Western News: June 04, 2019

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WESTERN [Edition NEWS datE]
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday June 4 2019 17
RISINGHOLM COMMUNITY CENTRE
Cherished homestead
restored and ready to re-open
A cherished community resource in
Opawa, closed since the February 2011
earthquake, is set to re-open this week,
fully restored.
Risingholme, the historic homestead in
Cholmondeley Avenue, was badly damaged
in the earthquake, and then received
further devastating damage in a fire on
Queen’s Birthday weekend, 2016.
The restoration work, which started
in January 2018, is now complete, and
tomorrow Christchurch Mayor Lianne
Dalziel will officially reopen the homestead,
handing it back to the community, which
has been waiting eagerly to use and enjoy
it again.
Registered with the Historic Places Trust
as a Category 2 historic place and now in
its 75th year, this gracious building set in
beautiful park surroundings was purchased
and gifted to the city council in 1943 by
John McKenzie, founder of the McKenzies
retail stores, for the “health, amusement
and instruction of the public”.
That resulted in the ongoing development
of educational and leisure classes, covering
a wide diversity of topics and interests,
which over the years have drawn people of
all ages and backgrounds.
Director of Risingholme Community
Centre, the not-for-profit organisation that
runs the Adult and Community Education
classes, Wendel Karati, says people attend
classes for many reasons, perhaps following
trauma, wanting to learn a new skill, gain
employment or to enjoy the company of
like-minded people as they learn.
“Coming to a class can help restore selfconfidence
and bring new hope for people,”
she says.
During the closure of Risingholme
Homestead and Hall the Risingholme
Community Centre has continued to
operate from 99 Hawford Road, directly
behind Risingholme Park. Classes have
also been held at Riccarton High School,
Hornby High School and Girls’ High, as
well as at other community facilities around
the city.
The full programme of classes is listed on
the Risingholme website and enrolments
can be completed on the website or by
calling into the Risingholme Community
Centre office, 22 Cholmondeley Avenue,
Opawa.
The hall at Risingholme has also
been repaired and is again available for
community groups to hire.
OPEN DAY
Saturday 8th June
10am - 2pm
This Saturday, Risingholme is
holding an open day for people to
come and see the newly restored
homestead and find out about the
classes.
“There has been huge community
interest in the restoration, and this
will be an opportunity for people to
come and celebrate the reopening of
Risingholme,” Wendel says.
The open day will run from 10am-
2pm. Refreshments will be available
for purchase, including soup in a
special commemorative cup that has
been created in Risingholme’s pottery
studio.
Adult and Community Education Term 3, 2019
Come learn with us
Risingholme Community Centre offers
a wide range of short courses, each term,
at a range of venues.
Risingholme Community Centre
Art (Create with Pastels & Paints, Mixed Media, Watercolour, Painting with
Acrylics), Drawing & Sketching, Embroidery, Fabric & Craft Skills, Guitar,
Pottery, Sewing Skills, Upholstery, Using your Overlocker, Weekend Sewing
classes, Yoga, Wood Sculpture, Woodwork, Woodwork for Women, Zentangle,
Printmaking, Fermented Foods, Plastics Free, Waiata, Te Reo Maori.
Christchurch Girls’ High School
Dressmaking, Embroidery, Te Reo Maori, Watercolour Painting, Drawing &
Sketching, German Language, Painting with Acrylics, Spanish.
Hornby High School
Sewing Skills, Thai Cooking, Te Reo Maori.
Riccarton High School
Calligraphy, ESOL Business English Intermediate, Indian Cooking,
Italian Language, NZ Sign Language, Russian Language, Sewing Skills,
Spanish for Travellers, Te Reo Maori, Arabic, A Taste of Egyptian Cooking,
Picture Framing.
The Village House - New Brighton
Te Reo Maori, NZ Sign Language, Yoga.
Full details available on www.risingholme.org.nz
Risingholme office at 22 Cholmondeley Ave, Opawa, Chch
Phone 332 7359 | Email info@risingholme.org.nz
www.risingholme.org.nz