches. Then again during
fireworks.
So we finished our time at
the party with Laura coiled in
a porta-cot with Vittoria while
I organised a ride back to our
campsite, about a pitch black
400m away (read; had a couple
more with some of the cousins).
We all slept reasonably well
once we arrived at the tent – Vittoria
and I fell into a deep sleep
as soon as we hit the mattress
– and we’ve been left with plenty
of confidence that we could do
it again.
We may need to bring some
cousins along though.